I haven’t had little children in my house for a long time, but one thing I remember is the big mess that toys make. In a very short period, a clean house can look like a tsunami hit it. Pieces of toys are strewn all over the floor, and the children in the house are playing with an empty cardboard box!

Whenever I think of a topic for an article, I ask my son-in-law Avi if it says anything about this topic in the gemara. I didn’t really think there would be anything about toys in the gemara, but to my surprise, there was. Avi told me that in the gemara Yuma it talks about taking care of a young child. Abayah relates that his rebbe (and adoptive father) Rabba would buy cracked dishes for a low price to give to his children so they could have the fun of breaking them. It seems that even children in the time of the gemara liked to make a mess.

I took a walk this week and was surprised to find such a beautiful and peaceful place so close to home. If your family enjoys hiking, this Chol Hamoed is a perfect time to try Lake Roland Park, formerly Robert E. Lee Park. It is off of Falls Road, at 1000 Lakeside Drive, just a short drive away. The hiking trails are hidden away in the woods but well marked, and some are easier than others. When you walk them, you feel like you are on a vacation far away from home. There is also a nature center and a playground for young children.

My outing reminded me of Chol Hamoed Sukkos, which is a full week this year – many days to fill with family trips. I tried to gather ideas of places to go with young families that are looking for things to do. Here are some of them:

 Of all the women who lived in the early 1900s, one of the only ones we know about is Sarah Schneirer, who she saw a need and created a revolution that changed the world.

Here is a description of what she did from the book Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan, by Rebbetzin Danielle Leibowitz (Feldheim). Rebbetzin Kaplan was a student of Sarah Schneirer and brought Bais Yaakov to the United States after WW II: “Sarah Schneirer took all her life experiences – that of being a Jew among gentiles, a seamstress serving customers, a student at the feet of a teacher, a self-motivated seeker of truth – and melded them together. She returned to Cracow, looked around her beloved town and saw that what had begun before the war was only getting worse. The antireligious movements were stronger, the pull was greater, and the danger to the Jewish people was unfathomable…. She began a campaign that would change the face of klal Yisrael, one girl at a time…. She began with little girls…. She began her daily lesson every day with the same words, ‘Maidelach, remember – I always stand before the Heilege Bashefer (G-d), and He sees everything that I do, and hears everything that I say, and he writes everything in a book.’ She created a revolution that we carry on today.”

Let’s have a snack: How about chickpeas, a tangerine, or avocado and strawberry pudding?  

When offered these items, most children would say, “No, thanks.” To them, a snack is pretzels, potato chips, crackers, or candy. Are there really children who think that roasted chickpeas or sweet potatoes chips are the best snacks of all?  

A little girl I know, Yael, age three, does not eat eggs, milk, wheat flour, or sugar. I find it amusing when she offers me one of her roasted chickpeas because they are “so delicious.” Yael’s diet leaves out many of the foods that most children eat, but she is so used to it that she is thrilled with the special foods her mother makes her.

Recently I was in the hospital with my elderly father when an aide from the hospital came into the room. My brother, who was also there, looked at the aide’s name embroidered on his pocket and greeted him by name: “Hi, Steven, so nice to see you this morning.” You could see Steven’s posture straightened as he beamed at my brother. He shared that he has a good friend who is Jewish and had been invited for Shabbat once. Immediately, the atmosphere in the room changed, and we were all friends!

When our children get married, our family expands. Not only do we welcome our children’s new spouses, we also become connected to their families. Even though Josh Levin and his wife Cheryl live only a five-minute walk from our house, I did not know them or any of their daughters until my son Nechemia married Rivka, in 2006. We got to know a wonderful couple, and now, many years later, I asked Mr. Levin if I could interview him.