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Hurricane Seashell Candle Project

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I had some seashells that I’ve wanted to do something with, so decided to try making a hurricane candle holder.

First, I filled a large metal mold with wax and let it harden for about an hour. Then I pierced the film of hardened wax and poured most of it back into the pot.

This left a shell of wax that was soft enough to embed seashells into. While that was hardening, I heated the remaining wax back up on the stove.

Finally, I filled the mold up with wax again and left it for another hour or so until it sealed the seashells into the wax.  I also used a heat gun on the outside of the candle, just to make some of the seashells pop a little.

You can buy specialty wax that’s specifically for hurricane candles because it’s extra clear and hard, but I just winged this one with paraffin pillar wax.

The seashells are a nice touch in the summer and I like how all the different shapes glow after adding a tea light. You can also do this with dried flowers, beads or just about anything you can seal in wax.  I’ve seen some pretty hurricanes done with photographs as well.

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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!