Knit By A Ten Year Old!

Ruffled Knit Scarf Using Mesh Yarn......Knit By A Ten Year Old!

 It just so happens that knitting scarves from mesh yarn is all the rage with the girls in my daughter's school, so I gave her a ball of this special yarn for Hanukkah, and yesterday she knit herself a scarf. Well, it wasn't exactly what I'd call knitting, as she used her fingers more than the knitting needles, but she did a great job and is so very proud of her accomplishment. And of course, I'll be happy to buy her another ball of yarn, for the sake of encouraging crafting! (Now if I can just get her to learn how to actually knit, I'll be even happier!)

The mesh yarn isn't really yarn exactly, but rather more like trim, but it comes in a skein, and like many other specialty yarns on the market, allows one to create something with amazing texture and interest! And you only need one ball of yarn to make a scarf, so it's a great idea for gift making this winter too!

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Tabletop Torah

God has more in common with a bottle of dish soap than you might think. Or at least Brooklyn-based puppeteer and educator Ora Fruchter wants you to think so.

Through Creatures Teach Torah, Fruchter uses various puppetry methods to explore and teach biblical stories [video trailer here]. One of these methods is object theatre – a school of puppetry developed in Europe in the 1980s in which everyday objects are anthropomorphically transformed into characters. In a world where a fork can be the villain and a slice of coffee cake, the hero, there’s lots of room for interpretation. A simple household object – the way it looks, its real life utility – can be a fresh and unexpectedly provocative way to think about the personalities of the characters in the Torah.

Take Fruchter’s Tabletop Torah performance where Moses is a sponge and God is a bottle of dish soap. Instead of explaining to her multigenerational audiences why this is, Fruchter puts the question to them. In so doing, she hopes audiences can "access the idea that the Torah is theirs to interpret."

So check it out -- just be warned that once you do, your dishpan may never look quite the same to you again.

The Hanukkah I see in children’s books demonstrates families playing dreidel and eating latkes while the menorah shines brilliantly in the window. Then there’s the inevitable illustration of the kids’ utter elation when the parents unveil a bag of gelt night after night.

The scene sounds delightful, but I can’t imagine it’s realistic in all Jewish homes. Let’s be honest: starting in October, lots of Jewish kids obsess over the ”holiday” (aka Christmas) catalogues that arrive daily in mailboxes around the country.

Right or wrong, at some point this tradition of 8 nights of gifts as influenced by Christmas has become part of the Hanukkah many of us know and love.

And yes, yes, yes, I know that letting Hanukkah resemble Christmas undermines the main message of Hanukkah. I don’t need the lecture. My kids go to Chabad every Shabbat morning. They love Shabbat dinners, decorating the Sukkah, and attending ice cream parties for Shavuot. They even know that Hanukkah celebrates the war story of the Maccabees‘ unlikely defeat of the Greeks (and not just the oil lasting for eight days). Nobody would accuse my husband and me of neglecting to pass on a healthy dose of serious Jewish tradition to our children.

Nevertheless, instead of completely trying to fight this Christmas imitation during Hanukkah, I’ve come to embrace it by adding my own practical and reasonable twist to the nightly celebrations. I mean, just because I let my kids open gifts during every night of Hanukkah, it doesn’t mean that the toy section of Target needs to take up temporary residence in my living room.

Trust me, you can do 8 nights of gifts without creating spoiled brats, even if it seems like on a couple of the nights the only thing missing is the eggnog and the tree.

Ideas for a festive but practical Hanukkah:

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Hanukkah Gift Guide 2012: Classic Toys for Kids

There’s no stopping Hanukkah, which is heading our way starting December 8th. If you’re looking for some more classic, well-made toys for your kids, we recommend heading over to one of our favorite online stores, Magic Beans. Here are our eight favorite items, perfect for any night of Hanukkah.

     

 The Melissa & Doug Grocery Basket with Food ($19.99) is a classic gift that any child would put to good use. A variety of highly realistic toy food items are stored in a metal grocery basket. And why do kids like to pretend to shop and cook? Don’t ask! Just go with it!

For something a little less traditional, consider a gift of Neo Tobbles ($27.99). These highly durable and lightweight funky shapes are a great stacking toy for tiny hands.

My First Wooden Ball Track Basic Set ($99.99) is sure to please the toddler in your life. The set’s familiar wooden tracks are mixed with fun, bright blocks. Just don’t expect your house to become as magically clean as the one in that picture.

For the toddler on the go, the Kickboard USA Micro Mini 3-in-1 Scooter ($114.99) is the ultimate vehicle. Designed to grow with your child, the scooter is available in both pink and blue (not that we’re saying which one goes with which gender. Ahem.).

Continue reading to see more great gifts.