Dr. Emily AronoffLooking for a fun family Chanukah craft activity? My family loves puzzles, Jewish holidays, and playing with ‘fire’- so this project wraps all those things together into one!
This is a fun Hanukkah craft activity for kids (and grown-ups) of all ages. Pleasantly, this PVC pipe Chanukiah menorah has held up really well. We are now in year 4 of constructing (and deconstructing) it, and each year it is heavily (and not gently) used.
This clip is of my two-year-old and I co-constructing it, older kids can independently navigate it. In a classroom setting, I would likely assemble multiple sets of the kit so students could experiment with different variations.
I do NOT consider myself a particularly ‘handy’ human- so I was briefly intimidated by the use of the PVC- but if I can handle it, so can you!
This pleasantly checks many of the boxes I look for in a craft project: STEM-related, Jewishly relevant, relatively inexpensive, quiet, and can be an independent or collaborative effort. So that makes it an excellent Chanukah activity for kids in my book.
This isn’t my original idea though- all credit goes to the Bible Belt Balabusta, who has all sorts of wonderful and interesting ideas.
If you really enjoy this Hanukkah craft activity, you can create extra ‘kits’ and give them as presents to other families that like to play and celebrate Chanukah. Add paint, and sparkle, I imagine you could even add an element of water play! So enjoy and let me know if you have any creative ideas and/or additions to share.
“Puzzle” Pieces AKA materials*
- 8 two-inch long pieces
- 7 four-inch long pieces (for base)
- 4 caps for the base’s ends
- 1 cross joint
- 2 elbow joints threaded on one side (for the ends)
- 6 threaded t-joints
- 3 unthreaded t-joints
- 9 Child Safe ‘Candles’
*I used all 1/2 inch thick PVC for all pieces
I ADORE these and use them all the time. When I’m leading Shabbat celebrations for large groups of littles, I like to hand them out. The kiddos can ‘light’ the candles by flipping the switch on and placing it onto my Shabbat tray. Which is a platter I’ve topped with play-dough so that the kids can securely ‘plant’ their battery-operated lights upright).
PS: Looking for more ideas of ways to celebrate Chanukah with kids? Check out the 8 Ways to Celebrate Chanukah That Don’t Involve Gifts!
