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If you celebrate Hanukkah, then you know that it is rapidly approaching. Here are a few activities to help you observe the Jewish Festival of Lights with your children.

Our next issue will be dedicated to Christmas crafts.

Little Kid^TM Crafts

• Craft Stick Star of David - This is a really easy way to make a Star of David to hang up for your Hanukkah celebration that also has a lot of different variations. It can be a photo holder, a sun catcher, an ornament, etc.

• Toilet Paper Tube Menorah - Here's a quick and easy way to craft a Menorah that will work with younger and older kids alike. It also serves as a great way to recycle toilet paper tubes. When finished, this Menorah would make a nice table top decoration or centerpiece.

• Handprint Menorahs - To make this craft you will need black and yellow construction paper and blue and white finger paint. Paint your palm blue and your fingers and thumbs white. Make a hand print on the black construction paper. Make sure all your fingers, including your thumb, are facing straight up. Then do the left hand, and make sure the thumbs overlap. This will create a menorah, with the overlapping thumbs being the Shamesh, and the other fingers the candle holders with candles. Next cut out candle flame shapes.

• Milk Carton Dreidel - Craft this dreidel from a milk carton and use it as a gift box or centerpiece, or give it a spin in the traditional Hanukkah dreidel game.

• Menorah Paper Craft - This cute Jewish Menorah craft is very easy for young children to make and it turns out really cute. They love the little faces on the candles. The craft is made with a printer, paper, something to color with, scissors, and glue.

More Challenging Crafts

• Paper Dreidel - This paper dreidel is great to use as a Hanukkah decoration or a holiday toy. You'll also find the rules for playing the game on this page.

• Star of David Window Ornament - This is a nice looking way to create a Star of David with a little cardboard, tissue paper, and glitter. It also comes with a printable template.

• Chanukah Candles and Candleholders - This Chanukah Candle and Candleholder decoration would look really nice on your table this season. You can use regular marbles, glass marbles, or even sand to hold your candles in place. You can even use candles made specifically for Chanukah in place of the ones we show in the picture.

• Colorful Mini Menorah - Kids will love designing and painting this colorful collection of candleholders. This is definitely a more challenging craft project.

• Paper Dreidels - Make pop-up cards, pop-out decorations, or garlands with these dreidel patterns.

Fun & Games

• Hanukkah Jigsaw Puzzle - An online jigsaw puzzle for Hanukkah -- see if you can put all the pieces to this 'bright' picture in place in the time allowed. This puzzle will be pretty easy for most children, once they get the idea.

• Break The Star Studded Code - Use the secret star code to solve the puzzle and answer the question: "What's the difference between an Israeli dreidel and an American dreidel?"

• Hanukkah Word Search - Printable word search puzzle for Hanukkah. This is a pretty big puzzle with 36 words to find.

Party Ideas

• Craft a Hanukkah Party - This is a party plan put together by Better Homes and Gardens and it has a several ideas that I haven't seen elsewhere.