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Thinking in Glass at the Pittsburgh Glass Center

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levenson2Silvia Levinson is teaching a class at the Pittsburgh Glass Center called “Thinking in Glass”. If you’re in that area and need something fabulous to do take this class! Take it for me! I love Silvia’s work and would love to spend time learning about thinking in glass. I think I do it most of the time but would love to hear her version of it.

Here’s a description from the site:

Silvia Levenson’s work is never based on technique or technical virtuosity, but rather on how to make visible her thoughts and her sense of perplexity about the world. In making objects or designing an installation, she does not begin by thinking of what she can do, but rather what she wants to do. In this workshop, she will accompany students in the realization of works using the same methodology she uses in her own studio. The basic glass working technique will be lost wax and open face kilnforming. The aim of this workshop is shifting boundaries in order to think new works and installations. We will discuss artwork and artists working in glass. We will explore the lost wax technique, mold making, firing schedules, and how to work on the idea of installation.

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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!