A loving way to “watch” over Baby Moses

My heart has always gone out to Yocheved, Moses’ mother. In the Passover story, Pharaoh orders all baby boys born to Hebrew families to be thrown into the Nile river. There’s a children’s song by Fran Avni, that perfectly captures Yocheved’s sadness, as she lovingly places her baby in a basket, hoping to save his life. As he floats away in the river, she sings,

“Oh baby, I love you so, but Pharoah says, I have to let you go.

My tears are falling, down my cheeks.

I’m finding it so hard, that it’s difficult to speak.

Oh baby, I love you so, but Pharoah says, I have to let you go.”

Yocheved made sure her baby had a guardian on his river journey. Her daughter Miriam watched over her baby brother as she hid in the tall grass near the river bank. The baby was soon found by Pharaoh’s daughter, Batyah, and she named him, Moses, meaning “drawn from the water.”

We love the idea of lovingly watching over Baby Moses on his river journey too - in a DIY Baby Moses mini diorama.

This craft has three steps - making Baby Moses, his basket, and decorating a mini tin box. It would be a lovely project for an adult and child to do together - even over the course of a couple of days. It’s probably best for children ages 3 and up due to small parts. So let’s go make a Baby Moses mini-diorama!

Baby Moses Mini Diorama

Step 1: Make Baby Moses

You will need:

2 wooden beads - we used a round and an oblong bead (or 1 tiny peg doll)
1 to 2 inch square of fabric
Thin tip permanent marker
Hot glue

How to make Baby Moses:

Hot glue your two beads together. This will become his head and body.
Draw two eyes and a mouth with your thin tip marker. I noticed that my little guy’s face did not want to permanently stick onto the glossy finish of the bead. We solved this problem by lightly sanding the bead with a nail file.
Wrap your baby in the scrap of fabric, use hot glue to keep the ends secure (adults only).

Step 2: Make a basket

You will need:

Toilet paper tube
Twine or yarn
Hot glue

How to make a basket:

Cut a small oval from the toilet paper tube. This is the bottom of the basket.
With the hot glue gun, make a line of glue on the edge of the oval, and place your twine on top of the glue line, going all the way around the oval. When you have one complete edge of twine, add a second layer of glue and twine on top of the first layer. Repeat about 4 times. (Use the photos for reference).
Make a basket handle by cutting two pieces of twine and hot gluing them as semi-circles to the sides of the basket.

Step 3: Decorate the mini tin box

You will need:

Mini tin or Altoids tin

Colorful paper (construction paper, scrapbook paper, tissue paper, etc)
Glue stick
Scissors

How to decorate the tin box:

You will need your imagination! What does your child think the surroundings looked like when Yocheved placed Moses in a basket? Talk about it! On the bottom of our tin we made the river and river bank. On the inside lid, we created the landscape where Miriam stayed close, hidden by tall grasses. Have your child use the colorful papers to create their own river and landscape. If they want, they can draw Miriam too. She’s “hidden” behind a bush in the picture below.

We’re almost ready to play…for extra fun, gather some loose parts!

Some ideas include:

Plastic shaped beads like a fish and turtle
Small green pom poms for bushes
Glass gems for river rocks

Now you’re ready for some imaginative play. The diorama is so cute, it might even find a special place of honor on your Passover seder table.

My favorite part of the Passover story is of Baby Moses and all who loved and watched over him. Showing our love to others through kind actions (like Yocheved, Miriam, and Batyah) is the Jewish value G’milut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness).

Passover comes during the Hebrew month of Nisan and the season of spring, which in Judaism is celebrated as a time of life, optimism, and hope - just like the story of Yocheved saving her baby.

For more ways to celebrate the season, visit our Passover Round-up to learn how to bake your own matzah, make a yummy mud pie to “grow” parsley for your seder, make a matzah necklace from cardstock or felt, a Baby Moses sock doll, afikomen bag and more!

Happy Passover. Be well and be happy!

~Jennifer