We began with a walk amongst the replicas, as our guide taught us about life in ancient Israel. She shared many scriptures with us and it was a spiritually encouraging time as well as a rich learning experience.

Here are some of our photos:

Inside a shepherd’s tent

By the well


Entrance to the New Testament Tomb

Looking down on the New Testament Tomb

The watchtower


Crosses

Olive press with a working aqueduct in the background

Village Home

Grinding wheel

The biblical meal room

The meal was delicious, and traditional to what probably would have been served at the Passover meal in Jesus’ day. There were hardboiled eggs (which we were told were a symbol of mourning), charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts and raisins which represented the mud used to make bricks), bitter salad greens (to symbolize the bitterness of slavery), parsley with salt water (parsley represents hope and redemption, while the salt water represents tears), unleavened bread (the Israelites fled Egypt in haste) and other traditional foods including apples, nuts, dried fruits, hummus, grape juice, honey, lentil stew, black and green olives and chicken. Lamb would have been traditional, but the museum served chicken since many Americans don’t like lamb.

I did not realize that the Passover that Jesus celebrated with his disciples was not exactly the same as the Seder meal that Jews celebrate for passover today. We ate a passover similar to what Jesus would have eaten at the Last Supper, learning about the customs and foods of that passover. After the meal was over, the presenter spoke to our family about the modern Seder, which was instituted in AD 90. She did a wonderful job teaching us about the symbolism of various components of the meal, and of helping us to to tie together everything we’ve been learning this semester.

I stopped by a bargain basement sale today and found these robes, which I thought would make excellent costumes for the feast! I can’t believe I only paid $2 apiece for these robes!

If you are a new reader to this blog you might want to look at the decoupaged passover plates we made for our celebration.

We’re planning to use these plates for our Passover feast, but you could adapt this project for any number of uses, from making a special plate for a birthday child to a Christmas gift for grandma.

I had originally planned to purchase these inexpensive disposable Seder plates, but then I had the idea to make our own. It’s a lot cheaper and more fun!

Supplies:

1 clear glass plate for each person (purchase at Dollar Tree or Walmart)
1 Coloring page of Seder meal foods (or other pictures if you are adapting this for a different use) and crayons or markers for each person
1 handout showing proper placement on the Seder plate
1 jar mod podge
foam paint brushes
tissue paper

*There are instructions at the bottom of this post for using fabric instead of tissue paper

Instructions:

1) The Coloring page for the Seder food is too small if printed as is. I copied the image and placed it in a Word for Windows file, then enlarged it about 150% and centered it on the page so that one printed page would have all six foods on it.

If I can do it, you can do it! I am not good with the computer!! I also enlarged the diagram showing proper placement so it was easier to read. Print out a copy for each plate. Have the kids color them however they want.

Alternatively, you could have the kids cut out pictures of the different seder foods from magazines, or do a search on Google Images for charoset, horseradish, etc. and paste chosen images into a word document…print in color and use those to decorate the plate.
NOTE: do not allow children to search google images…unsavory images may be mixed in with the other ones.

2) Cut out each circle. I used some of the white paper surrounding the circles to draw one extra circle that the kids could color however they wanted. Most Seder plates seem to have an image in the center. Some of us made Stars of David, and one boy made a candelabra for the center of his plate. If the plates have a price tag stuck to them, make sure you get it well cleaned off and completely dry before step 3.

3) Paint a thin coat of mod podge (my kids call it “mom podge”) on each circle, on top of the colored image.

Don’t worry, if the coat is thin, it will show through fine when the glue dries!

Place the images in the appropriate spot on the plate, face down so that you can see them from the front of the plate.

Remember, when you turn the plate over, the left side will now become the right side of the plate! So make sure you place those in a mirror image. It helps to start with the middle, top and bottom images. Turn the plate over frequently to check that the letters aren’t upside down and that the images look correctly placed. Allow the circles to dry.

Too many instructions and photos? Remember, I am blind in my mind’s eye!! I am writing this for others who are “seeing impaired” like me! The rest of you probably already know how to decoupage!

4) When the circles have dried on the plate, center it on a piece of tissue paper, making sure that the side you want to see is facing the plate, not you! Cut around the edge of the plate, leaving about an inch of paper extending beyond the plate.

5) Next, cover the entire backside of the plate with another coat of mod podge, including the back of the images and all the way around the edge of the plate.

Gently smooth the tissue paper from the center toward the edges of the plate, pressing gently down and out to smooth out any wrinkles. If the tissue paper tears, don’t worry! Just put a little more mod podge on that spot and cover the hole with a tissue paper patch!

6) Turn the plate over and gently cut away all excess tissue paper. If there is a bit of paper that you just can’t seem to cut close enough, just push it back down on itself so that it sticks to the underside of the plate.

7) Turn the plate back over and cover the entire thing with one last coat of mod podge. This will seal the paper and make it more durable (not dishwasher safe, though!)

These plates should not be submerged, but can be wiped off with a damp cloth on the front side.

*Making Fabric Decoupaged plates

Someone gave me a lovely Easter plate years ago that had been decoupaged with fabric.

We have plenty of mod podge left, so I am hoping to make some as Christmas gifts with holiday fabric. The technique is much the same:

1) Wash and dry the plate thoroughly. Center it on printed fabric (cotton or poly/cotton works best). Move the plate around until the image on the fabric looks right.

2) Cut out the fabric, leaving about an inch or so of margin around the edge of the plate.

3) Then paint the back of the plate with the mod podge, coating it well. Turn the plate upside down and press the fabric onto the back, making sure to check that the image looks right on the front side. Gently press out all the bubbles and smooth the fabric to the edge of the plate using your fingers.

4) Generously cover the back of the plate and fabric with another coat of mod podge. Allow it to dry, upside down. When the mod podge is completely dry, trim the excess fabric with a razor blade or craft knife.

A quick Google search of Decoupage revealed that this technique can be used in all kinds of ways! Matching plates and platters, lampshades, vases, purses…apparently anything can receive the decoupage technique with wonderful effect.

This may go down as another one of those “Molly projects”, like the time I decided to learn to quilt, one King-sized bedspread at a time. I got about 15 individual squares done and gave up before finishing 100 more or piecing anything together….anyone need a potholder?

I’m not very crafty, but I can sure get enthusiastic about a project like this one.

Laden with gallons of mod podge and oodles of fabrics Molly set out to create Decoupage Land…

If you are on my Christmas list, you’d better watch out! You might be getting something like this!