A New Year takes flight
How butterflies can help children learn about Rosh Hashanah
One of my favorite books for the Jewish New Year is Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. While this might not have been written as a "Jewish book," the idea of growing and changing (like a caterpillar into a butterfly) is a Jewish theme for Rosh Hashanah.
It's easy for children to visualize change in a lifecycle of a caterpillar - how its physical appearance undergoes a transformation on the "outside." Since Rosh Hashanah is a time of self-reflection, I use this book as a tool to talk with children about growing and changing on the "inside;" especially how they can change their minds and their hearts for upcoming Jewish New Year.
To reinforce the theme of growing and changing, we got up close and personal with butterflies by visiting Lukas Nursery and Butterfly Garden in Oviedo, Florida.
Butterflies are happiest in warm weather! To see the butterflies, we went inside a cozy greenhouse filled with trees, flowers, fountains and butterflies! All the children were given a booklet to help them identify all the different butterfly species. We also gave them a magnifying glass for closer inspection. Our time with the butterflies ended with them taking a sip of nectar (gatorade) out of our hands. It was a really special experience!
It's a very happy feeling to hold a butterfly! There is even a special blessing you can say the very first time you hold a butterfly!
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu, v'kiy'manu, v'higiyanu laz'man hazeh.
You can read more about butterflies helping children learn about Rosh Hashanah with DIY butterfly wings and butterfly kindness rocks. Discover more family outings and activities for the Jewish New Year, like
A special apple and honey picnic breakfast
A sweet way to say goodbye to mistakes
For more fun, visit our Rosh Hashanah Round-up! Let us know how you are celebrating Rosh Hashanah in the comments below!
Shanah Tova! Happy New Year!
~Jennifer
