http://www.jkidphilly.org/blogs.aspx?blogid=73014444027 2013-05-18T22:56:29Z en-US Family Celebrations for July 4th http://www.jkidphilly.org/blogs.aspx?id=73014445212&blogid=73014444027 What are your plans for the 4th of July? While American Independence Day is not technically a Jewish holiday, it's a day that emphasizes important values, including freedom and independence, that we can connect to our experience of being Jewish. Here are a few ways to think about connecting to July 4th in a Jewish way

]]> 2012-07-02T14:54:00Z What are your plans for the 4th of July? While American Independence Day is not technically a Jewish holiday, it's a day that emphasizes important values, including freedom and independence, that we can connect to our experience of being Jewish. Here are a few ways to think about connecting to July 4th in a Jewish way:

  • Explaining Freedom: How do you explain the concept of "freedom" to a young child? We try to explain it every year when we sit down for our seder at Passover. Take out some of your favorite Passover books (such as "Nachson Who Was Afraid to Swim" )and remind your child about how the Jewish people could not be free until they left Egypt. It draws a great parallel to why the early settlers of our country came here in search of freedom to live and worship as they chose.
  • Our Family's Story: July 4th is also a great time to tell your child(ren) about how and when your family of origin came to this country. It's a great time to celebrate the value of diversity and think about how many different kinds of people live in the United States. "The Castle of Hester Street" is a great story about a grandfather recalling his journey from Russia to New York to his grandchild.
  • Celebrating in the Cradle of Liberty: For families who live in the Philadelphia area, we have the opportunity to show our kids first hand so many important symbols of the American Revolution. This year, the National Museum of American Jewish History will be open with free admission so that families can come and learn. (An hour in an air-conditioned museum might be just the right thing for this year's holiday!).

BTW: All of the books mentioned above are part of  PJ Library. If your child(ren) isn't signed up to receive these wonderful, free books every month, just click here to sign up!

 

Have a happy, safe & fun 4th!

 

]]> Meeting Families Just Like Yours... http://www.jkidphilly.org/blogs.aspx?id=73014445185&blogid=73014444027 When I was pregnant with my first child, I was really lucky to have a close friend who was due with her first baby just a few weeks after me. When our babies were born, we met every week to go for walks and spent hours, bleary-eyed as we were, talking about the ups and downs of being a new mom. When either of us had a

]]> 2012-06-19T14:54:00Z When I was pregnant with my first child, I was really lucky to have a close friend who was due with her first baby just a few weeks after me. When our babies were born, we met every week to go for walks and spent hours, bleary-eyed as we were, talking about the ups and downs of being a new mom. When either of us had an appointment, we would watch each other's baby. Many weekends we'd get together with the daddies in tow and eat pizza and try to watch a movie, although generally half of us fell asleep.

When our babies were three months old, I decided to go back to work part-time and my friend decided to go back to work full-time. Our schedules changed our relationship; even though we still had weekends to hang out, that time was more often reserved for catching up on laundry or taking care of errands that we couldn't manage during the week.

What I discovered during those early years of parenting was that friendships change and shift as our work/family balance continues to evolve. I became closer with other friends who also worked part-time, parents that I met at my local park and moms in my synagogue community.

It's not always easy to make those new friendships when you're just so busy keeping up with the demands of being a new parent. At jkidphilly, we are hoping to make making those connections just a little bit easier for you. All summer long, we've got lots of informal playdates scheduled around the Greater Philadelphia area where you can come with your babies, toddlers and children to hang out at a playground and meet some other parents--who may live just around the corner from you. Come as often as you like and help us to spread the word! Just check out the calendar box on the top right of our home page. 

Hope to see you & your little ones soon!

]]> Enjoying the Ride! http://www.jkidphilly.org/blogs.aspx?id=73014445170&blogid=73014444027 So many of us busy parents struggle to find down time to just be with our kids. Juggling demands of work and home, shuttling children to and from activities, we can easily lose sight of how important it is to spend time with our children--with no agenda, and no demands.   One way that I love to carve out that "j

]]> 2012-06-12T14:54:00Z So many of us busy parents struggle to find down time to just be with our kids. Juggling demands of work and home, shuttling children to and from activities, we can easily lose sight of how important it is to spend time with our children--with no agenda, and no demands.

 

One way that I love to carve out that "just being" time is during our summer family road trips. Headed to see our grandparents or cousins who live several hours away or stealing away to a weekend at the shore, the time that we share together in the car gives us a chance to share jokes, favorite music and stories. Car trips take me back to my own childhood and the many miles I sat squeezed in the middle of my brother and sister in the backseat of our station wagon--headed south to Florida, north to Toronto or west to Chicago to see family and friends. These were the pre-ipod days when we each took a turn choosing a cassette tape to play that everyone had to enjoy--or at least endure.

 

I'm grateful that my children aren't yet of the age when they'll plug into their ipods and tune out our conversations. For now, they enjoy our car time, even when they're filled with some "When will get there?!" energy.

 

Here at jkidphilly, we've recently created "Shore Stories"--podcasts of some of our favorite books that you can download and listen to with your little ones during your summer drives. I'm excited to listen to them with my family and integrate this new tradition into our 'Summer of 2012' road trips.

 

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer 

 Family Engagement Program Director, Bucks County
 

]]> Welcome to Summer http://www.jkidphilly.org/blogs.aspx?id=73014445169&blogid=73014444027 So glad you found us at jkidphilly.org! We have lots of fun summer events planned for you and your family. Come out to hear Jewish stories, play in the park, do a mitzvah project and meet other families just like yours! We'll be posting about events all summer and sharing resources for families raising Jewish children

]]> 2012-06-11T14:54:00Z So glad you found us at jkidphilly.org! We have lots of fun summer events planned for you and your family. Come out to hear Jewish stories, play in the park, do a mitzvah project and meet other families just like yours! We'll be posting about events all summer and sharing resources for families raising Jewish children. Let us know about any special topics that you'd like to learn more about.

Write to me, Debbie Leon, Director of Family Engagement--hope to hear from you soon!

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