The
Wheels
oi On The Bus
Everybody, hop aboard!
The Kids Fitness Fun-
Wheels, based in Sterling
Heights, is a full-sized school
bus where children can jump,
bounce and hang from the
ceiling — and no one is going
to tell them to cut it out!
The bus is something like ,
an indoor gym, fully padded
and with monkey bars, a bal-
ance beam, a climbing rope, a
trapeze, a zip line and more.
The FunWheels bus is great
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for birthday parties and offers
several packages, starting at
$125. The two-hour rental,
for up to 15 children aged 2-9,
includes instructors and a T-
shirt for the birthday girl or
boy. And don't worry — the
Op bus will come directly to your
home or school for the big
event.
For information on the Kids
Fitness FunWheels parties,
contact Robin Barkley, (810)
264-2866.
'
Ow-
A Nice Kind
Of Pinch
010
The next time you're planning
to have guests for Shabbat,
consider marking each one's
place with a fun little pinch
pot.
You will need:
Water
Non-toxic acrylic paints
Paintbrush
Self-hardening white clay
(for sale at craft stores)
First, roll clay into a small
ball (about 2" thick is nice).
This can then be molded into
a tiny basket with a handle,
though it may take Mom's or
Dad's assistance, as clay is
thick and can be difficult for
some little hands to shape.
Another idea is to make
numerous clay "snakes,"
long, flat ropes smoothed
down with the palm of the
hand. Attach the ends so they
form a circle, then top one
with another until you have a
pot.
Allow clay to dry for 24
hours, then have children dec-
orate with acrylic paints.
Set up one pinch pot for
each guest and fill with a fun
treat. Some ideas: parve candy
like jelly beans, peanuts, after-
dinner mints.
When
Golda Meir
Came For
Dinner
If your idea of dinner is mi-
crowaving a frozen pizza and
turning on the TV, it's time to
tune in, turn off and start
thinking Jewish history.
Here's an idea for a meal-
time activity that your family
is certain to enjoy. It's called
"Guess Which Jewish Person
From History Is Coming To
Dinner?"
Depending on how elabo-
rate you want to make this,
you'll need to start planning
several days in advance. The
idea is to have everyone come
for dinner dressed as his
favorite character from any
period in Jewish history.
But first, each family mem-
could bring a pot of lentil soup
(said to be the food Esau was
consuming after he traded his
birthright to his brother),
while a girl garbed as Golda
Meir might want to find a
recipe from a cookbook featur-
ing Israeli recipes from the
1940s.
Here's one to try, from Jew-
ish Cookery; by Leah
Leonard, published in 1949.
ber participating will have to
do some research. In addition
to donning an appropriate cos-
tume, he or she should be pre-
pared to present a brief
biography about the figure he
is representing. Older children
also may want to cook up a
period-appropriate food. A boy
dressed as the biblical Esau
Sum-Sum Squares
Ingredients:
I /2 cup sugar
1 /2 cup honey
I /4 cup hot water
pinch salt
1 cup sesame seeds
I /2 cup finely chopped
walnuts, hazel nuts or
almonds
Directions:
Combine sugar, honey and
hot water in top of a double
boiler. Add a pinch of salt and
bring to a boil over moderate
heat, stirring to prevent
scorching. Let cook till it
reaches the soft ball stage —
when a drop forms a ball in
cold water. Stir in the sesame
seeds and chopped nuts and
cook over hot water for three
minutes, stirring constantly.
Then return the pot to moder-
ate direct heat, stirring steadily
till the color is a golden brown
— approximately five min-
utes. Turn the mixture out on
a wet board and cut into 1
1/2-inch squares or diamond
shapes. Work fast before the
mixture hardens.
Telling Stories
If you've been reading the same bedtime stories night after night, why
not try making up your own — with your children's assistance = in-
stead?
Depending on the number of children you have, the story can be di-
vided into sections. A family of three, of course, has it easy: A begin-
ning, middle and end. Other families will have longer stories.
One person begins the adventure. Another continues it. A third
picks it up from there, and so on, until everyone has a turn.
Even children as young as 3 can partiCipate, though their adven-
tures probably will be, at times, a tad strange. A story that begins with
a prince and princess may suddenly involve a frog and Barney. But
meanwhile, your children will have a great time and be developing
their imaginations.
Another idea is to make up different endings for story favorites. Of
course, these often end up being pretty silly. "...And so, at last, the
prince brought the glass slipper to Cinderella. She took off her shoe.
`My goodness!' the prince gasped, as he fell to the floor after smelling
a)
her stinky feet," or, "...And then one day the Ugly Duckling woke up
to find that she had turned into a giant horn-rimmed toad. 'How beau-
tiful I am!' she said, looking at her reflection in the water."
Finally, consider checking out some new books from the library.
z
K4
Read about 4/5 of the way through, then stop. Ask your children to
imagine how the book might finish. You'll be surprised by the clever,
wonderful endings they come up with.
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