American Girl class: Rebecca week 4

This week in our American Girl class, we discussed the fourth book in the series, Rebecca and the Movies. The girls liked the book and we had a good discussion about it, and the Statue of Liberty, which Rebecca saw on the way to the movie studio. 

Since the theme of the book was movies and movie stars, we made stars with our names and framed them for our craft. I got inexpensive frames at Walmart, printed the names on card stock and the girls traced a star on yellow construction paper to glue onto it. The frames snapped together easily, and will make a fun door decoration! 

You can find the star printable to trace here.

 Tracing and cutting the stars...

 After we finished the door sign, we colored the Hollywood sign, you can find the printable here. The girls liked coloring and the simple craft. I loved seeing the rainbow signs that were completed!

After we finished our craft, we had Charoset for snack. It is a traditonal part of the Jewish Seder or Passover feast. Here is the recipe we used:

Charoset or charoses is a sweet, lumpy paste served during the Passover Seder. Known in Jewish cuisine, it is a favorite of children. Some people believe it is the tastiest thing eaten during the holiday. The consistency is intended to remind those participating in the Seder of the bricks and mortar their ancestors made as slaves in Ancient Egypt.

There are as many recipes for charoset as there are Jewish families, but a typical recipe from the Eastern European (or Ashkenazi) tradition would include crushed nuts, apples, cinnamon, sweet wine, and honey. Recipes in the Sephardic tradition usually include raisins and may also include ingredients native to the Middle East, such as figs, dates, and sesame seeds.

Recipe:

    * 1.5 C peeled, cored and chopped apples (MacIntosh, preferably)

    * .75 C finely chopped walnuts

    * 2 T sweet red wine

    * 1 tsp. cinnamon

    * 2 T honey

      Mix together and refrigerate overnight for best flavor. Adjust seasoning, if necessary, after it's chilled. For a family Seder, triple this recipe. Serve with matzah. Or just eat with a spoon.

We had a mom bring lots of matzoh crackers, so that is how we served it. The girls liked it a lot! We discussed Passover, some of the Seder plate and I read the book The Four Questions. It was a great book and explained a lot about the Passover feast and traditions around it.

It was another great class!

Here are some Bible verses that relate to Passover:

Exodus 12:21

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb.

Exodus 12:42
[ Ordinance of the Passover ] It is a night to be observed for the LORD for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the LORD, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.

Leviticus 23:5
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover.