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Celebrate Passover with PJ Library

April 6, 2023

Passover takes place April 5, 2023 – April 13, 2023 this year. PJ Library has so many great resources you can access to use this holiday. I particularly like the 15 minute seder, because well kids….the lunch box ideas are great and can come in handy any weekday of the school year and you know I am always a sucker for the books. We hope you find these resources useful this Passover.

PJ Library brings the age-old Passover story to life with a wealth of resources via their Passover hub. This holiday hub is packed full with everything from music, stories, crafts and recipes to games, history and printables. Families can find a 15 Minute seder — a step-by-step video playlist where kids can learn (or refresh) their seder skills; the PJ Library Passover River Ride booklet which is the story of Passover in ten scenes; Printable Passover Recipe Cards; Passover-Themed Mad Libs; seasonal lunch box ideas, lists of Passover themed picture books and more.

PJ Library offers a downloadable and colorfully illustrated Haggadah for families: In Every Generation: A Pj Library Family Haggadah. While subscribers receive printed copies, this guide to the seder is also available to download for free in five languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and French. The printed English version of In Every Generation is available from the PJ Library store on Amazon.

New this year, PJ Library books are available on the Novel Effect app. As they read along, seder guests will be treated to a synchronized soundscape to In Every Generation: A Pj Library Family Haggadah, including authentic music, sound effects, and even pronunciation of Hebrew words that help kids stay engaged and excited throughout the meal.

Also available this Passover holiday for the first time are large print, Braille, and audio versions of the Haggadah prepared by the Jewish Braille Institute, to ensure accessibility for anyone who is visually impaired, blind or reading disabled.

PJ Library Presents podcasts for kids are NAPPA Award-winners, and a new episode of “Afternoons with Mimi” is “Kiddo’s Passover Table.”

Sign up for Jewish books and holiday resources!

February 27, 2023

Did you know that every child under age 12 in your family can receive their own FREE book each month?

PJ Library sends free, award-winning books that celebrate Jewish values and culture to families with children from birth through 8 years old. Signing up is easy and takes less than 3 minutes.  Join today!

PJ Our Way (PJOW) is for kids ages 9-12, and they choose their own books each month, creating a tailored experience totally based on their own interests and reading level. Learn more and sign up your middle grade reader.

Both programs are open to families raising Jewish children.

If you would like to share more about Jewish holidays and traditions with your child, please visit the PJ Library Holiday Hub for ideas, recipes, videos, and more.

For the upcoming holiday of Purim (starts at sundown on Monday, March 6^th), traditions include

· Dressing up

· Telling the story of the holiday from the Book of Esther

· Using groggers (noisemakers) to drown out the name of the villain in the story

· Sharing gifts of food with friends,

· Eating hamantaschen (filled triangular cookies), and

· Donating to those in need.

Get ideas to celebrate at home on the PJ Library Purim Holiday HubPJ Library Purim Holiday Hub, or find an event to celebrate in the community at the local PJ Library events page.

PJ Library and PJ Our Way in Greater Washington are made possible by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and generous local donors.

Free Webinar: Re-entering the World as a Soulful Family

April 29, 2021

Spring has sprung, and with the season of renewal our hopes and dreams for a safer, healthier 2021 continue to take shape. PJ Library strives to offer valuable content for families. There will be a wonderful free webinar offered on Sunday, May 2: “Reentering the World as a Soulful Family,” hosted by PJ Library and author Dasee Berkowitz.

The transition to a post-pandemic world may not be easy. Author Dasee Berkowitz has a wealth of advice that’s simultaneously practical for modern parenting and rooted in timeless Jewish wisdom. On Sunday, May 2nd from 2:00-3:00 p.m. (EDT), join Dasee and PJ Library for a https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OK90_yuEQiyMoMCjteAAww

“>free webinar about navigating your family’s reentry into a post-pandemic world. Like most great book clubs, you don’t need to have read Berkowitz’ book, Becoming a Soulful Parent, to attend and benefit from this discussion. With Jewish wisdom and participants’ own experiences as guides, the hosts will provide tools to strengthen “muscles” that will become essential in the transition process: love, listening, and curiosity.

It’s NEVER too early to sign up to become a PJ Library Family – Expecting your first? Just added a family member? Make sure they start their childhood by being enriched by age-specific PJ Library books, beginning at birth.

There’s NO limit on how many subscriptions each family can have. Each child in the family is eligible for their very own subscription; just sign up each individual child here.

Celebrate Passover with PJ Library

March 10, 2021

PJ Library has updated their Passover hub with dozens of fresh ideas and resources for families, including stories and songs, games, activities and recipe ideas, and printables.

One of the new resources in 2021 is the free downloadable, intereactive PJ Library Family Haggadah. Downloadable translated PDFs are also now available in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and French. Additionally, there’s an interactive component that makes the Seder that much more engaging!

Whether you’ll be celebrating Passover virtually or with your family in real life, PJ Library’s pre-Seder checklist is a handy parent helper.

As a reminder, you may sign up each child {for free} to receive their own books each month. And, what a perfect gift a subscription to PJ Library will be for expectant parents and newborns!

If your kids are aging out of picture books, PJ Our Way is a highly interactive site designed to engage kids ages 9 to 12, allowing them to choose their own books each month.

Purim activities and Carnivirtual event from PJ Library

February 17, 2021

Purim is coming up soon; February 25-26, and PJ Library wants to remind you of the free books, podcast episodes, and excellent resources for families. Is your child receiving free books from PJ Library?

The message of Purim goes way beyond costumes and festive food. Kids and parents alike will find discussion-starters in the Purim story, so that we can all explore the meaning of bravery and heroism in ways that are meaningful and kid-friendly.

PJ Library has a plethora of amazing resources for your family to celebrate with:

· Listen to the Purim Story for Kids on the PJ Library podcast

· Explore Five PJ Library books about Purim

· Purim recipes

· Make your own Mishloach Manot Basket with a printable origami template

As a reminder you can join PJ Library for free and every kid likes receiving mail AND books! The award-winning non-profit sends more than 200,000 books per month to families raising Jewish children across North America (since their founding in 2005, they’ve shipped more than 12 million books overall!). Expertly curated, the age-specific monthly selections, for children ages 6 mos. to 8 years old, exemplify the very best of Jewish children’s literature and offer books certain to capture children’s imaginations with cheerful characters, compelling stories, and vibrant illustrations.

Purim Carnivirtual: Sunday, February 21, 4:30‑5:30 PM

Celebrate Purim as a family with a virtual carnival of games! PJ Library has invited mainstages to provide entertainment and lead a fun and interactive “family game night.” Costumes optional. Most appreciated by ages 5-9. Cost is $10 per family

This program is a collaboration between The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, PJ Library, and the following partners: Agudas Achim Congregation, Bender JCC of Greater Washington, Capital Camps, Congregation Olam Tikvah, Edlavitch DCJCC, HoneymoonIsrael, Pozez JCC of Northern Virginia’s Growing Jewish Families in Northern Virginia, Ramah Day Camp of Greater Washington, DC, and Temple Shalom.

PJ Library celebrates Jewish Earth Day with Plant for Tomorrow

January 15, 2021

Stewardship for the earth and a deep love and respect for trees go back to the earliest days of Jewish tradition. To address the importance of these treasured principles, PJ Library is launching the “Plant for Tomorrow” matching donation campaign to help plant tens of thousands of trees for future generations. The campaign, which may be accessed here, celebrates Tu B’Shevat — the holiday often described as Jewish Earth Day — on January 27th. All proceeds will go to the National Forest Foundation (NFF). Highlights for Children is partnering with PJ Library to help spread the word about this valuable undertaking and get kids involved in caring for the environment.

America’s national forests are in crisis. Wildfires, invasive insects, and overuse have left 1 million acres of the nation’s precious land in urgent need of reforestation. Each dollar contributed through PJ Library’s campaign will help plant one native tree, making an immediate and tangible impact. Through the end of January 2021, families are invited to contribute to the campaign. PJ Library will match donations up to a total of $50,000, and NFF will plant trees where they are most needed.

“Jewish tradition emphasizes both taking care of the here-and-now and creating a better world for generations to come,” says Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, PJ Library’s parent organization. “With the ‘Plant for Today’ gift that PJ Library sent to more than 250,000 children and families, and the introduction of the ‘Plant for Tomorrow’ matching donation campaign, children are introduced to the beautiful world of nature and their obligation to care for it into the future.”

Sign up for join PJ Library for free here where you will find so many great activities and resources, books and podcasts and so much more.

Hanukkah guide from PJ Library

November 23, 2020

With Hanukkah coming up quickly – and the possibility that 2020 celebrations may be very different than years past PJ Library has created a robust, activity-and-recipe-filled Hanukkah Hub! I hope you have signed up to receive free books, music and more through PJ Library but if not, click here to do so!

This year Hanukkah will be December 10-18. If you’re trying out leading a night of celebrating on your own for the first time, this holiday “cheat sheet” supplies parents and kids with a story book to read each night of Hanukkah, a gift idea to make or exchange, a recipe to cook together, and more. You’ll also find a virtual “Get Togethers” section to help you share the holiday from afar.

Below we have some wonderful activities and recipes perfect for all.

Books — There are so many wonderful Hanukkah books to choose from leading into the holiday season! You can view all PJ Library Hanukkah selections in the Books section. Among the fanciful and entertaining stories that work well for mixed age groups and that your family will enjoy reading again and again you’ll find “Hanukkah Hamster” by Michelle Markel, “Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins” by Eric Kimmel and “Meet the Latkes” by Alan Silberberg. For another suggestion, PJ offers up some outstanding Hanukkah Books for Interfaith Families

Recipes – As you well know, Jewish holidays often have food at the center — and Hanukkah is no exception. Everyone knows about latkes, but have you ever made traditional sufganiyot, jelly-filled doughnuts? (How could you possibly go wrong – so good!) If you want to share a new spin on latkes or try your hand at sufganiyot, below find 10 easy to make, delicious, and well-loved, PJ Library Hanukkah recipes, including, Bimuelos, Hanukkah Gelt (via Nosh & Nibble), Personal Dessert Pizzas (via Nosh & Nibble), Nutella Pockets, Stained Glass Cookies, Sufganiyot Donut Holes and more!

Family Activities – Looking for some creative ideas for fun-filled family time (and getting the kids away from various screens?) Try upcycling crayons into candles, making an oil menorah, turning aluminum foil into menorah-art, or making salt dough candle holders. Or, maybe just unplug for the night!

Have you signed up to receive free books through PJ Library? Multiple children in the same household can each receive their very own subscription – whether they’re the same age or not. Families can sign children up from birth onwards – PJ Library is an incredible program!

PJ Library LISTEN hub offers family-friendly story podcasts and other entertainment options

October 15, 2020

We are reminding you of a wildly popular post we shared back in January because we know you will want to check it out if you didn’t then. PJ Library provides curated, free entertainment through their Listen hub– available both online and off for kids with age-appropriate audio and video entertainment. You’ll find family-friendly story podcasts, sleepytime tunes, holiday playlists, dance mixes, read-alouds, sing-alongs – something for everyone with new featured content each month. Be sure to check it out so you don’t miss something.

Remember to subscribe (for free) to PJ Library to receive all of their exciting posts delivered directly to your inbox. PJ Library is an award-winning non-profit which sends more than 200,000 books per month to families raising Jewish children across North America (since their founding in 2005, they’ve shipped more than 12 million books overall!).