WHEN YOU SEE A GOOD DEED, PUT IN A SEED!
This easy-to-use, colorful app encourages children to look for the good in other people and to see the good deeds that their friends and family are doing. Each time the child sees someone doing a mitzvah or good deed, they choose a seed, record what they saw, and drag it into an empty pomegranate, filling it up with a collection of good deeds that can be saved and viewed at any time. As they fill up the pomegranate with these seeds, they come closer to the concept of “Love your neighbor as yourself”.

The Mitzva Hunt is an opportunity for educators and parents of children in preK -G2 to encourage positive reinforcement of good behaviour and help instill the character trait of looking for good in others. The Hebrew phrase ” v’ahavta l’rayacha kamocha” is a key focus with a catchy song about its meaning and information about its significance in Judaism within the app. This is particularly fitting in the reflective months of Elul and Tishrei where we can encourage the class to try and better themselves. Another fitting time to use this app is in the month of Av during the Three Weeks.

Within the classroom environment educators can use The Mitzvah Hunt with the class on the interactive whiteboard (IWB) or on personal devices. The app will ask you to name each new pomegranate before it can be filled in.  The educator can fill in a name for the pomegranate e.g.: Grade 1.
When a mitzvah is spotted, the educator can encourage the children to fill in a seed and drag it to the pomegranate. When the pomegranate is filled, a list of all the people doing mitzvot and who spotted them will be provided for you to download and print for a bulletin board or to give to individuals.

There are educational opportunities within the app where children can learn about sources in the Torah where pomegranates are mentioned and this can be tied in with teaching about customs on Rosh Hashanah and why pomegranates are significant.