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Our art corner

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I created a little art corner/kids table for my son Jakson about six months ago out of some things we had laying around—a wooden step ladder, the top of an old coffee table, leftover peg board for displaying art and a magnetic metal cabinet door from the IKEA “as-is section”.

I’ve been taking it apart little by little-sadly.   I hope that there will be room in our next house for a similar corner.  It has been perfect for displaying Jakson’s masterpieces and working on “school” activities.    All of the kids who eat at our house are banished to the table to eat as well.

It’s good at multitasking (and doesn’t mind a little dirt).

The step ladder before:100_0974
After a coat of Leaf Green paint: 100_1207100_1205100_1209Those ugly green chairs?  Perfect size, but hideous.  Our eventual plan is take them apart and spray paint the seats some amazing, fun color. Suggestions?

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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!