Here are a few ideas that can make your Shabbat special. You can choose to do them all or just take a few that look like they would be good in your snif.

Shabbat Venahafochu is a good time to have a special Shabbat tochnit. Venahafochu means that everything was turned around and that is a thing that can happen in the snifim. This Shabbat usually falls out on the Shabbat that is before or (like this year) during Purim. This is a Shabbat where chanichim of Chevraya Aleph get to feel a little more in control they can take a look at the grown up side and feel that they are doing something. The Chanichim of Chevraya Bet get to have a little more fun and of course a lot of ruach and content can be put into the Shabbat!!

Here are a few ideas that can make your Shabbat special. You can choose to do them all or just take a few that look like they would be good in your snif.

• Invitations

            If you start working on this Shabbat early enough you can send out goofy invitations that can be printed backwards with a lot of funny pictures.

• Tfilot

            All of the tfilot and the Torah reading should be done by Chanichim-depending of course that they are of age. Ask the shul if you can bring the chanichim in to take control of things.

• Dressing up

            Each Shevet, or age group, has to have a group costume. If your snif is not into dressing up they can each have an accessory that will show that they belong to their group for example: If they dress up as baseball player they should all bring baseball caps and something that is used in the game such as bats, balls or a glove.

(This idea can be taken one step further: If you decide on a theme for Shabbat they could all dress up in costumes that are connected.  Everyone has to decide what part he wants to take and dress up as that.  For example: Kibbutz-  Kitchen workers, milking cows, working in the fields, teachers.) 

• Chanichim take over!

            There are 2 ways for this to be done.

* Each age group has two representatives that will be the madrichim of the Shevet.  And you take a volunteer from each Shevet to cover the bigger jobs such as Rosh Snif- Mazkir Galil and so on.

* The oldest Shevet in the snif takes over and they are the Madrichim; Roshei Snif; Mazkir Galil and so on.

Since the chanichim are not used to making peulot you can provide the peulot for them but if they seem interested in making them up- let them do that!!

This can not only give chanichim a lot of satisfaction but also show them your point of view- how does it feel to give a peulah if there's noise and how much responsibility do you really have.

• Backwards...(or sdrawkcab)

            *Hand out the words to the Himnon backwards and sing it like that in mifkad.

            *Do the mifkad at the end instead of the beginning.

            *Do the mifkad backwards starting with the Himnon and ending with Chofshi/ Hakshev.

• Meals

            It is always fun to have Shabbat meals together. It is an opportunity to work on spirituality and Gibush.  For Chevraya Bet a meal on Erev Shabbat can have an oneg Shabbat after it with a peulah about Simcha. If in your snif it is a custom that the girls serve, make this shabbat Venahafochu and the boys will be the one in the kitchen...

For the younger Chanichim a Kiddush in the morning or a Seuda Shlishit can be sufficient.

• Harkada

            If it's possible to get a band for Motzei Shabbat to play music for the chanichim to dance that would add a lot.

Written by- OFRA KOREN AND SHIRA KATZ.