If you're stuck on ideas for what to do with the beautiful weather and extra time that summer offers, take some inspiration from the characters in these books!
Tikkun Olam Ted
Ted spends his days working to make the world a better, kinder place by doing good deeds. Taking a lesson from Ted means participating in summer activities that are both fun and helpful!
1. Spend some quality time with your pets, or volunteer at an animal shelter. Animals appreciate the attention and the chance to get outside, and make great friends for a summer afternoon. Taking care of animals also helps children practice responsibility.
2. Use recycled materials to create unique new art projects. Keep some of those useful scraps out of the trash and use them for art projects instead of buying brand-new materials. Reusing what we can is as valuable to the environment as recycling.
3. Work in the garden - if you don't have one, help out a neighbor or volunteer at a community garden. Gardening is a great productive way to spend time outside, and watching the plants they care for grow is a great way for children to see the results of their hard work.
Thank You, Trees!
Children and adults celebrate Tu B'Shevat in this book, but you don't have to wait until January to try some of the activities they enjoy!
4. Go on a picnic. It can be as simple as taking lunch out into the backyard, or you and your child can plan an outing, complete with baskets and blankets.
5. Have an outdoors sing-a-long or dance with your friends. Children may be familiar with the same songs from school or family, and outside is a perfect place to be loud, dance out some extra energy, and celebrate.
No Baths at Camp
"There are no baths at camp!" says Max when his mother starts filling the tub. But as he recounts his week's activities, he realizes that there were many fun ways he got clean at summer camp. Whether it's at camp or at home, Max and his friends have some great ideas about how to enjoy their summer!
6. Stage an outdoor play. It can be a play, or try finding a reader's theater script for one of your favorite books! Reading a script will also help your child practice their literacy skills during summer break.
7. Build a fire and make s'mores. A campfire is also a fun time to tell stories and spend time relaxing after a long summer day.
8. Have a water balloon fight. Want to cool off, but can't make it to the pool? Have a water balloon fight instead!
9. Go for a nature hike. Find a park nearby - even the neighborhood park you go to all the time can provide interesting new things to observe, if you look hard enough. Try out a state park for even more adventure.
To learn more or to purchase
Tikkun Olam Ted, Thank You, Trees! or
No Baths at Camp, visit the
Kar-Ben website!
Sammy Spider's First Book of Jewish Holidays is a book of Jewish holidays for very young children, with one simple holiday fact per page and illustrated with iconic Sammy Spider art.
Sammy Spider's First Yom Kippur is a story about saying "I'm sorry." When Josh breaks the rules and plays ball indoors, he finds himself apologizing not only to his parents, but to Sammy Spider as well.
