creative jewish mom

Simple Origami Sailboat Craft For Kids

Stand up origami sailboats are fun to make and wonderful as a group project, as they look great together! Learning origami is a great summer activity for kids, and this sailboat is simple enough for 7 or 8 year olds, or even younger. Paper sailboats can be used in wall hangings, as cake toppers or as fun decor on a shelf somewhere, with the help of a tp roll stand! I've started a small crafting class for a group of 8 to 9 year old boys, and they loved this craft, and especially adding the flag at the end!

Logs Craft Using Recycled Aluminum Foil Boxes!

For the first time ever, I decided to try and make some logs from recycled aluminum foil boxes, and I just LOVE the results, especially after drawing wood grain patterns on a large number of tubes of all sizes. There is something about the square edges that just really lends the boxes to being covered in wood grain doodle patterns, and now I'm about to stack them and make a bonfire, all in time for Lag B'Omer, and this coming shabbat and some little ones! With my newly neutral and elegant dining room, I've decided to try crafting without bright color, and it has been interesting! Okay, gotta run, still so much to do to set the stage for the holiday! Keep on reading for basic instructions!

Recycled Cardboard Tube Logs Craft For Lag B'Omer!

The festive holiday of Lag B'Omer, which is the 33 Day of the Omer and a day when we pause the mourning of this period to celebrate the great Sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Since one of the things we do on the holiday is celebrate the great light of Rebbi Shimon with community bonfires, all things logs and fire make great subject matter for the holiday! I've been saving paper towel tubes and aluminum foil tubes, and they are perfect for making "logs" which will be used to make bonfires and wall hangings, though what exactly is still to be determined! The last time I made "logs" with paper towel tubes I did close the ends with round colorful circles, but for now these logs look just fine as is!

DIY Top Tips: How to Create the Perfect Lion Mask

There are many Jewish holidays on the calendar, each one with its own special significance and traditions, which keeps things very interesting and provides lots of inspiration when it comes to honoring the holiday with a special table decorations and traditional dishes. To please the adults, and make the holiday special you might opt to whip up some amazing treats and multi-course meals together with some good wine, but first, click onto a site like https://israelicenterofjudaica.com, browse their holiday collection, and then spruce up your holiday table to create the perfect setting for those amazing meals you plan to serve. Your new kiddush cups and other items might be gorgeous, and the holiday promises to be amazing but don't forget that kids have different values, and that elegant holiday table doesn't hold great importance for them generally. (I'm of course not saying don't do it, of course you should, just plan ahead to include things kids will appreciate as well.)

To get kids really excited, you need to get them involved, and there’s no better way to do this than by getting their creative juices flowing! And of course my specialty happens to be capturing a child's attention with homemade decorations and crafts, and even craft activities for little guests. With Purim coming up in just a few weeks now is a great time to think about some fun crafts for guests to make at the party, or even to make yourself to give as party favors or decor. And what better idea for the holiday that involves dressing up in costumes than to make fun animal masquerade style masks? Of course, these masks need to be child friendly and age appropriate, so lets make them from paper plates and simple craft supplies! (And if that cardboard tube castle has caught your eye, check out my shoebox castle centerpiece craft.) I'm going to give simple instructions for making a lion mask, but you can of course do a variety of animals or characters. Think about funny ears, crowns a big clown nose.......got it? Okay, lets make some lion masks!

DIY Cardboard Castle Party Centerpiece Or Kid's Toy!

I have once again dusted this one off as it is a keeper, and with Purim in one month, now is a great time to spoil the kids and the family with some extra crafting this year! Here is what I wrote two years ago:

A fun DIY castle centerpiece made from recyclables is truly up my alley, and so this project from the past is still one of my very favorites. Come to think of it, this castle centerpiece is really a quick project, so what am I waiting for.....with Purim in just a week now would be the time to whip up a new one! If you know me, well then I certainly have a shoe box and various cardboard tubes hanging out just waiting to be used, so no excuses really except that life is very busy at the moment. 

Now as far as you dear reader are concerned, a colorful castle crafted by mom or the kids or both, could be a fantastic centerpiece for the Purim sueda (meal). There's so many ways to go with this one as far as materials and size. And if you don't need a centerpiece so how about a castle mishloach manos? Just build your castle on the lid of  the shoe box and voila! I think I may just have to use that idea myself, for the kid's teachers that is, who deserve something really special, and are expecting something creative! I guess that's the price one pays when you don't hide your crafty ways! (Note: I have yet to actually try this, so if you do, please send photos!)

Okay, shall we make a fun castle to grace our party table, Purim, birthday party or castle themed event? Lets get started.......

Giant Recycled Cardboard Waves Craft For Rosh HaShana

Yes of course, all things apples and pomegranates and honey make wonderful Rosh HaShana crafts and holiday decor, but this year with Rosh HaShana coming in less than a month I thought I'd start with something that brings attention to the wonderful Rosh HaShana tradition of saying Tashlich, which ideally happens next to a natural body of water, and therefore I bring you recycled cardboard waves! I love the idea of getting parents or teens to cut out lots of waves, and then letting kid paint and decorate them. They can be a fun toy for the holiday and you can then set them aside to use for Passover and the splitting of the Red Sea! Check out my metallic waves centerpiece craft for more inspiration, and think about making waves (in a good way of course) for the new year! Ah yes, and what is Tashlich, you may ask? Keep on reading........

DIY Giant Cardboard Shark Craft For Kids

Summer is the perfect time to delve into large scale crafts that kids can use to decorate a space, use as backdrops for a summer skit, or for creative play. While this is not my idea nor my photos, the photos are by Ron Lach, I just love this idea and all the creativity that it can foster. It is true, younger kids will need help drawing and cutting out the shark shape, and you might want to make templates in a few sizes and varieties for kids to trace, but other than that there is so much one can do with this idea. How about a shark covered in collage, or pom poms or even flowers? Use shark shapes to create art of any kind, and then assemble them swimming across a wall, a wonderful idea for a summer art camp or class project. OR maybe take this idea and create a school of fish? The main thing is, get kids to delve into the wonderful world of creativity instead of screen time, and wow, you've really done something meaningful and significant for them. Got it? Lets make some sharks!

DIY Waldorf Style Stand Up Doll

This past summer we rented a wonderful home on kibbut harduf (learn about it here) that was filled with homemade Waldorf-style toys and crafts, so I just had to photograph them to share with you. In the case of the felt dolls, I even found the book with the instructions next to the craft table, so you can actually make this wonderful felt king from this post. I think I'd love to make some too! Felt Waldorf-style dolls make wonderful creative gifts this holiday season, so why not give it a try?