Teaching Children about Hanukkah

Hanukkah is actually starting the day before Thanksgiving this year - a little earlier than usual! So it's time to get prepared if you want to teach your children a little about Hanukkah.

Head over to Wendy Thomas Russell's great blog to learn more about the history and meaning of Hanukkah.

Books about Hanukkah:

We were able to find a couple of books at our library that explained the story of Hanukkah without being too wordy (and, therefore, boring) for my 5 and 4-year-old. 

http://amzn.com/0823425479

"The Story of Hanukkah" by David Adler was a great book, and one that my 5-year-old had already discovered on the Reading Rainbow app for iPad. It's pictures are colorful and engaging, and the story line was accurate yet not overly simplified for kids. 

http://amzn.com/157505583X

Our library didn't have a lot of fantastic options for Hanukkah books, but I'm so glad I found this one! This book, called "Hanukkah" by Cathy Goldberg Fishman, is a great one for early readers and young children. It simplifies the information in a way that is very easily to understand (and remember!), while really providing a LOT of good information about the history and traditions of Hanukkah. Don't pass this one up!

Activities:

Instead of buying a menorah, I think that the girls and I are going to try to make one. I found several options on Pinterest, but the one I liked the most was this one - made from toilet paper rolls - at Creative Jewish Mom. 

We're going to be making some traditional latkes, but we're tweaking the recipe just a bit since we are experimenting with some gluten-free changes to our diet right now. I found a great recipe from Jamie at Joy of Kosher that adds some rice and rice flour to the mix. 

We're also going to be playing some dreidel if I can find one in Japan! ;)

Again, Wendy Thomas Russell has a great how-to post on three different Hanukkah traditions, so check that out if you need dreidel rules or information on lighting a menorah.

Do you have any other resources or activities that you use to educate your children about Hanukkah?