Raising Rebels (in a good way)

Confession time....I don't need anything other than a book to make history fun. I'm one of those people who thinks history is a hoot and a half. Give me a big ol' book on the ups and downs of the British monarchy or a massive encyclopedia of everything that has ever happened anywhere in the world and I'll curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and read until my eyes fall out. But sometimes you need a little help to make stuff that happened 200 years ago fun for an 8 year old. Ella is studying the Revolutionary War right now and she's really getting into it. When we read together, she cheers the minutemen and boos the British which is downright amusing.

So, when in the course of preparing a lesson on the Declaration on Independence (how's that for a reference) I found something really cool. The website for the National Archives in Washington, DC has a fun activity here where you can sign your name on the Declaration of Independence. Not the real one of course, I'm pretty sure you'd go to jail for that, but you can sign a copy and print it out. Come on...that's cool!

So yesterday we went online and Ella got to choose her quill (aka, font style), type her name and then she got to print out her own copy of the Declaration with her signature on it. She's right under George Walton. They even have an "are you sure you want to sign this?" warning telling potential signers that if they lived during 1776 they would be branded a rebel and a traitor by the King of England for signing the Declaration.

Now Ella has her own copy of the Declaration of Independence hanging by her desk. It's a little too small to actually read most of the text, but it's got a pretty nifty parchment look and Ella loves seeing her name on it. See...making history fun! Right? Right? Please tell me I'm right...

And welcome Hoppers! I hope you'll come back again!

Fun With Beeswax

Last week we finished up our study of the Exodus and God's covenant with the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. We studied the Ten Commandments, the Tabernacle and Jewish Holidays. And for our creative hands-on project, Ella and I made hand rolled beeswax Shabbat and Havdallah candles. And it was really fun.

Now before you go thinking that I also made the beeswax in some hyper-handy Martha Stewart moment, let me confess that I bought the beeswax. May I direct you back to my previous declaration that I LOVE Amazon.com. I found a kit that came with a variety of colored beeswax sheets and cotton wicks (and free shipping!). Then I found a site that explained in a thorough and easy way...with pictures...how to roll Havdallah candles. You can check it out at www.chadiscrafts.com

Now the Shabbat candles are lit at the beginning of the Sabbath and Havadallah candles are lit at the end of the Sabbath. So we made a few of each. We started out very simply rolling one sheet of beeswax into a candle and then we got daring and started cutting the beeswax at an angle to make a different shape candle. Then we started rolling two colors together. I know, living on the beeswax edge. We even wrapped two candles together to make the two wick Havdallah candles.

Ella loved this project. I showed her one time how to roll the candles and she was off and rolling like a pro. And bonus, the candles actually work! We have been eating dinner by candlelight every night.

This is a great, fun craft for the whole family. It would also be perfect for a rainy day activity. The supplies are reasonably priced, especially if you compare prices online. And the process is very simple. You have to keep an eye on the edges of the beeswax to make sure you're rolling evenly and the beeswax will crack if it's too cold or stiff. But it's pretty cool to light a candle that you made yourself.