How to Make Your Own Seder Plate

Sedar plate illustration

It’s almost time for Pesach! Most of us will be hosting a Seder this year, the festive meal that kicks off Pesach, you’ll need a special centrepiece – your very own seder plate.

A seder plate holds symbols of the Pesach story. Karpas — a green vegetable, often parsley — is dipped in salt water to remind us of the tears of the enslaved Israelites. A sweet fruit paste called charoset (from the Hebrew word cheres, “clay”) is like the mortar that the Israelites used to construct buildings for the Egyptian empire. Maror, a bitter herb (usually horseradish), recalls the bitterness of slavery. It is sometimes joined by hazeret, a second bitter herb. A roasted lamb shank bone, zeroah, is a reminder of the offering the Jews made before leaving Egypt. (Vegetarian families will sometimes use a beetroot instead). Lastly, the beitzah — a roasted or hard-boiled egg — stands for the offering made on every holiday in the days when the Temple stood. That’s one powerful centrepiece!

This Activity Works With These Books:

The Best Four Questions
Company's Coming
A Sweet Passover

Supplies

  • Large paper plate
  • 6 mini cupcake liners
  • Glue
  • Markers

Directions

  • Glue the cupcake liners around the edge of the paper plate.
  • Use the markers to label each liner with the name of one of the seder plate items, and add colorful drawings around the rest of the plate (this is a celebration, after all).
  • Fill the plate with the seder items.
  • Display proudly at your family’s seder.

More

10 Passover Discussion Questions to Ask Your Children
Make Place Cards for Your Seder
Getting Kids Involved At Pesach
9 Pesach Lunch Ideas for Kids

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