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“Crazy for Quilts” winners

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cowGreat news from the Alliance for American Quilts:

The Alliance for American Quilts (AAQ) announces the winners of the “Crazy for Quilts” contest. The contest celebrates the spirit of the crazy quilt, a genre of quiltmaking which began in the United States around 1880 featuring oddly shaped pieces of fancy cloth like silk and velvet, often embellished with extravagant embroidery…

Alliance members voted for three winners in each category from the 84 quilts entered by makers that range from first-time quilters to professional artists. In the Ages 30 and Under category, novice quilter Kelly Phelps of Tennessee won first place with her quilt, “Creative Chaos“…and Luke Haynes of California won both second and third place awards with his two quilts: “But I Know Crazy” (a portrait of musician James Brown) and “Study in Squares [Ego of a Quilter].”

In the Ages Over 30 category, Kathryn Wagar Wright of Colorado, an art director for Quilters Newsletter magazine, took the top prize with her quilt, “Crazy Cow Polarity“.

See all the winners and entrants in the contest gallery. And if you’d like a heads-up about the 2010 contest, be sure to sign up for AAQ’s free e-newsletter.

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Hanukkah Unit Studies for Kids

Learning about Hanukkah is important for people of all faiths as a reminder that December isn’t just about Christmas and that their are many other important holidays that happen during this time. Hanukkah unit studies can give you ideas for incorporating the holiday into your holiday studies that happen in December, or to use at home for learning about people of different faiths.

Homeschool Superfreak has a lot of basic ideas for how to build a Hanukkah unit study, as well as FAQs about what Hanukkah is and why it is celebrated. This list is a good stargint point but doesn’t include all the details you’ll need. For example it says you can play the dreidel game but doesn’t explain how to do that or why it’s important. (If you need that information, this post from Mama Smiles is a good source.)

Teachers Pay Teachers has lots of great lesson plans and activities if you’re willing to pay a little bit to get some good content. Two I really like are this Hanukkah PowerPoint presentation from Shelia Melton, which provides a good overview of traditions, food and the history of Hanukkah; and a virtual field trip to Jerusalem from MagiCore, which includes lots of videos showing the city and activities like playing dreidel, drawing a menorah and making latkes. It’s a Google Drive folder and also includes writing activities and more for kids in second to fifth grade.

Kids Activities Blog has some simple printables with facts about Hanukkah and things kids can color in like a Star of David, sufganiyots (jelly doughnuts) and a menorah. These are great for learning the basics.

Homeschool Giveaways has a printable ebook about Hanukkah complete with questions kids can answer after they read. This would be a good one for older kids with good reading comprehension.

NurtureStore’s Hanukkah unit study includes a printable mini book, tons of crafts, as well as math and writing activities. I love the dominoes game that’s part of the unit.

And check out our previous posts for more Hanukkah crafts and learning activities!