Passover: Fifth Grade Matza Covers

Fifth graders created these designs on fabric with fabric markers. First, they used stencils or drew freehand onto the fabric in pencil. Then, they carefully drew grid lines with a ruler, going through their bubble letters to chop them into different planes. Finally, they used fabric markers to create the eye-catching grid effect. 

Passover: First Grade Seder Plates

First graders created these beautiful Passover seder plates using Sculpey polymer clay, tissue paper, and mod podge. First, we created the ritual items: matza, charoset, parsley, egg, shankbone, saltwater, and bitter herb. As we made each one, students contributed their knowledge about the symbolism of each item.  Then, they smoothed tissue paper onto the plate with mod podge, which left it shiny and polished.

First Grade Chinese Dragons

First graders learned about Chinese New Year traditions. Being in a Jewish school, we discussed cross-cultural comparisons such as the focus on family, and the festival meal with traditional foods. I introduced the idea that Chinese dragons symbolize good luck and strength, which contrasts with traditional European fairy tale bad-guy dragons.  We drew the dragons step by step, focusing on noticing shapes and different kinds of lines. They used colored pencil and Sharpie to add vibrant colors.