Parashat Ki Tavo: B'rachot and Painting with Food

"You shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land..." and give it to the priest in charge in that time (Deuteronomy 26:2).

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In addition to the above commandment of bikurim, this week's Torah portion also has a long list of blessings and curses that would be bestowed upon the people of Israel depending on their deeds on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.

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So we combined the idea of crops and blessings into a lesson on blessings we say when we eat vegetation.

Thank you to my best friend, Natalie, for sharing this link with me  which inspired our food stamping craft.

While my little one napped, big sister sorted through the fruits and veggies by placing them in separate bowls. 

 We started with veggies dipped in finger paint.

We painted on pieces of sand paper to add texture to our "soil".

We then dipped fruit in paint. 

The weird shape on the left is a potato I cut to look like a pomegranate since Rosh Hashana is approaching.

We stamped the fruit onto a tree I outlined.

Notice the pomegranates in the center.

Our B'racha Mural:

 When the mural was complete we reviewed the b'rachot we say for the foods that grow on trees and for the foods that grow on the ground.

When our little one woke up, I incorporated her into our lesson on vegetation by having her sort fruits and veggies by color. 

 I've been trying this with her for a while and today she finally got it. 

Sorting is such am important critical thinking skill. You can have your kids sort by categories, function, color, texture, etc. Very helpful when it comes time for putting away toys and clothing.

Since I was so excited to see her sort, I searched through our pantry to find other objects for her to organize. I pulled out these cans and a ton of accidental learning ensued.

They sorted by color    

Made patterns

Divided cans evenly among the 3 of us 

Built a castle

Introduced the word cylinder and discussed why it rolls

This was all so great and was another reminder that kids really don't need so many toys. I own color toys, pattern toys, math toys, building toys, shape toys, but NONE of them engage my girls as much as these cans did!

And to finish off our day talking about fruits and vegetables, we make rice krispy apples (also in honor of Rosh Hashana).

 As cute as they are, making these was super messy. My girls spilled rice krispies on the floor and then proceeded to walk all over them. Needless to say, after vaccumming and sweeping, I still feel the snap, crackle, and pop when I walk through my kitchen. On that note, good night!