“Frogs here, frogs there, frogs were jumping everywhere!” My kids loved that Passover song when they were little, with its rhythmic tune about a plague on the Eqyptians. Thus a Passover theme was born. You might say that Passover is theme enough—slavery and freedom; the meaning of matzah; miracles and the survival of the Jewish people. But when you have young children, and the Passover Seder seems endless, and they think matzah is yucky, you’ve got to do something.
So I started collecting frogs—not real ones (although someone, thinking I had a passion for those little green critters, gave me one in a fish tank once), but every other permutation imaginable: stuffed frogs, plastic frogs, wooden frogs, slimy rubber frogs (they stained the wood floors, so they went to frog heaven), frog napkins, frog salt-and-pepper shakers, frog ice cube molds, frog-shaped soap. Come Passover, the frogs came out. I placed a “talking” frog at the front door, so guests were greeted with a “griddeep,” replaced a family photo with one of a long-lost frog ancestor, scattered frog tchotchkes throughout the living and dining rooms and kept a bucket of frogs for young guests to play with during Seder discussions.
There are ten plagues—that’s how many it took before the Eqyptians let my people go—that are spoken of during the Passover Seder, the holiday meal full of rituals and symbols. Some other plagues have been singled out for special treatment to the delight of young children: ping pong balls thrown around to represent hail; red food coloring to symbolize blood. Believe me, it’s easier to work with frogs. And they also trigger some great afikomen gift ideas. The afikomen is the matzah eaten at the end of the Seder so you remember that taste more than the taste of Grandma’s brisket. At some point earlier in the Seder, the afikomen is hidden and the children search for it, with the one finding it—or all the kids—receiving a prize for their efforts. For years, my prizes were frog-related: books about frogs, frog puzzles, frog slippers, and the epitome of frog prize, fuzzy bathrobes with a precious frog print (thank you, T.J. Maxx).
It’s almost time to unpack the frogs (Passover begins the evening of Monday, April 14 this year) and welcome them to the Passover Seder. I’m sure that had I chosen a different plague to feature—locusts or cattle plague, for example—they would have been one-hit wonders. But frogs, especially cute ones—have staying power, and will continue to stay part of our family’s Passover Seder experience.
About The Author
Rhonda Roth is director of communications and marketing at the Bergen County YJCC in the Township of Washington, NJ. She is a former newspaper columnist with the Nashville Banner in Nashville, TN, writing about being Jewish and raising children in the buckle of the Bible belt.
So I started collecting frogs—not real ones (although someone, thinking I had a passion for those little green critters, gave me one in a fish tank once), but every other permutation imaginable: stuffed frogs, plastic frogs, wooden frogs, slimy rubber frogs (they stained the wood floors, so they went to frog heaven), frog napkins, frog salt-and-pepper shakers, frog ice cube molds, frog-shaped soap. Come Passover, the frogs came out. I placed a “talking” frog at the front door, so guests were greeted with a “griddeep,” replaced a family photo with one of a long-lost frog ancestor, scattered frog tchotchkes throughout the living and dining rooms and kept a bucket of frogs for young guests to play with during Seder discussions.
There are ten plagues—that’s how many it took before the Eqyptians let my people go—that are spoken of during the Passover Seder, the holiday meal full of rituals and symbols. Some other plagues have been singled out for special treatment to the delight of young children: ping pong balls thrown around to represent hail; red food coloring to symbolize blood. Believe me, it’s easier to work with frogs. And they also trigger some great afikomen gift ideas. The afikomen is the matzah eaten at the end of the Seder so you remember that taste more than the taste of Grandma’s brisket. At some point earlier in the Seder, the afikomen is hidden and the children search for it, with the one finding it—or all the kids—receiving a prize for their efforts. For years, my prizes were frog-related: books about frogs, frog puzzles, frog slippers, and the epitome of frog prize, fuzzy bathrobes with a precious frog print (thank you, T.J. Maxx).
It’s almost time to unpack the frogs (Passover begins the evening of Monday, April 14 this year) and welcome them to the Passover Seder. I’m sure that had I chosen a different plague to feature—locusts or cattle plague, for example—they would have been one-hit wonders. But frogs, especially cute ones—have staying power, and will continue to stay part of our family’s Passover Seder experience.
About The Author
Rhonda Roth is director of communications and marketing at the Bergen County YJCC in the Township of Washington, NJ. She is a former newspaper columnist with the Nashville Banner in Nashville, TN, writing about being Jewish and raising children in the buckle of the Bible belt.
