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Artist Profile: Namaste Glass

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bluesandollar_buckleMy first encounter with Namaste Glass was many years ago. I was driving through Silver Lake, one of the neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and I saw a sign that said blown glass. Glass? Blown glass? I had to stop and see what was up. I spoke with Matt and mentioned my glass interest and checked out his little scene. He was making and selling glass pipes and small jewelry items. He works with borosilicate glass. As time passed I noticed that he moved to a new, bigger location. Good for him I thought. Then he was gone. Where’d he go?mugs_set4

It was at the recent Los Angeles Gift Show that I saw him again. And Matt and his family are in Oregon making lovely glass items to wear and to use. Belt buckles, jewelry, glass ware…and in a green environment using 100% wind power to run their studio. Check out their web site and see their fabulous products. Namaste.amberpurple_infinity3

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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!