Here are ideas to celebrate holiday lights!

December is time for celebrations for many cultures and lights play a large role in many holidays including:

• Christmas- In the past, trees were decorated with candles, which symbolized Christ being the light of the world.
• Hanukkah-For eight days , Jewish people light a special candle holder called a Menorah. They do it to remember an ancient miracle in which one day’s worth of oil burned for eight days in the temple.
• Kwanzaa-It is celebrated in part by lighting  a candle holder called a Kinara.

Christmas Lights-Ask children to use colored paint to make thumbprints on the paper and then you can use a marker to draw a line and connect them to look like a string of lights.

Hanukkah Lights-Children can make their own menorah using clay or dough to hold the candles

Kwanzaa Lights-Children can decorate recycled paper tubes to create their own Kinara

Eight Candles

tune- “Frere Jacques”
Eight Candles, eight candles,
I can’t wait, I can’t wait.
Hanukkah is here,
We celebrate each year.
Hanukkah, Hanukkah.
Eight candles, eight candles,
I can’t wait, I can’t wait.
We count the lights,
Shining so bright.
Hanukkah,Hanukkah.

Kwanzaa’s Here

tune- “Three Blind Mice”
Red, green, black,
Red, green, black.
Kwanzaa’s here,
Kwanzaa’s here.
The decorations are quite a sight,
We light a candle every night,
The holiday is filled with light.
Kwanzaa’s here

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