Rosh Hashanah Crafts

Ring in the New Year with this colorful Rosh Hashanah shofar you can make at home.

What You'll Need:

Plastic funnel

Colored tape

30-inch length of rubber hose

Scissors

Colored cord with tassel

You need a lot of practice to be able to blow a shofar. Here's an easy way you can make those holiday sounds with a shofar of your own.

Decorate the funnel with colored tape. You might want to wind strips around the funnel to cover it entirely, or you could use little cutout shapes. Cut a 1-inch slit in one end of the hose. Push the funnel into this slit, and tape it in place.

Then make a large loop in the hose, and tape it in place -- be sure you have a few straight inches left over for the part where you hold the horn and blow. Wind strips of colored tape around the hose to decorate it. Wind a couple inches of colored tape at the mouthpiece at the straight end of the hose opposite the funnel.

Now you are ready to blow. Just hold the horn, and blow into the mouthpiece end, making your lips vibrate against it. Blow hard or softly to make different tones. Make your lips tighter, and see what sort of a shofar sound comes out now.

One of the best parts of Rosh Hashanah is the traditional food. On the next page, you'll learn a fun craft using apples.

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These dried apple slices can be enjoyed for weeks into the New Year.

What You'll Need:

Apples

Knife

String

Coat hangers

Tape

Long ago, people preserved their food without refrigerators. Here's a great way to use up any leftover Rosh Hashanah apples that didn't get eaten.

Ask an adult to help you peel, core, and slice the apples. Then loop pieces of string through the circular apple slices. Tape or tie the other ends of the string to a coat hanger and hang in a warm, dry place.

In two weeks, the apples will have dried out and will be a sweet and chewy treat.

For another cool apple craft, go on to the next page.

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Make a giant papier mâché apple of hope this Rosh Hashanah, and fill it with messages telling of your hopes for the New Year.

What You'll Need:

Balloon

Rubber band

Newspaper

Liquid starch

Bowl, paper towels

Stiff cardboard

Scissors

Paints

Paintbrushes

Glue

Green construction paper

Paper

Pen

To make the apple, blow up a large, round balloon. Fasten the end with a rubber band. Tear newspaper into strips that are 1 to 2 inches wide. Soak the strips in liquid starch for ten minutes.

Then paste the strips onto the balloon until the whole balloon is covered. Let paper dry. Add three more layers of newspaper strips -- letting each layer dry before adding the next. Each time you add a layer, change the direction of the strips to make your apple strong.

Soak 1- to 2-inch strips of paper towels in the liquid starch, and add two layers of these strips to form more of an apple shape. Cut a 1-3/4-inch piece of stiff cardboard for the stem. Wrap starched newspaper strips around it. Let your apple and stem dry for a few days.

Release the rubber band, and the balloon inside will lose its air. Then draw a line all around the top third of the apple. Cut along this line. Cut a hole in the top half that is a little smaller than the stem you made.

Wedge the stem in the hole so that it forms a tight seal and can be used as a handle. Paint the stem brown and the apple a rosy red color. You could even glue on some green construction paper leaves. Paint the inside of your apple white.

Have family and friends write messages telling their hopes for the New Year, and put them inside the apple. Take turns reading the messages aloud at the Rosh Hashanah Seder.

Rosh Hashanah is a great time to get in touch with your friends and relatives. Next, you'll learn how to make some neat honey cards you can send out for the holiday.

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Send out lots of these honey-sweet Rosh Hashanah honey cards.

What You'll Need:

Heavy paper

Permanent markers

Felt

Glue

Scissors

It's traditional to send out New Year's cards at Rosh Hashanah wishing your friends and family a sweet year.

To make a honey of a card, draw a large honey jar along the edge of a folded piece of heavy paper. Cut out the honey jar shape on all the edges except the folded one. Trace the jar shape on a piece of felt and cut out two felt jar shapes that you can glue onto the front and back of your card.

Cut an oval shape out of felt to use as the honey jar's label. Write the word "HONEY" on it with a marker. Inside the card, draw pictures and write the message, "May your New Year be as sweet as honey!"

Everyone will agree that this is one sweet card.

For more fun activities and crafts for kids, see: