It’s hard to imagine Lag B’Omer without public gatherings, local bonfires or celebrations or big parades. Nonetheless, the greatest celebration of Lag B’Omer is that of Jewish unity and Ahavas Yisroel! While it looks different this year than on others, we are perhaps even more connected to one another, albeit through alternative means. It might feel a little unusual to make a celebration at home with just immediate family, but it can still be fun and meaningful. Here are some craft and activity ideas to enhance your day using materials you have easy access to in these difficult times.
Every year, my children look forward to bonfires, and “camp ins” (playing about camping at home or in our backyard. Public bonfires aren’t happening this year and not everyone lives in a location that is conducive to having one. Some families may not even have access to outdoor spaces or yards right now and that can be really challenging. So let’s get creative together and make a Family Lag b’Omer Camp-In at home!
Pitch Your Tent: Whether you have an actual tent, build a fort with chairs and couch cushions and blankets or just set some cozy blankets out on the floor, setting up camp is a great activity for kids of all ages. If you do have a yard and the weather permits, you might do this outdoors.
It is just as fun and cozy indoors, too!
Setting Up Camp:
Let’s Go Fishing! To create a camp like atmosphere, you might want to include some fun camping activities. If you have the ingredients, perhaps you’ll make some s’mores in the oven or microwave. Maybe you have the ability to grill at home or prepare some favorite BBQ foods indoors. You might set up a little fishing game indoors with some paper or felt fish shapes and add a paperclip “mouth.” Use a refrigerator magnet, string and some tape to attach it to a stick, dowel, or long cardboard tube to make a fishing pole and you can go fishing right from your living room!
If you’re in the mood to add some waterplay to the mix, you can go fishing in a big bin or bowl of water. You can use what you have on hand. We had a fishing game party favor one year that we used but another year I just set out some bath toys, a colander and some sandbox toys to fish with! If you want to cool off with some ice play, you can make ice cube “fish” in an ice cube tray using colored water. Toss in a couple of googly eyes if you have them, but no need if you don’t. When your water is frozen, pop them out and add them to a bin of water. We did this with waterbeads one year, but those are not a requirement to make this enjoyable. If you have salad tongs, they make great “ice fishing poles,” but a ladle or slotted spoon would also work well!
Remember--children have inherently great imaginations! They can stretch them as wide as need be--just about anything can be a fish and just about anything can be used to catch it.
Build a Bonfire! While a real bonfire may not be feasible in your space, a pretend one can be great fun to think up and build. Perhaps you’ll go outdoors to gather real sticks or perhaps you’ll work from indoors and use blocks or recycled cardboard tubes. Your flames can be made from scarves/tichels, fire colored clothing and linens, crumpled tissue or construction paper. When it comes to project planning these days, it can be helpful to put your kids in the driver’s seat. Let them navigate what materials to use and how to set them up!
Gather Together and CELEBRATE: Next it’s time to cozy up together and celebrate by the “fire.” Sing or listen to some favorite songs. Dance in your living room! Parade around your house or if safely possible, around your neighborhood. Does anyone in your house play an instrument? If you don’t have “real” instruments” at home, maybe you’d like to make some of your own. If my kids have taught me anything, it’s that everything can be a drum! Share some favorite stories together or share some favorite things about each other. Ahavas Yisroel starts at home and this year, we can really celebrate that!
Feeling Crafty?
If you want to get crafty this year, here are some ideas. Use what you have handy! This year we plan to do a family mural using large paper and art supplies. This is a great way to work together with one another (an important theme of Lag B’Omer) and create something beautiful. We will hang it in our front window to bring joy to our neighbors passing by. You can do this with smaller paper as well. Family members can work together or create individual pieces of art to contribute to your window museum. You might add a message of kindness and encouragement.
For some theme related art, you might want to build a tiny bonfire craft. One year we did this with an overturned plastic cup, squares of colored paper, a paper plate and construction paper “sticks.” I used an LED light inside the cup, but this is not a requirement to make it fun! You can even make a marshmallow roasting stick prop using an actual stick, popsicle stick or wooden dowel and gluing a cotton ball marshmallow to one end.
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You can also gather twigs outdoors and glue them onto a paper plate or piece of paper and add some crumpled tissue paper or construction paper flames. If you’d like a moveable miniature bonfire rather than a permanent craft, you can use the same materials but leave out the glue! This can be a great addition to a dollhouse or block building for little toys and figurines to celebrate together.
Marshmallows are fun for eating if you have them. They are also fun for painting with. You can use vanilla pudding or yogurt colored red, yellow and/or orange with food coloring to make edible paint. You can also do this with real paint (but make sure your littlest ones won’t eat it!) or substitute in a cotton ball for the “marshmallow.”
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This year is different but we can still make Lag B’Omer feel special! It just may be the perfect recipe for a meaningful and memorable experience.
Chocolate Cherry Almond Ice Cream Sandwiches
@saladtherapy saladtherapy.com
Ingredients (Serves 8):
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Ice cream ingredients
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Cookie ingredients
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1 cup raw cashew pieces
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1 cup Trader Joe's GF flour (or whole wheat)
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10 medium medjool dates
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1 cup date sugar (or packed cup of medjool dates)
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1 1/2 cup soy milk
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1 cup raw cashew pieces
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla
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2/3 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
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1/2 cup water
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1/8 teaspoon salt
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2 1/2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (or regular cocoa powder)
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1/4 cup chopped black cherries (frozen is fine)
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1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
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Cookie ingredients
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1 cup Trader Joe's GF flour (or whole wheat)
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1 cup date sugar (or packed cup of medjool dates)
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1 cup raw cashew pieces
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2/3 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup water
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Directions:
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Blend all ice cream ingredients EXCEPT cherries and almonds in high-speed blender until VERY smooth and creamy. It should not have any little pieces left in it when you're done blending. If you don't have a high-speed blender, soak your cashews and dates in the blender with the soy milk for an hour or so before adding other ingredients and blending.
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If using an ice cream maker, refrigerate mixture for several hours until completely cold, and make sure your ice cream maker has been chilled in the freezer for 12 hours or so before churning. If not using an ice cream maker, freeze mixture in a container with chopped cherries and almonds, then stir well every couple hours until you have a nice soft-serve consistency. You can also skip the mixing step if you don't care too much about the texture, or just stir a couple times.
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In the meantime, make the cashew date cookies. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grind all ingredients EXCEPT WATER in food processor until fine, then slowly add water while pulsing until you have a soft, pliable dough. Shape into a square about 1 foot x 1 foot, then bake for about 15 minutes or until just BARELY beginning to brown. Allow to cool completely, then slice in half.
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If using an ice cream maker, when your ice cream mixture is totally chilled, put it in the ice cream maker along with cherries and almonds for 10-15 minutes or until very thick and ice-creamy.
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Spread ice cream evenly onto one half of the cookie, then cover with the other half of the cookie. Wrap in foil and freeze for another few hours until hardened. Remove from foil and cut into 8-10 sandwiches, then store in zipper freezer bags, removing as much air from the bags as possible.
Eat!
