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World Candle Congress and Trade Show

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ALAFAVE (Asociación Latinoamericana de Fabricantes de Velas) and NCA (National Candle Association) are gearing up for their second world candle congress in Cancún, Mexico, June 25-29, 2007. It’s a great opportunity to see what’s new in the candle world, gain new knowledge, business and network. There will be plenty of trade shows, buyers, suppliers and speakers attending.

Wedding BasketThe National Candle Association represents US suppliers and is widely recognized as the leading technical authority on candles and candle manufacturing. Shown here is a picture of a wedding basket, courtesy of NCA. Nearly three quarters of women surveyed from NCA stated that candles were present as a key element of their ceremony.

Membership in the NCA gives suppliers and manufacturers the opportunity to learn about new products and services. 90% of candle companies in the US are members of NCA and adhere to strict ASTM candle standards. They publish a directory of their members annually and include background information, plant locations, descriptions of products offered, and contact information. If you don’t want to spring for the printed directory, it appears most of the manufacturers and suppliers are listed on the NCA site.

I enjoyed reading their facts and figures on candles. According to their stats, US sales of candles are estimated at 2 billion annually and over 95% of the purchasers are women.

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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!