Eight Days of Hanukkah by Harriet Ziefert

The Eight Nights by Jane Bearman

A Family Hanukkah by Bobbi Katz (out of print)

A Hanukkiyah for Dina by Floreva G. Cohen

Hanukkah! by Roni Schotter

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah by Susan L. Roth

Inside-Out Grandma by Joan Rothenberg

Is it Hanukkah Yet? by Nancy Krulik

Judah Who Always Said No! by Harriet K. Feder (Kar-Ben)

Latkes and Applesauce by Fran Manushkin

Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat by Naomi Howland

Let’s Make Latkes by Sally Springer (board book) (out of print)

Like a Maccabee by Rabbi Raymond A. Zwerin and Audrey Friedman Marcus

Maccabee Jamboree: A Hanukkah Countdown by Cheri Holland (Kar-Ben)

The Menorah Story by Mark Podwal

Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah by Linda Glaser

On Hanukkah by Cathy Goldberg Fishman

Papa’s Latkes by Jane Breskin Zalben

The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman

Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah by Sylvia Rouss (Kar-Ben)

A Turn for Noah by Susan Remick Topek (Kar-Ben)

When Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Eric A. Kimmel

Written by Latifa Berry Kropf
Photographs by Tod Cohen

What better way to prepare for Chanukah than to cook special holiday treats with your students?  Not only is there a lot of learning going on...but it is fun, too!  Madeline Wikler and Judyth Groner have made it easy for teachers to integrate  cooking into all aspects of the curriculum.  Included in their welcome is a list of safety and health tips to consider before any cooking takes place.  A wonderfully illustrated list of cooking equipment used throughout the book

The authors of Miracle Meals provide their readers with a variety of delicacies. Recipes are organized into six groupings: soups, "lotsa latkes 'n applesauce," dairy, meat, "desserts and fun foods," and drinks.  At the top of each recipe page the authors have created "E-Z Symbols" which will assist you in choosing the recipe that is most appropriate for your situation.  A one-dreidel symbol refers to a simple recipe in which children may work independently while a three-dreidel rating describes those recipes where adult supervision is required.  Letter symbols within these dreidel illustrations further categorize recipes in terms of meat, dairy and parve.

Wikler and Groner remind us that eating the treats does not need to be the "end" of the cooking experience, but part of a bigger Chanukah celebration, as they include ideas for planning for and playing during a Chanukah party!

A beautiful orange kitten appears before his eyes.

His mother says the kitten may stay for as long as Chanukah will last;

Lenny hopes that the eight days will not go by very fast.

Clawed curtains, torn socks and a bird brought home for dinner,

The future for Hanukkah Cat in Lenny's home gets dimmer.

Hanukkah Cat is told in eight chapters, each with its own tale,

But by the eighth night, will Lenny's wish for a pet cat prevail?

    This story is a terrific provocation to a discussion and activities about winter nights, light and shadows.  Sara tells her friend the story of Chanukah by candlelight using her hands' shadows as the storytelling tools.  Set up an overhead projector in your classroom and encourage the children to experiment with shadows.  Use various types of "screens-" the wall, a sheet, butcher paper, etc.... You may also give children different sizes and strengths of flashlights.  After children have made discoveries with the flashlights, place different colors of cellophane with the flashlights.  See if children create their own Northern lights!  See where the children's excitement leads!

    Rivkah Leah is planning to celebrate the first night of Chanukah with her friends.  In her invitations she asks them to bring "something good to share with latkes."  Moshe the milkman plans to bring sour cream, Chana plans to bring applesauce, Avrom the fisherman plans to catch some fish and Manya the baker decides to make some jelly doughnuts.  Rivkah Leah's friends find that sometimes, things don't quite go according to our plans and that a bit of creativity and laughter can make the holiday gatherings just as meaningful.  

     This is a fun and simple tale to dramaticize.  Children may help you gather props from your classroom to use in their creative storytelling.  They may also be encouraged to help make props that may not be readily available, i.e. fishing pole.  In terms of  the character cast, don't forget to include the animals who helped to cause a bit of the holiday chaos!

Pocket chart extension game

(To be used with Leslie Kimmelman's The Runaway Latkes)

After reading the story, use the recurring rhyme for a pocket chart names activity.  Replace "YOU" with sentence strips of the students' names.  During storytime or circle time, you may want to start the rhyme by selecting a student's name to include in the rhyme.  Using "Latke" puppets (simply cut out brown circles, draw faces on them and glue to craft sticks), read the rhyme and have the child whose name card appears in the pocket chart "chase" (or follow by walking, for safety purposes) you around the circle.  That child may then become the "Latkes" and choose a name to "chase" him/her around the circle. 

You may alternate this game also by making a "Latke pointer" and choosing children to lead the class in reading the rhyme.  Be sure to leave the pointer and puppets out during center times!  Of course this story lends itself to some great dramatic play, either with puppets or masks!

Music and Dramatic Play extension:  Play Kabalevsky's Comedians' Galop and have children pretend to be runaway latkes (to be done in an open, safe area)

Chant

Good Morning Song 

Several of my favorite secular teaching sites (The Learning Leap and Mrs. Sirois's Farm) list "Good Morning Songs," songs that are often accompanied by pocket charts with corresponding graphics to help the children become familiar with sight words.   I thought it would be fun to compose my own songs based on the Jewish holidays that could be used for several weeks.  Holiday concepts and symbols may be reinforced daily through these simple predictable charts.  Adding graphics to the sentence strips would help the children read the songs.  With older children, one might place the graphics on separate cards so that children can match word to picture.  For classrooms that may incorporate more Hebrew, substitute Boker Tov in place of Good Morning.  I used the tune to "Shortnin' Bread," as suggested at The Learning Leap. 

Good morning to the Maccabees.

Good morning to the dreidel.

Good morning to the latkes fried in oil.

Good morning to the chanukiyah..

Good morning to the candles.

Good morning to the chocolate gelt wrapped in foil.

 (to tune of “Peanut Butter and Jelly”)

First you take potatoes and you peel them

You peel them.

For your Chanukah latkes! (Yum)

Then you take your grater and you shred them

You shred them.

For your Chanukah latkes! (Yum)

Then you take a spoonful and you mold them

You mold them.

For your Chanukah latkes! (Yum)

Then you take your skillet and you fry them

You fry them.

For your Chanukah latkes! (Yum)

Then you take your fork and you eat them

You eat them.

I love Chanukah latkes! (Yum)

(to tune of “Row your Boat”)

Latkes cooked in oil

Chocolate wrapped in foil

Doughnuts filled with jelly sweet

On Chanukah I love to eat!

Nun, gimel, hay and shin

Give that dreidel a good spin.

Around it goes, will it stop?

When it does, check the top.

Hay, half out; shin two in

Nun, get nothing; gimel you win!

Red is jelly wrapped in dough

How my sweet tooth loves it so!

Orange are flames of candles that shine

Reminding me of the Miracle divine.

Yellow is the foil of my chocolate gelt

The coins that in my mouth just melt.

Green is the dreidel that I spin

When it lands on gimel then I win!

Blue are the stars for decorations I use

They remind us always that we are Jews.

Purple is the color of the sky at night

As the sun sets, the candles we light.

Chanukah is a rainbow of colors that I see,

That makes this holiday so special for me.

Latkes and Hamantashen
Fran Avni

Shine Little Candles: Chanukah Songs for Children
Rachel Buchman

It was a Miracle!
Andi Joseph

Shir La La Chanukah!
Shira Kline

Cha Cha Chanukah
The Shirettes

Celebrate Hanukkah
Craig Taubman

The Magic of Chanukah
Paul Zim

Create

Hiddur Mitzvah:  Chanukiyah a la Mondrian

We introduced the children to Piet Mondrian and spent time exploring lines and color.  As Chanukah approached, we decided to integrate this study into the creation of Chanukiyot.  Children used enamel paints on tile. After painting their lines, they were encouraged to select two paint colors to use to fill in their shapes.  Note some of the interesting shades created by color-mixing!

PLAYTIME!

Children used dreidels and Chanukah candles to paint at the easel.  (We secured the candles with clothespins so to decrease the likeliness that the candle would break).  

Create Chanukah math mats using graphics of gelt.  Children used dice and dreidel erasers to cover their mats.   

Chanukah Wood Toy Set available at www.chaikids.com 

Related Theme Websites

4Hanukkah

abcteach Hanukkah

About Hanukkah

Aish HaTorah Chanukah site

Akhlah Hanukkah

BJESF Chanukah

Caryn’s Chanukah

Chanukah: A Family Learning handout

Chanukah at Web-Holidays

Chanukah on the Net

Eileen's Favorite Camp Crafts Chanukah

Everything Jewish Hanukah

Gan Yaffa

Hanukat

Hanukkah at jts

Hanukkah Poems

JAFI's Hanukkah

JCCA's Kislev

JOI Hanukkah

Kathy Ross’s Dreidel Envelope

Kids Domain Chanukah!

Lil Fingers Hanukkah

Mrs. Stewart's Hanukkah

Mrs. Vig's Chanukah

Not Just for Kids!

Ohr Somaych Chanukah

OU's Celebration of Chanukah!

Perpetual Preschool's Hanukkah

Songs for Teaching: Celebrating Chanukah

Torah Tots Chanukah

URJ Holiday Happenings: Chanukah

URJ Parent Page: Chanukah

Virtual Chanukah

VJ Chanukah

Teachers' Exchange

                                      
Art Projects

Submitted by Joyce

Flip the Latke

Take a heavy duty small paper plate and have the kids paint it black (frying pan).  Staple a large craft stick to the paper plate (the handle).  Punch a hole on the edge of the plate across from the craft stick.  Tie a piece of yarn through the hole.  Cut out a tagboard circle (the latke) and decorate it with brown pieces of yarn.  Punch a hole through the edge of the latke and tie.

Lighting Menorah

Draw a menorah shape out of white construction paper.  Glue to a 9x12 piece of blue construction paper.  The Shammash should be on the right.  Add nine candles made from ribbon, wrapping paper, etc....  Above each candle, cut a flame shaped hole.  Glue a piece of yellow construction paper to the back of the blue piece, but only glue along its top, bottom and right hand edges.  Leave the left edge open.  Cut a narrow rectangle into the left edge through both blue and yellow papers.  Cut a rectangle out of blue construction paper that is slightly smaller than the other sheets.  On the left write the word "Pull" (going down and make it the same size as the rectangle that you cut into the blue and yellow papers).  Slide the blue rectangle between the yellow and blue papers.  The word "Pull" should line up with the rectangular hole on the left side.  When you pull the tab slowly to the left, the candles will "light up."

Submitted by Randi

Wailing Wall Menorah

Give each child a board measuring about 8 to 10"  long by 4 to 5" deep.  First the children paint the boards (color of their choice).  Next, the teacher draws a line the length of the board about 1" from the back to use as a guide.  The children use Domino sugar dots and Elmer's glue.  First they run a line of glue on the teacher-drawn guide line.  Next, they put a row of sugar cubes on the glue, pressing them down really well.  The next row is done in the same way.  Continue until the wall is 8 to 10 rows high.  (Hint:  You should make this a long-term project by doing only two rows a day so the glue can dry thoroughly before going on).  If the teacher sees the wall looking "weak," add some glue to the face of the wall.  The more glue the sugar absorbs, the better the wall holds together.  When the wall is finished, use sliver nuts from the hardware store (whatever size will hold your candles) to glue about 2" from the wall for the eight candle holders.  Build a platform of four sugar cubes toward the front of the board and place the nut for the Shammash on it.  After all is dried, use some watercolor paint to tint the wall.  Finally, the teacher shellacs the whole menorah to seal in the paint.  You might also add little figures in front of the wall to resemble a person praying.

Songs, Rhymes and Fingerplays

Written and submitted by Leslie:

(to tune of ABC’s)

Latkes, latkes, good to eat

These are my special Hanukah treat.

Grate them, mix them, sizzle in the pan

I will eat all that I can.

Latkes, latkes good to eat

These are my special Hanukah treat!

(to tune of ABC’s)

Light the menorah

Eight candles, one each night

The shammash is the helping light!

Sing a prayer, let the dreidel spin

Nun, Gimel, Hay and Shin.

Light the menorah

Eight candles, one each night

Don’t forget start lighting on the right!

Light the Hanukkiah

(to tune of  "Are you Sleeping?")

Light the Hanukkiah
Light the Hanukkiah

For eight nights
For eight nights

Candle flames are flickering
Candle flames are flickering

Sunshine bright
Sunshine bright

Activity extension:  Create a song puzzle similar to the one for "Are you Sleeping?" published by MENC in Start the Music Strategies.  Use these patterns for this adaptation: