B”H 

Dear Parents,

Pesach Science

The Purple Room children explored the difference between Chometz and Matza. They experimented with two bottles: both had flour and water with a balloon attached to the tops.  But one bottle had the addition of yeast and sugar. After 18 minutes, they observed that the bottle with the yeast rose and blew up the balloon while the bottle that simply had only flour and water didn’t rise at all. They learned that for to make Matza the Matza must be completed with the mixing, kneading and baking process by 18 minutes. Chometz (bread, Challah, bagels, etc.) rises higher and higher the longer it takes for the process.

 

Hebrew Literacy

The Purple Room also discovered that both words in Hebrew, Chometz  חמץ  and Matza מצה  ,   have two common letters: the Mem מ  and the Tzaddik  צ . The only difference is Chametz has a Ches ח  and Matzah has a Hey  ה . If you look at the letters you can see that they look very similar too, only the Hey has a little space to let air (and people) in and the Ches does not. When a person is humble they don’t feel the need to show off and boast; they feel able to let the other person in and express their thoughts and feelings.

 

Sensory

The Purple Room Winemakers used their fine motor skills to remove the seeds from grapes. Then they strengthened their hand muscles as they squeezed the juice out and made grape juice. They thought the grape juice tasted quite fine. The Purple Room children used the seeds the next day to count and attach to the four cups of wine for the Haggada they are creating.

 

Art and Science

Another experiment which was incorporated into a page of the Haggada was to explore what would happen when they mixed paint with salt. What effect would the salt have on the paint? The result pleasantly surprised them and will delight you when your child shows you his/her Haggada.

 

Pesach Seder

The Purple Room Wise Ones know that the Pesach Seder is the l-o-n-g-e-s-t Yom Tov meal of the year! They know it has 15 steps:

 

Song:

Kadesh we take a sip of wine to our lip

Urchatz we wash our hands for the Karpas which we dip

Yachatz  we now divide and put a half aside

Of the middle Matza, the Afikomen which we’ll hide.

Maggid  tell the story and once more we tell our children the story we repeat

Wash your hands Rachtza demands

For Motzei Matza the Matza which we eat

 

Maror is bitter greens

Korech sandwich between

Shulchan Orech the Yom Tov meal. We lick our soup bowls clean …Mmmm

Tzafun’s not far behind

Afikomen we find?

Berach – We’re bentchin’

Hallel – mention Hashem who is kind

Nirtza – we sing to Hashem, our mighty King,

Thanking Him for taking us out of Mitzrayim

Now we have sung the Seder Simanim

L’shana Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim!

 

 

Shabbat Shalom!

Morah Perline