The Seder, which literally means order but is also the term for our holiday meal, involves eating symbolic foods while reciting the story of the Jews exodus from Egypt. Central to the Passover narrative are the plagues that G-d brought upon Egypt in an effort to liberate the Jewish people from slavery. These plagues confound us and cause us to question on deep levels (like why could G-d simply not deliver the Jews without inflicting harm on many innocent Egyptians--or were they not innocent because the lived in a society that accepted slavery). The deep questioning is sort of the point, but for kids, they must first understand the story literally before they can "get there." When my minis were very young, I decided to make my table-scape surrounding the plagues and symbolic foods so that the would learn about them. Cue the bugs, frogs, and wild beasts! Don't forget the bitter herbs, and I wanted it to be a pretty Spring table! Here it was:
I did three tables to match each other in the kitchen, dinning room, and playroom tables (we conducted the service in the living room and split up for dinner). Above is the dinning room. I made these simple runner with fabric and stitch-witch iron on. They have been washed a lot over the ensuing 4 years and have held up beautifully. I also marched ants, and frogs across the tables to symbolize the palgues. In lieu of flowers, I used white buckets from the Target dollar spot and herbs (of course):
I set the buffet with little trees that I normally use for Tu B'Shevat and made adorable "plague pops" (kosher for Passover cake turned into wild beasts and frogs):
I also made simple Spring yarn wreaths (before I moved on to deco-mesh with a froggy theme). It was a good way to tech the kids; now they are a little older, we can move a bit beyond the basics.
Whatever you observe this weekend (Easter, Passover, both, or Nothing at all), I hope that it is a joyous and meaningful time with those you love!
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