Purim Celebrations!

Our Purim Puppets!

The Complete Set! With our hand painted and "collaged" Persian palace background:

Dalia and Rachel telling the story of Purim with felt board puppets.

We finished learning why we celebrate Purim  last week, this week we learned how we celebrate Purim!

1) We hear the megilla two times! When we hear Haman's full name, we shake our graggers (noise makers) and make a lot of noise, because we don't even wanna hear such a wicked person's name!

Gragger Song:

Did you ever shake a gragger, a gragger, a gragger?

Did you ever shake a gragger on a Purim day?

It rattles and shakes, oh what noises it makes!

Did you ever hear a gragger make such a loud sound?

Rachel Paints her gragger.

2) We eat a festive meal!

3) We give money to poor people so that they too, can celebrate Purim and have a festive meal.

4) We send a friend Mishloach Manos. We want everyone to be happy on Purim and we want to make sure everyone has enough food for their festive meal. We give at least one friend, two (or more) different types of foods as a gift. 

5) We get dressed up! In the story of Purim, Hashem was actively involved in saving the Jewish people. However, it could seem that he was not involved, because Hashem was hidden. That's why it is customary to get dressed up on Purim. Even though we may look different, it is still ourselves that we have hidden underneath our costumes. (http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/article_cdo/aid/366310/jewish/Masquerade.htm)

Who am I????

It is for this same reason, that we make Hamantaschen, three cornered pastries with fruit or in our classes case, chocolate hidden inside!

Pre-K Hamentaschen

·       1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened

o      1 cup white sugar

o      2 eggs

o      6 tablespoons orange juice

o      1 tablespoon vanilla extract

o      2 teaspoons baking powder

o      4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·      1 container date spread/ chocolate spread or any other sweet filling

·       DIRECTIONS

o      In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the orange juice and vanilla. Mix in the baking powder, then gradually stir in the flour until the dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. I like to do mine overnight.

o      Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

o      On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch circles using a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place circles on the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each circle. (Any more and it will ooze out) Pinch the sides of each circle to form a triangle, covering as much of the filling as possible. The cookies may be frozen on the cookie sheets if desired to help retain their shape while cooking.

·      Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light golden brown. These are best undercooked slightly. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

First we add the ingredients.

We make and we roll the dough.

We make circle shape cut outs add chocolate filling and fold the dough over three times and pinch the corners to form a hamentasch!

The best part is the "cleanup," here some of our friends help "clean up" our chocolate covered spoons and popsicle sticks!

Hamentasch Song:

Nosh, Nosh, a hamentash,

Lets make a Hamentash, now.

Nosh, Nosh a Hamentash, let’s make a hamentash now.

Pinch and squeeze the dough with me,

Pincha and squeeze and you will see, Haman’s hat was just like that let’s make a hamentash now!

Roll and roll the dough with me,

Roll the dough and you will see!

Haman’s hat was just like that let’s make a hamentash now!

Happy Purim to you all!