Epic Rubber Band Crafts Book Review

If you have worked with a rubber band loom, you know that you can make some amazing bracelets with it, but have you tried making other things? If you want to take your loom creations to the next level, you should check out all of the unique projects in this book titled Epic Rubber Band Crafts.

The author, Colleen Dorsey, teaches you how to make 15 fun and fashionable projects using easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions and photos. There are also diagrams for each project that will help you with rubber band placement. She also includes a section that teaches you the basics of using the loom along with a section of some helpful tips and hints.

Amongst the projects, you will find directions for making a couple of different bracelets — a Vine Bracelet which you can add beads to and a Fringe Bracelet that can double as a hair scrunchie. Other jewelry items you can make are a Loopy Loop necklace and a combination bracelet and ring. This book is about so much more than rubber band jewelry though…

You can build a robot. To do this, you need to use two looms, side by side, and 220 bands. If you want to make something a little cuter than a robot (at least in some people’s eyes), you can form a cute little penguin using 102 bands. If you are in the mood for something a little faster and easier, try your hand at using simple chaining to make a trick pencil or a light sword.

Of course, these are only a handful of the projects shared in this book. You will find hours of fun making a cell phone case, glamorous beaded curtain and so much more.

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Weaving Projects to Make With Kids

If you want to teach kids the basics of Hanukkah in the classroom or at home, the picture book Hanukkah by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Rotem Teplow is a nice place to start.

The book explores the Jewish holiday through the eyes of Lior, a boy whose name means “my light” in Hebrew, which is appropriate for talking about the Festival of Lights.

The book goes through all the preparations the family does, including cleaning, setting the table and cleaning the menorah. It talks about what the menorah symbolizes and the Hanukkah story of the oil in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem lasting for eight days when it should have only been a one-day supply.

The meaning of the letters on the dreidel are also explored, in that when you are in Israel they have a different fourth word (the letters symbolize the Hebrew letters for “a great miracle happened there” or, in Israel, “a great miracle happened here”).

Because the story of Hanukkah involves oil, a lot of the foods that are eaten during the celebration are fried in oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (fried jelly doughnuts). Other foods mentioned include challah, noodle kugel and sour cream and applesauce, which are served with the latkes. Family and friends drop by to share their food, light their menorahs together and play dreidel (the game is explained in the story). It also talks about how the candles are lit through the eight days and what happens at the end of Hanukkah.

The book includes Hanukkah blessings in English and Hebrew and talks about the lunar cycle of the Hebrew calendar, which is why Hanukkah is sometimes celebrated in November and sometimes in December. It also talks about why Jewish holidays are celebrated beginning at sunset rather than in the morning.

Other topics covered include Hanukkah greetings; how to spell Hanukkah; how to make an edible menorah and an tzedakah box (to collect money for charity); recipes for latkes and applesauce; and a more detailed story of Hanukkah than is included within the story of the book. There’s also a quiz to see how well you were paying attention.

This sweet little book is a quick read and a cute overview of the basics of Hanukkah and what the symbols, foods and games mean. It’s a great book for classrooms or at home for sharing basic knowledge.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2024 by words & pictures, suggested retail price $14.99.

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