Hannakah | Kwanza | Holidays Around World
HANNAKAH
Candlelight
(sung to the tune of "Silver Bells")
Candlelight, candle bright;
You bring the warmth of the season.
Glowing bright, candlelight;
You light the night with your peace.
Tasty Menorahs
Materials: Bread, cream cheese or butter, carrot sticks, pretzel
sticks,
raisins
Have each child spread cream cheese or butter on a slice of bread.
Arrange the 8 pretzels as candles and the carrot stick as the large center candle. Use the raisins as flames at the ends of the carrot and pretzel sticks.
Wrapping Paper
Materials: blue paint, large pieces of white paper, plastic
margarine lids,
small Hanukkah cookie cutters or basic shapes.
Pour a small amount of paint into the margarine lids and then let each child dip a cookie cutter into the paint. Use these to stamp on the paper to make a pretty pattern.
Drediels
Materials: Pencils, glue, paint, paintbrushes, small milk cartons or
boxes Fold the tops of the milk cartons down to make boxes. Mix a
little
glue with paint and let the children use this to paint the boxes.
Poke a
pencil through box from top downwards so point is on bottom.
Poem: I have a little dreidel
I made it out of clay.
And when it's dry and ready,
A dreidel game I'll play.
Candle Puppets
Materials: toilet paper rolls, popsicle sticks, foil, glue,
scissors,
marking pens, yellow construction paper
Have each child cover a roll with foil. Cut a flame shape out of the paper and draw a face on it. Glue flame on end of stick and insert stick in roll. Hold roll with one hand and make flame dance with the other.
HANUKKAH IDEAS
Tabletop Menorah
Sharpen your children's patterning skills with this enlightening suggestion! Use masking tape or colored tape to make a menorah design on a tabletop. Have your children create their own unique patterns along the design using a variety of math counters. As you admire a student's work, ask her to describe the attribute she used for patterning. Your little ones will light up when it's their turn at this festive center!
Classroom Display
Cut sponges into narrow rectangular shapes. Have each child sponge-paint a menorah or other candle shapes onto white construction paper. When the paint is dry, have him glue on scrunched-up tissue paper flames. Mount each picture on a slightly larger sheet of colorful construction paper; then arrange the pictures on a board with a border and a caption.
EASY HOLIDAY HANUKKAH CRAFT
Take wide tongue depressors and glue three together to make a triangle. Then do the same with another 3 tongue depressors. Now take the two triangle and glue them together to form a 6 pointed star (like a star of David) I put out
glue and give the children a a selection of different colors of glitter - blue, silver, green, red. I place a pipe cleaner on top as a hanger. The children of the Jewish faith make the Jewish star with the blue and silver glitter and the chiildren who celebrate Xmas use the other colors and make a Xmas tree ornament. A photo of the child can be placed in the center of the
star and it also makes a cute frame.
Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights
Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights by Leslie Kimmelman offers a simple, yet energetic introduction to the beloved traditions and symbols of the eight joyous nights of Hanukkah. After sharing this book with your youngsters, ask each child to share related experiences from his family's holiday traditions.
ORIGINAL HANNUKAH SONG
Written and Submitted by Vicky
I made up the words to a little song for our K class, to the tune of Oh My Darling Clementine.
"Light one candle, light two candles, then light three, and then light four'
For every night of Hanukah we will light one candle more
Light five candles, light six candles, then light seven, then light eight
We will light them to remind us of the miracles so great."
When we sang it we "lit our menorahs" by hooking our thumbs together with our fists out in front or us, and putting up one finger for each of the candles as we counted.
HANNUKAH SONGS
Submitted by AJ
I found this great song called Cleaning the Temple. You'll have to make up your own tune but it is pretty easy lyrics. I plan to "mess up" the temple by overturning chairs and putting paper all over. The children will "clean
up" to this song.
Chorus: With a rub a dub dub and a srub a dub dub
We'll have our temple clean for you
With a pail and a mop and a rag or two
We'll make it shiny, shiny new
Stanzas: The windows, the windows
We'll wash them till they glow
Then the sun will give us light
And it will be so shiny bright
The floors, the floors
We'll wash them on all fours
Then the sun will give us light
And it will be so shiny bright
The menorah, the menorah
We'll wash it near the door-a
Then the sun will give us light
And it will be so shiny bright
Here's a Little Candle
Many winter holidays share the hope for love and warmth symbolized by light.
Whether your little ones will light a Christmas candle, a menorah for Hanukkah, or a candle to celebrate Kwanzaa, this is a holiday song that everyone can sing together.
(sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot")
Here's a little candle dressed in white,
Wearing a hat of yellow light.
When the night is dark, then you will see
Just how bright this light can be!
Here's a little candle straight and tall,
Shining its light upon us all.
When the night is dark, then you will see
Just how bright this light can be!
Here's a little candle burning bright,
Keeping us safe all through the night.
When the night is dark, then you will see
Just how bright this light can be!
MENORAH MATCH UPS
Light up number-recognition skills with this bright Hanukkah center. Using a marker, draw and color the base of a menorah on a sheet of poster board. Attach nine yellow cups atop the base to represent candleholders. Program eight of the cups with the numerals 1 through 8, leaving the center cup unprogrammed to represent the shammash (lighting candle) holder. Display themenorah on a bulletin board or easel; then fill the shammash holder with 36 construction paper candles. A youngster removes the candle cutouts from the shammash holder, then places a matching number in each cup. My, what glowing
counting skills!
HANNUKAH ARTS AND CRAFTS
Submitted by Amy
Make Egg Carton Menorahs-
lots of egg cartons- cut 3 "bumps" off each carton so each child has
a 9-egg carton, turned over.
Q-tips
paint, glue and glitter
Have children paint each nine egg carton "bumps" with their choice of paint colors. Let dry. Then, they can dip a Q-Tip into
yellow paint, and poke the other end through the top of the egg carton to resemble a candle. If they wish to further mbellish, glue and glitter!
Candle Printing-
Hannukah candles
paint
paper
gold or yellow glitter paint
Put out shallow trays or plates with a folded paper towel and a few spoonfuls of paint on each. Let children dip the side
of a candle in the paint, and then onto the paper. (This is great for strengthening pincer grip!)They can dip their fingertip into the glitter paint to "light" the candles.
Draw with Candles-
white candles
white paper
very thinned-down blue paint
Encourage children to draw with a white crayon onto white paper. Help them to tilt the paper so they can see the faint white
marks. (If you wish, you may precut the paper into dreidel, menorah or candle shapes.) Then, the children paint with the thinned paint onto the paper. The candle wax will resist the paint, surprising the children.
Make playdough or sculpey menorahs-
Baking clay or sculpey clay
lots of 3/8 hex bolts (boxes from hardware store)
Show children several kinds of menorahs, and encourage the children to see how they are different (shapes, decorations,
location of shamesh etc.), and how they are the same (number of candle holders).
Encourage them to form any shape menorahs they want out of sculpey clay or bakers clay. Let them press nine 3/8" hex
bolts into their menorahs to hold the candles. Bake, and decorate with paints. The bolts may need to be glued if any loosen.
Decorate Candles- (this can be expensive for a large group)
sheets of candle craft beeswax
inexpensive candles (not Hannukah menorah candles-they break too easily)
Adult helps each child wrap each candle in a single layer of candle craft beeswax. Let the children tear the other sheets
into tiny pieces; and then encourage them to stick the small pieces onto the wrapped candles to decorate. This works best if the wax is slightly warm- I put it under a lamp for a while to soften. Encourage the children to roll the wrapped candle in their palms to warm up the wax so everything will stick better.
Hanukkah
Submitted by Cooter
We are celebrating Hanukkah in our preschool room next week! Two of my favorite art activities are makig the Star of David and a Handprint Menorah!
To make the Star of David, use 6 popsicle sticks and have them make two triangles with them. Glue the riangles together, and then glue on on top of the other so you have a star shape. When they are dry, we have the children paint thir stars blue, and add glitter to them. Another activity we do is Handprint Menorahs, We let them chose a color paint thatw e have out and paint their hands. When putting their hands on the paper, make sure to put the two thumbs together for the "shammish."
After these are dry we add fingerprints for the flames on the "candles." They come out very cute. You also can make Latkes(potato pancakes), a famous Hanukkah treat, Make potato prints, and read "Latkes and Applesauce," I'm not sure who the author is.
JEWISH HOLIDAY
Hanukkah Facts:
Jewish people around the world celebrate Hanukkah., the Feast of Lights, each December. This holiday commemoraters the rededication of the temple of Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago. When it was time to light the holy lamp, only enough oil to keep it burning for one day could be found: but miraculously the lamp continued to burn for 8 full days! In honor of this event Jewish families light a new candle in the menorah for 8 successive nights.
Menorahs
Materials: Cardboard, playdoh, glitter, paint, birthday candles with wicks cut off.
Process: Cut 12 by 2 inch strips out of cardboard for base. Let children paint dark blue.
Give children playdoh and let them roll it in gold glitter and work into playdoh. Have each child make 8 balls approximatly same size. This may be hard for younger child so teacher may have to dicvide up the playdoh into 8 equal sections and then let child roll each into ball. Then take larger amount of playdoh and form larger ball. Children line up their balls on base with large ball in center. (Teacher should have example to show class and let children line up their balls coping). Place white birthday candles, with wicks cut off, in each ball to stand upright in their menorah. These menorahs are for decoration only and should NOT be lit
KWANZA
KWANZAA IDEAS
Kwanzaa Lights
Candles play an important role in the Kwanzaa celebration. Seven candles are placed in a candleholder called the kinara, three red, one black, and three green. On the first night of Kwanzaa, the black candle is lit. On each night thereafter, an additional candle is lit, alternating red and green until the entire kinara is glowing on the final night of Kwanzaa. To recognize this special celebration, youngsters will enjoy creating these sparkling Kwanzaa candles. For each child, cut seven tagboard strips to represent candles. Also, for each child, cut a wide strip of brown tagboard to represent the kinara. In three separate containers, mix equal amounts of warm water and sugar, and then stir the mixtures until the sugar dissolves. Add a different Kwanzaa color of tempera paint to each container. Then have each child paint his tagboard candles with the solutions. After his candles dry, have the child glue them along the top of his kinara. Then invite him to top each candle with a glued-on, torn tissue-paper flame.
A Kwanzaa Collage
The colors of Kwanzaa are red, black, and green to represent struggles, pride, and hope. The colors are also used on the bendera or flag. Use this idea to make a festive Kwanzaa display. Collect an assortment of red and green art materials such as felt scraps, pieces of gift-wrap ribbon, foil wrapping paper, beads, sequins, etc. Provide each child with a large sheet of black construction paper, scissors, and glue. Encourage each child to make a collage by gluing items of his choice onto his paper. Display all of the completed projects on a black background along with the title "Let's Celebrate Kwanzaa."
Seven Candles for Kwanzaa
Share Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney with your youngsters. This colorful book about Kwanzaa helps explain the weeklong celebration. It highlights the African words used during the holiday and gives the phonetic spellings. The detailed pictures show the family preparing for each day of the celebration.
After reading, have your students brainstorm a list of family-related activities. Next have each student draw a picture of his family doing one of the activities listed. Label each picture with each family's name. Put all the pages together in a book. Give the book a colorful cover with a geometric border. In the center, write the word "FAMILY" with a black marker and add a red paper heart on each side of the word. Put the book on display at the reading center in your classroom for everyone to enjoy
Kwanzaa Kabobs
Students will love preparing these delicious fruit kabobs to remind them of the bountiful harvest celebrated during Kwanzaa. In your cooking center, place a variety of fruit pieces such as pineapple, apples, bananas, oranges, and maraschino cherries. Add black paper plates and a supply of red and green toothpicks. Invite a small group of children to visit the center. Direct each child to skewer her choice of fruits onto red and green toothpicks to make kabobs. Then have her place her kabobs on a plate. When each child has prepared her kabobs, invite the group to sit together to
celebrate the harvest.
KWANZAA NECKLACES
Following submitted by GoanchorD
Dye 3 groups of Mostaciolli noodles red, green and black with alcohol and food coloring (you can get black food coloring at craft stores in the cake decorating section). Let dry. Let children string noodles on yarn.
PLACEMATS
(this is version of African cloth dyeing)
Dribble rubber cement on white paper. Allow to dry for 1 ½ hours. Paint over glue. When glue is dry, peel off rubber cement and reveal designs.
KWANZAA
Submitted by Cooter697
A really nice Kwanzaa book that I use is "K is for Kwanzaa," by Juwanda G. Ford and Ken Wilson-Max. It goes through each letter of the alphabet relating it to the holiday. I got this book through Scholastic, Inc. a few years ago. It has helped a great deal with ideas, etc.
Art Ideas
You could create a class quilt using African fabrics. Each child could decorate their piece at home with their family including items(pictures or words) that have special meaning to them. Bind(or sew) the quilt to hang in the classroom.
Create a African-American flag to hang during Kwanzaa. It has three colors: black, which represents African-American people, red, which symbolizes their struggles, and green that stands for a happy future.
KWANZAA ACTIVITIES
Submitted by Kathy IsaidKnow@aol.com
There are two age appropriate Kwanzaa books which I have both published by Scholastic. "My First Kwanzaa Book" written by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate. This book also includes the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. The second book is "Seven Candles for Kwanzaa" written by Andrea Davis Pinkney
A holiday activity which I have used from "Giant Encyclopedia of Themes "
Light the Kwanzaa Candles
Materials: seven cardboard tissue rolls covered with construction pper: three red, three green and one black, red , green and black construction paper candles the same height as the toilet tissue tubes ( made by cutting the the paper to size, rolling i around a pencil, securing the ends with tape, and slipping the pencil out) one per child Yellow construction paper to make the flames
Directions:
!. discuss the meaning of Kwanzaa and how it is celebrated
2 Put the covered rolls on a hard surface in this order-three red one black three green
3Hand out the candles and tell the children that we are going to light the Kwanzaa candles
4 One at a time have each child tell the class the color of his/her candle and place it in the matching candle holder
5 After all the children have put their candles in the holdes the yellow flames should be visible
Song-"Kwanzaa's here" Comes from Totline " Small world Celebrations
Tune: "Three Blind Mice"
Red,green, black
Red,green,black
Kwanzaa's here
The decorations are quite a sight
We light a candle every night
The holiday is filled with light
Kwanzaa's here
Cooking activity from Totline (same book)
Nutty Bananas ( uses two favorite African fods bananas and peanuts (groundnuts) make a mixture of finely chopped or grated peanuts, wheat germ and cinnamon place small amounts of the mixture on paper plates and give each child one half of an unpeeled banana. Children dip the banas into the nut mixture (caution: be careful of allergies to nuts)
Can also make banana bread if you school has an oven
Science activity:
plant raw peanuts
HOLIDAYS AROUND WORLD
CELEBRATING MULTI CULTURAL HOLIDAYS
Submitted by Dianne
We're doing a multi-cultural holiday theme with our class of special needs 3-5 year olds. Here's what we're doing--divided our bulletin board into 4 (Ramadan, Hanukka, Kawanzza, and Christmas) spaces with appropriate border around each space. For Ramadan space, we used green tempera to place hand prints randomly on white poster board, then my littler ones finger painted a yellow crescent moon to glue on top of hand prints.
For the Hanukkah space, we will made a menorah with our handprints using yellow and blue paint.
For the Kwanzaa space, I cut out a large letter "K" out of 9 X 12" black construction paper. We will glue individual (and small) squares of red, green and black construction paper randomly all over the "K"
For Christmas space, we will do a handprint Christmas tree.
I really want any art work to reflect the child's attempts not mine, so for the Ramadan art today, all the children traced the crescent moon with a pencil (using a cardboard pattern), then the ones who can use scissors cut the crescents out (and my aide did a few for ones who can't use scissors yet) but then they all used glue sticks to do the gluing. This sounds so primary but I have little ones who don't have a clue out to use a glue stick so just learning how to take it out, pump it up (and when to stop :)) and how to use it, then turn the paper over and how to put the glue stick back down onto the cover is as much the lesson as the Ramadan lesson.
GERMAN HOLIDAYS AND TRADITIONS
German Christmas:
The Christmas season is the happiest holiday for the German people. On the evening of December5, children clean there shoes and set them in a special place (mostly in front of the door). When the awake the next morning on Sankt Nicholas day (Sankt, Nikolaus), the shoes where filled with cookies, candy, nuts, mandarins, oranges and one special toy. The advent wreath originated with the German Lutherans. On each of the four Sundays before Christmas, one candle was lit in the wreath as the family joins in saying prayers, readinga scripture and singing carols (* we even did this with the children at school, every day before lunch, we got the advent wreath and lit the candle *)
Traditional holiday foods include "Pffeferkuchen" or "Gingerbread" and "Wheinachtsstollen" .
Also, each child will geta advents calendar. Starting on Dec1 till Dec24.
Every day the child will open a door,or bad or what ever you have and will find a suprise in there. That is a good counting method, too.
*Extended Activities*
1) Christmas shoes: Draw shoes ona piece of paper. Fill shoes with pictures cut from catalog or magazines. Pictures can include toys and food
2) Gingerbread: Make Gingerbread following directions on the packaged mix. Serve with whipped cream for snack
3) Advents calendar: Collect 24 toilet paper rolls, or 12 kitchen towels rolls.(cut in half). Get read tissue paper, some cutton balls, strings, some of those eyes (don't know the name, but also could draw eyes on it), cut out a circle a little bit bigger then the button of the roll.
Directions: roll the red tissue paper around the toilet roll, and leave some extra on on end of the roll. Glue the paper circle on the othe rend of the roll(now you have a buttom). Glue or draw eyes on the roll, make a cute face. Over his lips glue some cotton balls, stuff the inside with a few goodies for the kids, like hearshy kisses, gummibears, nuts... or a little suprise). Tie the top together. Write or glue a big number on each of the "Santa Claus", that way the children can look for the date I.e. today is Dec4, lets look for Santa Claus#4. When all is done, it should look like a Santa clause
Sylvester day (New years day)
On Sankt Sylvester day, celebrated on December 31. Germans sing songs of thanksgiving. Punch, is served with jelly doughnuts. For fun, some doughnuts are filled with mustard( Oh what a fun to see someone's face, biting into mustard,.....lol) Later that evening, family members and friends have a ceremony, which consists of holding a lump of lead in a spoon over a lamp, or fire place. When the lead melts, they dump it into cold water. An adult is selected to be the foutrune teller who predicts the future from the shape of the cooler lead. Today many families use wax instead. We also sing songs, and have a big party. At 12 o'clock that night, we have a big , I mean huge fire work. All the neighbors come up and tell you a happy new year and almost every one starts the new year with a glass of sekt or Champaign.......Clean up the next day is the pain...lol
Extended Activities:
>1) Jelly filled doughnuts: Thaw frozen sweet rolls dough. Place individual balls of dough on a cookie sheet. Flatten each ball into a rectangular that is 1/4" thick. Place jelly on center or rectangular. Fold rectangular in half. Pinch open sides together. Doughnuts can be deep fried (Thats how they where best...yumm)or backed on greased cookie sheet for 10-15 min. at 375F.
2) Fortune telling: Adult drops one spoon of wax into cold water, and child tells you what the shape of the wax look like. Glue wax to a piece of paper with child's interpretation written on the paper. Repeat for each child in the group......
Celebration of Lights around the World
Following submitted by Peg
In almost every culture lights, symbolizing love and hope, are a special element of celebrations. Some of the morew familiar sources of holiday lights include: Christmas lights, Advent candles, Hanukkah menorahs and the Kwanza kinara.
Floating Diwali Lamps
Each year in late Oct. or early Nov., many of the people of India celebrat Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The people hope that their light display will attract the attention of the goddess Lakshmi, whose visits bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year.
On Diwali, children sometimes light little lamps and float them in river or lakes. (Lamps that stay lit for a long time are thought to bring good luck).
Materials: egg caarton, string, and yellow tape
Cut egg carton into single cups.
Cut string into 2 inch strips
Tape the string to the bottom of one egg carton cup for pretend wick.
Attach small peice of yellow tape to top of string as pretend flame.
Fill a tub and let children float the Diwali lamps. Remember the wicks in the candles arew NOT to be lit
Diwali -Festival of Lights
Submitted by Haley
Divali (sometimes spelled Diwali) is the Indian Festival of Lights. It is celebrated in late October to November. During this holiday people in India place small oil lamps called diyas on the windows in rows to welcome the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth hoping for good fortune for the next year. It is also a celebration Krishna, an avatar of Vinshu. Theirs lots of fireworks, bright lights, and sweets. People buy in clothes and children play games like "Pin the light on the Diya."
Chant: 5 Divali Lamps (Diyas)
Written by Haley Drake
5 little lamps sitting in a row
The first one said, "I'm starting to glow."
The second one said, "Let's chase away the dark."
The third one said, "I'm happy as a lark!"
The fourth one said, "Divali so much fun."
The fifth one said, "I'm bright as the sun!"
Bang! went the firecracker, down went the sparks
and the 5 little lamps glowed in the dark.
We also played "Pin the light on Diya." I simply made an image of a diya lamp using construction paper, and played a version of "Pin the tale on the Donkey" with flames.
I also purchased sweets from a local Indian grocery, and had them for snack, which the kids really loved!
You could also talk about in some parts of India they make rice designs outside their homes, and have the children make rice designs, or draw using sidewalk chalk.
Lucia Day, a Swedish Celebration
Each Dec. 13 the people of Sweden celebrate Lucia Day in honor of Lucy the Saint of Light, who brings brightness at the darkest time of year. Early in the morning the oldest daughtwer dresses in a white robe with a red sash to play Lucy. On her head she wears a crown of evergreens topped with lighted candles. Then accompanied by her brothers and sisiters, she brings breaksfast to all the adult members of the family who are still in bed. (This sounds like a holiday we need to be celebrating in my house!!!).
Lucia Crowns
Materials: paper plates, green crepe paper, white birthday candles (with wicks cut off)
Cut the centers out of the paper plates and have children glue short strips of green crpepe papaer "evergreens" on top of the rim. When glue has dried poke 5 or 6 small holes in each crown and let children stick birthday candles (with wicks cut off) onto the holes. (This is for decoration only and the candles should not be lit
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