Menorah Crafts for Kids

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates religious freedom. The holiday is celebrated in December. The celebration lasts eight days. Each night a candle is lit, using a ninth candle called the Shamash candle. Each candle is placed in a menorah. The eight night of Hanukkah is when all eight candles will be burning together. Here are directions for constructing three different menorahs that kids and parents can make together.

Cardboard Menorah

What you will need:

9 cardboard toilet paper rolls

Masking tape or scotch tape

Cardboard

Yellow and orange tissue paper

Tempera paint

Markers

Glue

How to make:

Use paint or markers to color the toilet paper rolls.

One toilet paper roll is glued down in the middle of the cardboard.

Tape or glue down four toilet paper roll holders on each side of the middle holder.

Glue pieces of yellow and orange tissue paper in the ends of the rolls to look like candle flames.

Clay Menorah

What you will need:

Clay

Pencil

Birthday candleholders

How to make:

Knead and roll the clay.

Flatten the clay on a hard surface.

Have your child put his or her hand on the clay and with a small craft stick or blunt knife, trace around the hand and carve away extra clay from the handprint.

Repeat this step with the other hand.

Take the two clay hands and press them together gently. Let the thumps from each handprint overlap each other.

Using the pencil point, make a small hole in the tip of each finger, and place a small birthday candleholder in to each hole.

There are eight candles, one for each night, and the thumb candle is the candle that is used for lighting the other eight. This candle is called the Shamash.

Let the menorah dry.

Paint if you'd like with tempera paints.

Egg Carton Menorah

What you will need:

Empty egg carton

Construction paper

Yellow and blue tempera paint and paintbrush

Tape or glue

Quips

How to make

Cut along the seam to separate the egg carton lid from the egg carton.

Carefully cut out nine egg cups.

Paint the egg cups blue

Using the construction paper cut out nine strips that you will roll into the shapes of candles.

Make a small hole in the bottom of each egg cup, and turn the cup upside down.