Shorashim Nitzanim/Sprouts

At Beth Am Israel, we create joyous opportunities for kids ages 0-5 and their families to explore Jewish spirituality through stories, songs, crafts, prayer, and play!

Nitzanim/Sprouts in the Ya’ar (Woodlands) is a unique program for 3-5 year-old kids and their grown-ups in Beth Am Israel’s Ya’ar/Woodlands. Engage in experiential outdoor learning connected to Jewish values.

During each session we’ll: sing welcome songs ????, meet new friends ????, explore the outdoors ????, do nature-based projects ????, share at circle time ????, and say goodbye with songs ????

Tot Shabbat is a Shabbat experience for families with children ages 0-5, on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 11:00-11:45AM. Come sing along to Shabbat songs, listen to a story, express yourself through movement, and connect with other families with young children. Stay and join the larger BAI community for the Kiddush at noon!

On the first Friday of every month, join families with kids ages 0-7 for a Shabbat potluck and service from 5:30-6:30. Together we will celebrate Shabbat through singing, movement, stories, and sharing a meal. Stay for the second half of our main Kabbalat Shabbat service afterwards if you wish!

Here at Beth Am Israel, we believe that playing is praying!  We are so thrilled to have created a Quiet Play Space for infants and toddlers and their humans!  This space is designed to allow our youngest congregants and guests to be occupied creatively and quietly, while allowing the grown ups to still feel part of the service.  We ask that children be supervised at all times by at least one parent, and that you put the toys and books back where they were when you arrived in the space. Note that this creative, quiet, play space is meant for young, pre-school age children.  On Shabbat, older children are invited to join our Shorashim Shabbat Program.  Everyone is also invited to participate in our Tot Shabbat Service, led by Cantor Jenn.

Spring 2023 Nitzanim/Sprouts

This spring, we explored the many sights, sounds, and colors of the springtime season. We said our colors in Hebrew and collected objects from our woods in those colors. We learned how to take care of the earth (shomrei adamah) and how to reuse objects at home. We practiced how to say please (bevakesha) and thank you (todah) and discovered what we are grateful for in our woods and in our lives. On the last day, we made some magic with our mitzvah magic wands and PRESTO! our kids set up an end of year picnic for their grown-ups.

Winter 2023 Nitzanim/Sprouts

In Winter Nitzanim (sprouts), we explored our wintry backyard through a Jewish lens. We celebrated the holiday of Tu Bishvat, the birthday of the trees, by making dirt cupcakes for the trees. The values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and Bal Tashchit (not wasting) guided our exploration as we turned found objects in art and lost socks into friends.