The Open Tent » Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist

Music B’Yachad – Passover Edition

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:31:38 +0000

On Sunday, April 3 Shalom Tots families gathered for a musical Passover celebration led by local mom & certified Music Together instructor Vanessa Ressler. Click below to see pictures and here for more information about Shalom Tots.

Birthday for the Trees – a Tu B’Shevat Celebration

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:30:43 +0000

On Sunday, Jan 16 The Open Tent celebrated Tu B’shevat with treats, juices and a tree planting at Miami Beach’s Maurce Gibb Park. Relive the fun with the pictures below and click here for information about upcoming Shalom Tots events.

Chanukah Tops, Tots & Tales

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:29:36 +0000

Join the Open Tent, PJ Library & Miami Munchkins for a two-part Chanukah fest Sunday, Dec 5. Families will enjoy books, games, treats, crafts & more at Books & Books The fun begins at 10:30am at the Coral Gables store and 12:30pm at the Bal Harbour store. See the info below for more details:

Date and Location: Sunday, December 5th, 2010
10:30AM- Chanukah Story-time at Books and Books in Coral Gables, 265 Aragon Avenue.

12:30PM-Chanukah Story-time at Books and Books in Bal Harbour, 9700 Collins Avenue.

Families are invited to attend a Chanukah Celebration hosted by The Open Tent, The PJ Library and Miami Munchkins. Enjoy a special Chanukah Story-time, make Chanukah candles and have great fun with your family at two different Books and Books locations.

Pizza in the Hut

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:12:24 +0000

On Saturday, Sept 25, several tots gathered to sing and shake in the Sukkah at the Shalom Tots Pizza in the Hut Party. Check out all the fun in our slideshow below

Talking Time

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:55:31 +0000

Timing is a consistent topic of conversation among most of my parent friends. Time is going so quickly! How can I find more time? Where did the time go? As we roll into August and begin to approach Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur all of this feels even more relevant. Both holidays are wonderful opportunities to slow down, take stock and think about time – how we use it, what we make of it and how we can improve it.

I’ve found that the holidays are an ideal time to settle down with my family and make the most of time. We go to family services, have family dinners, celebrate with children’s events, connect with extended family members and make it a point to step outside of the patterns of daily life. We take time off of work, we stay home from school and we spend time together, celebrating each other, the holidays and our culture. My husband & I always close out Yom Kippur with a renewed pride in and connection to our religious lives.

My resolution for this year (why wait till January?) is to hang onto that feeling. To extend our Jewish connection beyond the fall – to go to tot Shabbat, to engage in the Open Tent’s kids activities and to make Judaism and more regular part of our family life – and time.

Community Engagement – Toddler Style

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 03:00:40 +0000

Becoming a parent automatically grants us membership to various communities – parenthood, motherhood, infant-survival-hood. And as our munchkins grow up, our communities tend to expand with them – we become part of a mommy & me community, a local park community, a nursery school community – and a Jewish parenting community. Each community has many shapes and forms, but is ultimately defined and nurtured by its members.

As our daughter turns two and our community web stretches to new limits, I’ve started to think about my role in the communities I belong to. Am I the active PTA mom? The super organized park mom? The on-the-ball mommy and-me-mom? One community I’ve been delighted to find myself a part of is the Jewish parenting community. Becoming a mother has strengthened my Jewish identity in surprising ways.

It’s supremely important to me that our daughters have a rich understanding of our Jewish heritage. So we do Seder collectively, even if it means eating yogurt from a highchair before we’ve blessed the matzah. And we visit tot Shabbat as regularly as possible, even if it’s just to hear the music. And we read Jewish books even if all our toddlers see is stars and candles.

And, perhaps most relevant today, we participate in as many Shalom Tots programs as possible. We’ve had opportunities to make challah, create Shema pillowcases, participate in Shabbat dinners and much more. Shalom Tots is a wonderfully easy and engaging way to tap into your Jewish community. For more info about the ongoing program (sessions resume in the fall) please click here or email info@theopentent.org; to see what experiences others are saying click here; and to catch up on previous tots posts click here.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Photo Recap: Shalom Tots Shema Pillow Making Project

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:40:35 +0000

On Saturday, May 1 several families gathered at Beth Sholom’s Youth Lounge to get creative with Shalom Tot’s Shema pillow-making family project. Rabbi Gayle Pomerantz lead the families through the hands-on project – check out all the fun in the slideshow below. Don’t miss our next Shalom Tots event – a Q&A with sleep therapist Dr. Susan Jaffe Monday, May 17 at 7pm. Click here for more info or email totscoordinator@gmail.com.

Tots Blog: Shabbat Summer Loving

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:19:09 +0000

Temps are creeping up, humidity is sinking in and we

Shabbat for the Toddler Set

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:41:23 +0000

Before becoming a parent, I tended to think of Judaism as something I

Chanukah Traditions & More

Valerie Schimel, Freelance Journalist — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:42:35 +0000

Growing up, Chanukah was always one of my favorite holidays. I