Celebrating Hanukkah
⇒This lesson is best done outdoors, but some elements can be done in a hall or large indoor space
⇒ Do it in all weathers
⇒ Uses natural items from the outdoors
⇒Single Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan Aims
We will experience:
- What Hanukkah is and how Jewish people celebrate this special day.
- What a Menorah is and how it is used to celebrate Hanukkah.
This experience involves:
- Role-playing
- Art Tasks using natural resources
- Team Work
- Mindfulness Activities
Hanukkah is known as a festival of light, with the well-recognised symbol of the Menorah. The festival remembers an event in Jewish history. The Jews were prohibited from worshipping their God by the Greeks who ruled over them. They regained control of the temple but only had enough oil to burn in the lamp (which represented the presence of God) for one night. However, the lights continued to burn for eight nights until more oil could be found. This miracle is celebrated in an eight-day festival.
BBC Teach Hanukkah is a great video to help introduce this topic. An excellent Muddy Top Tip is to allow children to role-play the story to help them embed their understanding of it better, use natural resources outside for props.
There are plenty of opportunities for creative thinking and team collaboration in this lesson plan. Our KS1 Religious Education resources use active methods, so do not worry that your class won’t be engaged. They will! With our Muddy ways, they always are. Look out for options as to whether you can do it in big indoor spaces or whether it’s better taught outdoors. Remember, you need a silver account to gain access to resources and train with us; go for Gold.
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