If kids aren’t having fun, then it’s not Kesher.

That’s a bold claim to make, and we do our best to make sure that’s true most of the time.  This week, though, it’s easy, since Sukkot is coming. 

Deep down, I’d venture to say that most people really like Sukkot and wish they had a Sukkah up in their yard, but I also know that it takes a great deal of effort to build one and that most  of us (present company included) do not have one.  So, for lack of an actual Sukkah, I get my Sukkot fix either through the hachnasat orchim of others or by sharing in phenomenal Sukkah-creation activities in theclassroom.

Earlier today, strange things were afoot in the Shorashim (Kindergarten/1^st grade) room.  I walked by and saw a bunch of materials on the table: markers, popsicle sticks, green construction paper, and model magic were out.  Across the room hung a brown string going from one bulletin board to another on a different wall.  Scissors and traceable fruit and vegetables were also out.  I was curious, so I decided to come back a little later on to see what the story was.

During Yahadut (Judaics), I returned; a transformation was underway!  At one table, kids were gluing and pasting myrtle- and willow-shaped pieces of green construction paper to the popsicle sticks to create their own mini-lulav, and blobs of model magic bright yellow to make a companion etrog.  At the other table, the little ones were tracing and cutting out apples, pomegranates, carrots, and other fruits on construction paper and hanging them from the brown string that stretched ten feet across the room.  What was once a room bereft of Sukkot charm had been dramatically changed into a sukkah filled with arba minim and hanging fruit. 

Today’s class even managed to convince some of the cynics in the room that Kesher is actually pretty awesome. In the words of one our new Kindergarteners: “I used to not love Kesher, but after today I’m going to love it.”  Those words are much more telling than the ones I just wrote.

Chag Sukkot Sameach.