Craft: Shabbat Centerpieces

This Shabbat, showcase your child’s creativity by placing these beautiful floral centerpieces on your table. This craft was created by Cindy Neuman, JCC family outreach coordinator, for Got Shabbat, a program that provides Shabbat experiences in homes and featured synagogues once a month.

Directions for this craft, along with ideas for using it to teach about Tikkun Olam, can be found on our Web site. Go to the iNSIDER pages at jewishtimes.com .

VASE:
Supplies needed:

Clean, empty plastic bottle
Glue stick OR white glue
Small paint brush
Tissue paper in multiple colors, cut into 1” to 2” squares (or recycle wrapping paper or comics!)
Modge podge or more white glue
Colored sand or aquarium stones

1. Cover outside of bottle with glue stick or white glue with a brush. Push tissue paper squares onto the glue to cover the surface of the bottle. Let dry.
2. Paint a light coating of “modge podge” or white glue thinned with a little water to cover the tissue paper. This is an important step, as it will “set” and seal the tissue paper so the dye will not bleed if it gets wet.
3. When completely dry, fill vase about half way with sand or small stones.

FLOWERS:
Supplies needed:

Coffee filters
Dot paint, water colors, markers, or crayons
Pipe cleaners
Drinking straws (optional)

1. Have your child decorate 2 coffee filters using with markers, crayons or paint. Dry.
2. Place one coffee filter inside the other, pinch together in the middle (be sure to get both of them) and twist one pipe cleaner around about an inch of pinched coffee filter. Tightly wrap the pipe cleaner so that it holds the flower firmly.
3. Put the flower in your beautiful vase! If the flower droops, drop the pipe cleaner into a drinking straw- this will hold the flower upright.
4. Repeat with as many flowers as you’d like.

Use your imagination to adapt or adjust this project using any materials handy! Be creative.

Be sure to explain to your children the value of re-using and recycling the plastic bottle and other materials. In addition to having a beautiful Shabbat centerpiece, you have taught your child the Jewish mitzvah of Tikkun Olam (saving the world)!

October 2009