Chanukah is a celebration of light

The Jewish holiday of Chanukah means many things. Some people recommit to their faith. Others retell the holiday’s historic stories. Many Hebrew families gather with loved ones. Some symbols associated with the holiday include the Star of David, oil lamps, menorahs, and dreidels.

Chanukah Suncatcher

Here is one way to make a suncatcher to celebrate the Festival of Lights.  Let you child create a suncatcher which will show what this holiday means to your child. 

Materials:  Metallic, Colored Pencils, Glue, Scissors, bowl, ribbon and tissues or tissue paper

Directions:

Fold sturdy construction paper in half. Using a bowl as a template, trace a circle with Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils.  Cut out both circles at the same time (start by poking a hole inside the circle). Erase any stray colored pencil marks.
Place colored tissue paper inside the construction paper "sandwich." Secure it to one side with Glue. Glue ribbon inside the folded paper. Glue the sides together. With Crayola Metallic Colored Pencils, decorate the suncatcher with Chanukah symbols. You could also cut paper symbols and glue them on the suncatcher. 

Hanukkah Gift Can

Adult supervisor required

Materials:  Food can, any size; washed and dried, Blue craft paint, Silver craft paint, Clear glitter, Paintbrush, Hammer, Nail, Glitter or regular pipe cleaner (chenille stem) in blue, silver, or white, Blue & silver wired ribbon (or regular ribbon), Scissors, Piece of paper, Pencil, and Tissue paper

Directions: Use a hammer and a nail to punch a hole in the can near the top. Repeat on the opposite side of the can. This makes the hole for the pipe cleaner (handle) to go through.  Paint the can with blue paint. Let dry.  Paint another coat of blue paint, if needed, and let dry. Draw the Star of David on the can with the pencil.  Paint the Star of David with the silver paint.

Fold a piece of paper in half. Open the paper back up with the inside of the fold facing up. Note: This makes it easy to retrieve the excess glitter and pour it back into the jar.

Milk Carton Dreidel

Materials:  1 small, single size paper milk carton, Masking tape, Kitchen knife, Acrylic paint, 1 Popsicle stick, and Glitter pen or white craft glue and loose glitter

Directions:

Take a small, empty milk carton container and wash it out thoroughly. Dry it gently using a kitchen towel.

Close the spout on the container and tape it shut using a small piece of masking tape.

Using a kitchen knife (parents, please do this part for your children) cut a small incision into the bottom center of your container, just long enough to put a Popsicle stick through.

Paint the entire milk carton whatever color you choose. If the paint looks streaky, do another coat. Wait an hour to make sure the paint is completely dry and then add the letters Nun, Hay, Gimel and Shin (pictured below) with glitter pens or craft glue and loose glitter to the four sides of your dreidel, one letter on each side. 

Dreidel Magnets

Material:  White craft glue, Dreidel stencils , Magnet strip with adhesive back,  Colored foam craft sheets, Glitter pens (or loose glitter), Black marker, and Scissors

Directions:

Print off the Dreidel stencils and cut out the dreidel shapes.

Choose three or four different colored foam craft sheets.

Trace each cut-out dreidel stencil onto the foam craft paper using a black marker.

Carefully cut out each foam shape. Try to cut just inside the black marker lines so that no leftover ink will show on your shapes. (Tip: If some marker does show, just flip over the foam cutout and use the marker side as the back of your magnet)

Stack all your cutout dreidel pieces on top of each other, with the largest one on the bottom and the smallest one on the top.

Using a few dabs of white craft glue, glue each foam cutout on top of the next, twisting them slightly so that they fan out and make a neat design.

Wait 15-20 minutes for the glue to set and dry. Don’t worry if you can see a little bit of white glue. When it dries, it will become clear.

Once your dreidel is dry, cut a half-inch piece of magnet off the strip, peel off the paper protecting the adhesive backing and press it firmly onto the back of your foam dreidel.

Turn it right-side up again and decorate with glitter pens or loose glitter.

Share your ideas on this or anything here on the blog either here or e-mail me at stipple@verizon.net.  I look forward to hearing from you!