Recognizing Hanukkah Traditions

As we read a cute story, What is Hanukkah?, we discussed the symbols and traditions of the Jewish holiday. We lit 8 candles on the "Menorah" using the "shamash" (helper candle) to represent the 8 days of celebration. We talked about the Hebrew words on the "dreidel", what they meant in English, and what instruction they give when playing the dreidel game.

The dreidel game requires players to spin a four-sided top and then take or give back token pieces depending on what side the top lands on. This proved to be a fun game for the children, as well as a great learning opportunity.

Traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. I made potato latkes for the first time so the children could see that different cultures have different food traditions at holiday times. 

I discussed with the children first how I prepared them- peeled the potatoes, shredded the potatoes, added a few eggs, and formed patties before cooking them in oil. We made sure to sample the latkes with apple sauce and sour cream. And overall, they were a hit with the children!

We would like to say Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate it!