CREATION

I've been thinking about what to do with my class for "Creation". Now that Simchat Torah has come and gone, we're starting "Bereshit"--the first word in the first book of the Torah ("In the beginning...") and I usually do Creation this week and Noah's Ark next week.

In previous years, I've done Creation placemats and Creation posters. Both kind of the same idea--one year I cut large numbers and divided a 12"X18" piece of construction paper in 8 parts, had the kids glue on the numbers in each of the squares (in the first square we wrote "the Story of Creation" or something like that) On each piece, the kids drew what was created each day. Briefly:
Day 1: Light (they colored the square or the number or whatever yellow)
Day 2: Sky or Heavens  (they drew clouds)
Day 3: Land (and "vegetation") and Sea (they drew water waves and brown land with some green specks in it or something that resembled an island with trees and flowers on it surrounded by water)
Day 4: Sun, Moon, and Stars (they drew each of these--I think once we used star stickers, too)
Day 5: Sea life and Birds (the kids drew fish and birds)
Day 6: Land animals and people (the kids drew animals and people)
Day 7: G-d rested (Shabbat) (the kids drew the symbols of Shabbat--2 candles, a loaf of challah, and a glass of wine)

This year, I'm trying to change it up a bit so I'm thinking about an Edible Creation creation!

Edible Creation

Materials:  for each child
1 paper plate
blue tinted royal icing
green tinted royal icing
white royal icing

Day 1: 1 chocolate and vanilla cookie (either a "black and white" cookie or a sandwich cookie that is chocolate on one side and vanilla on the other--if this cannot be found, a vanilla sandwich cookie and a chocolate sandwich cookie can each be broken in half )
Day 2: small piece of cotton candy or, if you have them, a few kosher marshmallows to represent the clouds in the sky
Day 3: 1 small graham cracker piece (about 1/8 sheet)
green (tree shaped or regular) "sprinkles" or colored sugar
blue "sprinkles" or colored sugar
Day 4: star-shaped sprinkles (available in the cake decorating area of your craft store)
1 white candy melt or 1 white (vanilla flavored) tootsie roll
1 yellow candy melt or 1 yellow (lemon flavored) tootsie roll
(optional) 1/2 orange tootsie roll for "sunrays"
Day 5: Swedish fish
bird-shaped fruit snacks (Target brand makes a cute bird shaped snack)
Day 6: Animal crackers
Gingerbread men (and women) or, if you can't find them, you can cut out a small person shape from a fruit roll up or a fruit strip
Day 7: miniature challah (make ahead if you want a "real" one made out of baked bread) or tootsie rolls
"wax bottles" candy (available at Oriental Trading Company) or, if you can't find them, make one from a tootsie roll


1. Prior to class, divide each plate into 8 "pie piece" sections (the sections should ideally be equal but some could be larger or smaller as needed) Sections can be drawn in with Sharpie. Depending on the age of the children, numbers could be written in ahead of time or the kids could write the number in each space along with what was created each day.

Each representation will be adhered to the plate with a small amount of royal icing. Depending on the age of the child(ren) an adult may need to put the icing on the plate in the correct spot, etc. Tinting it blue or green makes it look like "sky", "water", or "vegetation" and looks much nicer if it is visible. The children really enjoy "painting" with the icing.

2.  As each "day" is discussed, give each child the item that represents that which was created. On the first day, the child sticks on the cookie. If using sandwich cookies, break the cookie in half and flip one over so that both sides can be facing up at the same time to represent dark and light. (I used one half of each half in my sample above.)

3. For Day 3, have the child crush the graham cracker and sprinkle the crumbs onto a dab of icing to represent the land. Or just use a small piece of graham cracker and sprinkle on a few "holly leaves" or "tree"-shaped sprinkles or a few regular green sprinkles to represent the vegetation. Add a bit more icing and have them add the blue sprinkles for the water.

4. For Day 4, have them place the whole yellow candy melt to represent the sun or, if using tootsie roll, mash it into a disk. Have them carefully bite the white candy melt to make a crescent moon or, if using tootsie roll, use about half to roll it into the proper shape, and attach that to the plate. Have them place a few stars on dots of icing or put them all down with a background of blue icing.

5. For Day 7, make a challah out of tootsie roll--kneed it until soft. Divide it into 3 pieces, braid them together to resemble a challah. Make a wine bottle from a wax bottle or pull off two corners (a very small bit) from one side of a tootsie roll then roll this thinner end to be the top of the bottle.  Help the child make "candles" out of the fruit roll or left-over bits of tootsie roll. Attach all pieces to the plate. I found that tootsie roll really STICKS to a paper plate and is quite difficult to get off without tearing the plate so I recommend, if you want the kids to actually be able to eat this craft, adhering everything to the plate with icing. At least that way the icing breaks off of the plate and you can eat it. Alternatively, you could use a plastic plate instead.

If eaten all together, I think I'd get a stomach ache, so this edible craft should probably be viewed  more like a gingerbread house--something they take home and share with their families or eat over several days--for this reason, I recommend using royal icing since it dries hard (as a rock) and lasts indefinitely without refrigeration. Its the same stuff they use on gingerbread houses.

6. On the last space, a teacher or older child could write "Creation" or something with edible marker or icing (or just in Sharpie).