One more reason to craft...

I love doing crafts. I have always loved me an afternoon full of creating something semi-useful out of socks, Popsicle sticks or some other random thing. Of course now it has advanced a little and I use a sewing machine or canvas and paint but the point is I love to create and frequently wish I had enough talent to be able to live off my crafting.

Soooo.....imagine how excited I was to find there are crafts for the Jewish holidays too! Here are a couple of ideas for Rosh Hashanah to help spur your creativity. But first, a couple of things to remember about Rosh Hashanah for all the gentiles out there.

1. Rosh Hashanah celebrates the New Year. It literally translates into the "first of the year." It's a time for introspection, reflection on the past year and resolutions to do things better in the new year.

2. A shofar, or Ram's horn is blown in temple three different ways but totalling a hundred notes. Each of the three ways means something different. As a result the Shofar is a symbol of Rosh Hashanah.

3. It is tradition to eat apples dipped in honey- a symbol of wishing sweetness for the new year.

4. L'shanah tovah is what is said- meaning "good year."

Apple cards- Yes, there are Happy New Cards you can buy and send but that's no fun.
Cut an apple in half and dip the flat side in some paint. On a folded sheet of paper (the
thicker the better) press the apple to create your design. You can put L'shanah tovah on the
inside or your own greeting.

Blow your own Shofar- Save a paper towel tube and use string, markers, paint or whatever
you have around the house to decorate your Shofar. Practice blowing it the three different
ways.

Coloring Pages- Ok, this isn't really a craft but is an easy thing to do occupy the kids for 5 more minutes. Download coloring book pages from the internet (just google Rosh Hashanah coloring pages and several will pop up) and let your kids go to town. You could even have them do a couple of pages and staple them together to create their own book about Rosh Hashanah.

Happy crafting and L'shanah tovah!