I was recently invited by my 3 year old son's Jewish Day School to host a classroom activity. Given my experience as a Modern Judaica Designer, I was specifically asked to lead a Challah tray making class for kids to take home and use on their family Shabbos table.
As any mom would have done, I immediately searched online for ideas (thank you Pinterest!), but there were not too many options that inspired me. So I had to use my creativity! It was not so easy to do as the assignment had a few limitations:
- It had to be food safe as the tray is meant to carry the Challah bread -- it could not have glue, paint or any toxic materials
- It had to be an easy enough task 3 year old toddlers could handle given their short attention span and limited motor skills
- It had to be budget friendly
- And of course, it had to look nice!
Here’s what I came up with. It’s obviously not your every-week Shabbat Tray- for that you have our Acrylic Challah Boards ;) But it’s nice enough for your kids to be proud off and show off Friday night on the kids table.
What You'll Need:
- Clear Trays from the Dollar Store or Party City. I did not find smooth ones which would have been nicer. The ones I found had this vintage pattern which gave it an elegant traditional look!
- Scrapbook paper with prints, textures and colors of your choice
- Hebrew Letters Downloadable Free Template or Roller Cutting System
- Confetti and/or Tissue Paper
- Scissors
- White Glue
- Brush
- Paper trimmer/cutter (optional)
To make it fancy I chose a Silver & Gold theme. I bought a scrapbook paper pad that has a nice selection of prints in silver, marble, gold, and wood. You can get as creative as you want with this part of the activity. I found so many different prints and colors to choose from at Michael's!
My son's school has this amazing roller cutting machine system that cuts Hebrew letters in any paper in minutes, but if you can’t find one, we’ve attached a free downloadable template with the 3 Hebrew letters you need to write the word Shabbat. So just print and cut. You are welcome!
For the confetti, I used a mix of silver star confetti and gold and silver tissue paper. To save time and money, I cut them by myself at home in small squares (with the help of a guillotine) before the start of class. But there are plenty of nice confetti options out there that come ready to use.
Instructions for the kids:
- Turn the tray upside down
- With a brush, coat the entire surface with white glue
- Place the Hebrew letters with the print facing down and from left to right "Shin" "Bet" "Tav"
- Sprinkle the confetti
- Wait for the glue to dry
- Turn it around
Your DIY Challah Bread Board is ready to use!
SET THE TABLE & SHABBAT SHALOM
