Celebrate Hanukkah with Crafts

There are so many great Hanukkah crafts for kids (and I have shared a bunch of Hanukkah crafts before) and it’s a great way to teach kids about Hanukkah and the symbols of the season, even if they aren’t Jewish.

Menorahs are probably the most well-known symbol of the season because they mark the days of the celebration and honor the light of the temple staying lit for nine days. This yarn wrapped menorah from Happy Toddler Playtime is easy to make with craft sticks and gives kids fine-motor skill practice.

Using clothespins as your candles is another fun way to incorporate fine-motor practice, and you can use a variety of things for the base. Happy Hooligans uses a piece of cardboard for the base with clothespin candles. And while the original instructions don’t seem to exist any more, there’s a picture of a paper plate menorah (originally from Pleasantest Thing) in this roundup of menorah crafts from Our Potluck Family that looks like fun.

If you’re making a classroom menorah, try this paper chain version from Bible Belt Balabusta. Hers was made for the school entrance but you could scale it down a bit to hang on the wall in a classroom if you’d rather.

Speaking of classroom crafts, these Hanukkah suncatchers from Jewish Moms and Crafters would be cute if you have a window in your classroom, or to use at home. Download the free templates and use sticky paper and bits of tissue paper to make a stained glass effect.

Dreidels are another common symbol of the season and a fun shape to craft with. NurtureStore has a fun printmaking activity that uses the dreidel shape and found objects to make a repeating pattern. You could do this same idea with any shape you like as the base.

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Hanukkah Crafts for Kids

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in western Africa that was called the Republic of Upper Volta until 1984, when it was renamed by its president, Thomas Sankara, who came to power following a coup (and was himself killed during another coup in 1987).

Burkina Faso Basics

The country is bordered by Mail, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast, and covers 105,878 square miles, or 274,223 square kilometers.
The nation’s capital is Ouagadougou, which is very fun to say. It’s also the largest city. About 22.5 million people live in Burkina Faso
The Mossi is the largest ethnic group in the country, which originally settled in the area in the 11th and 13th centuries.
The government recognizes 60 indigenous languages, as well as the four official languages, Mooré, Bissa, Dyula and Fula. French and English are considered “working” languages primarily used for government and business.
Burkina Faso is a republic but it is run by a group of military leaders. The nation’s history has been marked by a series of coups and uprisings since its independence from France in 1960.
The word Burkina comes from the Mooré language and means upright, while Faso is a Dioula word that means fatherland or father’s house. The CIA translates the name as land of honest men. People from Burkina Faso are called Burkinabé, a Fula word that means men or women.
It ranked 65 out of 78 countries for food insecurity in 2013.
In 2017 a 33-megawatt solar plant opened near Ouagadougou, which at the time was the largest solar power facility in West Africa.

Burkina Faso National Symbols

The flag of Burkina Faso is red at the top and green at the bottom, with a gold five-pointed star in the center. The colors are the Pan African colors, which shows unity with other nations in Africa. Red also symbolizes revolution, while green stands for the natural riches of the country. The star is said to represent the guiding light of revolution. It was adopted after the 1983 coup.

The national anthem is “Ditanye” or “L’Hymne de la vicroire” (anthem of victory) also sometimes called “Une Seule Nuit” or “One Single Night.” It was written by president Sankara, who was also a jazz guitarist.

White stallions are the national animal, and the shea tree is the national tree. We’ll get to the national dish below, but it is riz gras, or fat rice.

Burkina Faso Activities for Kids

You can find some activities and more information for kids to learn about Burkina Faso on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Try riz gris (sort of like a Spanish rice) with this recipe from Polka Dot Passport. Learn more about Burkinabé food and the popular drink with the fun name zoom koom, at 196 Flavors.

Learn more about shea butter and different ways to use it from Treehugger. You can even make your own shea butter lotion with this easy recipe from Live Simply.

Check out the stunning Ouagadougou Cathedral and the Monuments des Martyrs, two of the main landmarks in the country.

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Have you read?

Burkina Faso Basics

Burkina Faso National Symbols

Burkina Faso Activities for Kids

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