Shalom. We hope that everyone is having a
joyous and wonderful Chanukah. Above all, we encourage you to make this
season, as all seasons of life, inspirational and interesting to your
children. They are the torches which will carry the light to future
generations.... if we faithfully kindle that flame within them. Chanukah
is a beautiful family time, just one of the stepping stones in lighting the
flame of Messiyah in our children's hearts and lives. Below are a few
ideas for Chanukah.
If "The Hanukkah Book" by Mae Shafter Rockland is
available at your library, check it out. It contains interesting history,
games, and craft projects.
We tend to go all out with blue and white
decorations, symbolic of the blue and white used in the tassel
(tzitziyot). Some fun ideas are to get blue party lights, and to make a
Chanukah chain to decorate with. For the Chanukah chain, cut strips of
blue and white paper. Make interlocking loops, stapling the loops
together. This is pretty hung around the edges of the ceiling.
Another thing we did was to have blue and white popcorn. (Really!)
Heat desired amount of clear corn syrup, and color it blue. Pour that on
the popcorn and toss it. Hey, it was delicious. And it's always
interesting to get creative!
A delightful book that we read as a family is
"Chanukah In Chelm" by David A. Adler. It is sure to create lots of
laughs together. :-)
Play dreidel. With the traditional
game, each person has a given number of pennies or small candies. To start
the game, each player puts a penny in the center. Then players take turns
spinning the dreidel. If it lands on n (nun) the player does nothing. If it lands on g (gimel) the player gets all the pennies
in the center. A h (heh) means that the player
gets half of what is in the center. If it is an odd number, the player
takes half plus one. If you get a c (shin)
you need to put one penny in the center. After each player takes a turn,
everybody puts another penny in the center. (For those of you who
don't have a Hebrew font in your computer, sorry for the
inconveniene.)
Get creative with dreidel too.
For board games such as Chutes & Ladders,
use a dreidel to determine the number of moves you can make, with n (nun)meaning Advance 1, g (gimel)meaning Advance 2, h
(heh)meaning Advance 3, and c (shin)meaning Move
Backward 1. Dreidels also make good playing pieces for Chutes &
Ladders or Scripture Trivia games.
For additional ideas, go to www.google.com
and type in "Chanukah" in the search box. This brings up lots of websites
with activities, crafts, ideas, recipes, etc. for your
enjoyment.
I know we've talked a lot about fun things,
but it is important that we remember to keep
Chanukah focused on our dedication to the Light of the world. Scripture
games are a marvelous way to do this. Also it is nice to have family
Scripture reading together, including reading the account of the Maccabees'
bravery, dedicated faithfulness, and victory. Explain to your children why
you do the things you do, and pass on to them the torch, that they may carry it
to all generations to come.
Shalom, and have a wonderful Chanukah.
Blessings to you, and shalom. With dedication, Joy In The
World
"The seasons come and
go, but may your dedication always
remain."