TsilaandGila

שְׁמִירָה

Family Activities

• שְׁמִירָה
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Colored words are woven into the text of the story.  Show your child the colored words and try to guess why the designer chose these colors. Who do the pink words describe? Which colors depict the words for “cake” and “strawberries”? Ask your child to help “read” the story with you by joining in with the colored words that they can identify.

“How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together” – Sometimes, sitting alongside strangers (on the bus, at the playground, on line at the supermarket) can turn into a pleasant example of “brethren dwelling together”. You can think back to situations when you met new people in such a setting, who helped you pass the time. For instance, perhaps someone helped you lower the stroller down a flight of stairs or offered your child a snack while waiting for the doctor.  Perhaps there were children who shared the swings at the playground.  All these help illustrate the positive side of “brethren dwelling together”.

The two grandmothers both love Avigail.  You might suggest that your child draw a picture of Avigail, surrounded by all those who love her.  They can then draw a picture of themselves and all those who love them!

Tsila and Gila’s car goes through tunnels and over bridges.  Together with your child, you can create a make-believe track for the car within your home, “set out for your journey” and stop to pick up passengers along the side of the road who need help. Remember: In Tsila and Gila’s car, only the cake is not fastened in with a seat belt.  Be sure all your passengers are strapped in when riding in the car!

Does your child like to travel? Ask your child about journeys he or she has taken, real or imagined: Where did they go, who joined them, what happened along the way? We invite you to send your stories and drawings to the Sifriyat Pijama website: www.pjisrael.org.

Did you ever set out for a journey, get lost, and find yourselves in a new and surprising place? This is a good opportunity to tell your children about your adventure. Be sure to describe about any disappointment or frustration your felt when you lost your way, and then the positive experience you had at the end.

“This too is for the best”: A sudden halt brings an end to the comfortable trip.  All the drivers and passengers are disappointed with the traffic jam. If you go through the book, you can discover unpleasant situations that turned into happy occurrences.

Not everyone likes changes in plans. Do you have a special way to help yourselves and your child to accept changes?  “Chutes and Ladders” is a board game in which surprises can cause set-backs (when going down a chute), but also be pleasing (when climbing up a ladder).  You can create your own game “On the way to the birthday party”, along the lines of Chutes and Ladders. The chutes will appear whenever there is a delay in the journey, and the ladders will represent the happy surprises on the way.

One way to provide encouragement when things doing go as expected is to make a “This Too Is For The Best” sign.  You can write the proverb and invite your child to decorate it.  Be sure to hang the sign in a visible spot in the house, to remind you that even unexpected things can turn out for the best.

The cute puppy found a welcoming home, and Avigail received a perky gift for her birthday! You can make finger puppets of Avigail and the dog: Draw or copy the characters from the book onto a piece of paper, and attach them to your fingers by stapling together the edges of the reverse side of the paper. The puppy can share his adventures in the car with Avigail, and she can tell him how she passed the time while waiting for her grandmothers to arrive.

All’s well that ends well: The granddaughter and her two grandmothers celebrate her birthday with tea and cake (and the puppy enjoys himself too, in his own way).  You too can make a small tea party and invite over friends who want to share in experiencing “how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together”.  Be sure to sing together in Hebrew “Hineh ma tov u-ma na’im shevet achim gam yachad”.