On Saturday night, when the three stars are twinkling in the sky, Shabbat comes to a close with the Havdalah ceremony. Havdalah symbolizes the “return to work” from the celebration of Shabbat and involves blessings of thanks over wine, spices, and a braided candle. Want to learn more? Visit our Havdalah page for videos, books, and additional craft and recipe ideas.
HERB AND SPICE PLAY DOUGH
image via Craftulate
This special play dough introduces children to the spices used in the Havdalah ceremony. The strong scents of those spices – combined with the squishy, malleable quality of play dough – makes playing with this dough a great creative and sensory activity! You can get it ready beforehand, or get your kids involved in making it.
BEJEWEL A KIDDUSH CUP
image via Kveller
Celebrate the beauty of Shabbat with this Bejeweled Kiddush Cup craft from Kveller! All you’ll need are a couple of plastic wine glasses, some glue, and a few plastic gems – all of which can be found at a local craft supply or dollar store. When they’re done, kids will have their own specially-designed cups to hold grape juice during the Havdalah ceremony.
CREATE A HAVDALAH GARDEN
image via Bible Belt Balabusta
Nothing personalizes the Havdalah ceremony like growing the spices yourselves! Gardening and planting will bring the family closer the together while teaching your kids to appreciate nature. You can create your spice garden in a large tub, like in these instructions from Bible Belt Balabusta. If the tub idea isn’t for you, you can also grow spices like coriander, saffron, and paprika indoors with this guide from Natural Living Ideas.
GUESS THE SPICE GAME
A great game to play with family and friends is “Guess the Spice.” All you’ll need are some spices from your pantry. Begin by having someone close their eyes (or blindfold them for extra security). Then, pick a spice at random and instruct them to sniff it. See if they can identify which spice is under their nose!
BRAID YOUR OWN HAVDALAH CANDLES
image via Design Megillah
The extinguishing of a braided candle is what brings Shabbat to a close. With this tutorial by Design Megillah, your family can add a personal touch to the candle by braiding it yourself! The directions involve minimal mess, unlike a lot of other candle-making guides.
Learn the Havdalah blessings, find a special Havdalah story to read, and more on the PJ Library Havdalah Hub
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February 6, 2018