Showing posts with label activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label activities. Show all posts

Eight Days of Activities for the Feast of Tabernacles

Eight Days of Activities for the Feast of Tabernacles | Land of Honey


What are you supposed to do during the Feast of Tabernacles? How should you spend this set apart time? What are good activities for kids during Sukkot? 

I've put together some ideas of how you can make this week special for yourself and your kids and even a group or congregation. Please note that these are just ideas and not things you have to do. The holidays in the Bible are intended to be joyful times, and these are simply some suggestions if you're working to figure out how to make the holiday of Sukkot special for yourself or your family.

The first and last days of the Feast of Tabernacles are considered Sabbaths (even if they don't fall on the weekly Sabbath), and that means we are to refrain from ordinary work like our jobs, running our businesses, shopping, and household chores. If you are camping away from home, I would encourage you to set up and tear down your campsite on days that are not Sabbaths because pitching a tent, unpacking, etc. are not restful activities.

Eight days of activities for Sukkot:

Day 1  - Read the Bible. Read out loud passages from Scripture like Exodus 23:15-16, Leviticus 23:33-43, Deuteronomy 16:13-17, Ezra 3:4, Nehemiah 8:14-18, Zechariah 14:16-19, or John 7:1-44. These are verses that either give instructions for the Feast of Tabernacles or talk about them being kept. These can give you fresh inspiration for keeping this holiday, and in Deuteronomy 31:10-11 instructs that Biblical law is to be read during Sukkot.

Day 2 - Go to a farm and pick apples. Part of the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles is that the Living God has provided an agricultural harvest to sustain His people throughout the coming months. Make a family or friends event of going apple picking to see for yourselves the abundance that He gives us! Any bounty that's brought back can be used for meals and snacks or festive decorations in your home or sukkah.

Day 3 - Have supper in the sukkah. Of course you can do this every day or even for every meal. If you don't have a sukkah set up, go for a picnic outside, or utilize a gazebo or shelter area at a park for your meal. Don't feel like the meal needs to be fancy - eating outside is what makes it special and memorable. One family I know has a tradition of inviting friends over for "Soup in the Sukkah" each year. Make it a potluck if others are joining you.

Day 4 - Go on the Sukkot scavenger hunt! This is a great activity for kids to burn some energy and learn the Bible a little better at the same time. You can play this in your own backyard or neighborhood or at a campground. The instructions can be found here.

Day 5 - Take photos! Why not take advantage of this beautiful time of year to take family pictures? Use lovely fall leaves as a background or an apple orchard, pumpkin patch, or your sukkah or campsite! If you can't swing a professional photographer or your family isn't celebrating, you should still be sure to snap some pictures of your activities throughout the holiday. These will help you to remember your experiences during the Feast of Tabernacles and help to establish this as a meaningful time.

Day 6 - Have a fire. Sukkot weather seems to be made for a roaring campfire, doesn't it? Whether you're home or away from home, sitting fireside with family and friends can be fun and relaxing. Adults have good opportunity for conversation and kids can play nearby. If you want to host an event for Tabernacles, this is a lowkey way to do it. Roast all beef hot dogs or Biblically clean marshmallows for easy food options.

Eight Days of Activities for Sukkot | Land of Honey

Day 7 - Study your Bible in a beautiful place. You can read Scripture anywhere, but deliberately going somewhere to spend time with the Creator can be so refreshing. A new place can also offer fresh insights on the word. Passages about mountains impact me in a different way if I am in my home versus in the Rocky Mountains. There's no wrong part of the Bible to study during any of the Biblical holidays but things the Messiah said during Sukkot and what the Bible says about the Feast of Tabernacles can be especially meaningful.

Day 8 - Have a white elephant gift exchange. This is a simple game that can be a lot of fun! If you're not familiar with a white elephant, it's a gift giving game where each person brings a wrapped present. Rather than designating the gift you bring for a specific person, numbers are drawn to see who picks a gift first, the next person has the option to 'steal' what someone else has already opened or pick a new gift. It has created many good laughs for our congregation over the years. White elephants are often done with gag gifts, but we opt for giving nice but inexpensive gifts. See this post for more directions and gift ideas.

Sukkot activities: -supper in the sukkah -go apple picking -study John 7 -have a campfire - take photos | Land of Honey













More ideas for the Feast of Tabernacles:
Sukkot Scriptures to Read
The Feast of Tabernacles: What it Means and Why You Should Celebrate It
Stargazing Party for Sukkot

Sukkot Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunt game for Sukkot | Land of Honey

Get excited for an outdoor Bible scavenger hunt - Sukkot edition!

Unlike typical scavenger hunts that just tell you what to go find, kids (or grown ups!) are given clues from Scripture that will lead them to the appropriate item they should collect. The answers to the clues might be something they would know immediately, or they might need to flip open their Bible to find out! 

This scavenger hunt is meant to be done outdoors, at a campground or other place Sukkot is being celebrated. Your backyard works too! There are many different ways this game can be played - solo, as a group, or split into any number of teams. You can set a certain amount of time and see who finds the most items or see how long it takes to find everything. Kids can gather physical items, or you could have them draw pictures of what they find.

Celebrate the Biblical holiday of Sukkot with this outdoor scavenger hunt game | Land of Honey

Sukkot Scavenger Hunt

You will need:
The list of clues
The list with the answers
Small bag to carry the items (plastic grocery sack or similar sized tote)
A few small jars or baggies to collect certain items


On the answer key I've included some talking points. These are very optional, but this game can be an opportunity for kids to learn more about the meaning of this holiday of the Feast of Tabernacles. You can discuss these as you go around looking for the items, or if you have the kids go on their own you can talk about these things when they return to show you what they collected. Don't feel like you necessarily need to cover every single point either. Feel free to go in a different direction from what I have suggested as well.

Sukkot Scavenger Hunt - Bible-based kids activities for believers in Messiah | Land of Honey

These clues could also be reworked into a treasure hunt game! Write out each clue that you want to use separately and then hide the next clue in the appropriate spot. The last clue leads to some sort of prize. Or you could turn it into a trivia game. However you play, I hope you have fun!

Feast of Tabernacles kids scavenger hunt game | Land of Honey

Click here to download the scavenger hunt clues for players.

Click here to download the clues with the answers and talking points. 

Torah Portions Coloring Book + Giveaway

Win a copy of Doodle Portions - a Torah portions coloring book | Land of Honey

Pin It
I've been wanting to do this post since I first saw the Doodle Portions coloring bookIt seems that coloring books for adults have exploded in popularity in the past year or so. Several of my friends and family members buy them by the stack, and I have spotted them for sale in book stores, gas stations, and home improvement centers. They've been popping up on blogs and social media too. After seeing a few Christian versions I thought how nice it would be to find one with a little more of a Hebrew bent, and that's exactly what Amy from Torah Sisters has provided us with here! Amy has been generous enough to agree to give two of you a copy of Doodle Portions Florals! Get entered to win at the bottom of this post.
Torah Portions Coloring Book Giveaway | Land of Honey

Really it's no wonder why people are loving these coloring books so much. Studies show doing something with your hands is a tremendous reliever of stress and anxiety and a good way to combat depression. Seeing this we don't need to wonder why 1 Thessalonians 4:11 gives us the admonition to work with our hands. These benefits can come from carpentry work or chopping vegetables or crocheting or coloring. Of course coloring is something that practically anyone can do, no matter their skills or abilities.

Torah Portions Coloring Book Giveaway | Land of Honey

Doodle Portions is made to go with the weekly reading of the Torah portion, so each design has a verse from the corresponding week. The pages also have the information of the the Scripture passages for that week's portion. Amy was kind enough to gift me with a copy of her floral edition and each page is lovely! I was so happy to see her call attention to some of the themes that are so often skipped over. In Doodle Portions you will find mentions of Shabbat, Ephraim, Passover, and so on. Yehovah is mostly used for the name of YHWH, but Yahweh appears as well.

Torah Portions Coloring Book Giveaway | Land of Honey

Obviously Doodle Portions makes for a great Shabbat activity for both the young and old. But as we wrap up the yearly Torah reading cycle, how fun would this be to give as a gift for Simchat Torah or Sukkot? You can have a brand new coloring book to kick off a fresh start of the Torah readings when we dive back in at Beresheet 1. Of course, this book can be used any day of the week to help you unwind and relax after a stressful day. Completed works can go on the wall or refrigerator to help with Scripture memorization.

Torah Portions Coloring Book Giveaway | Land of Honey

Whether you win or purchase this book you will receive it as a PDF, which means you can instantly download and print it off. I liked being able to print it because, unlike with hard copies of coloring books, you can lay this flat to color. (It's the little things in life, am I right?) It's also up to you if you want to print off all 50+ pages at once or just one or two at time. A simple folder or binder would be a great way to store these. Or a clipboard.

Torah Portions Coloring Book Giveaway | Land of Honey

Are flowers not really your thing? Or maybe there's a little boy you'd like to give a Torah portion coloring book to? (This is totally kid friendly by the way.) Amy just released an animal edition of Doodle Portions. Right now she is offering sale pricing of almost half off.

Torah Portions Coloring Book Giveaway | Land of Honey

As a special gift to Land of Honey readers Amy is offering 20% off any digital product in her store. That's good with either Torah portions coloring book, the under the sea coloring book, her Sabbath keeper organization kit, decorative printables, and the recipe collections. Be sure to grab the free Shabbat print while you're there which is only free for a limited time. There's also an entire section of freebies to download and, along with the Shabbat print, no purchase is necessary.

Savings from Torah Sisters - 20% off your purchase through September 15 | Land of Honey

Use coupon code: HONEY2017 at the checkout to receive 20% off any digital product. This will be good through September 15.

Torah Portions Coloring Book Giveaway | Land of Honey

And now for the giveaway! We have two PDF downloads of the Doodle Portions Florals book up for grabs so we will have one winner per household. Get entered below and be sure to browse around the Torah Sisters Store and let us know what your favorite item is in the comments. As I mentioned, Amy kindly sent me a download of Doodle Portions but all opinions are my own. This contest is open to US and international residents. You have until midnight on September 6 to enter. Thanks so much to Amy for providing these giveaways!


Torah Portions Coloring Book Giveaway | Land of Honey

DIY Clay Matzah Jewelry

Here's an easy craft you can make to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
DIY Clay Matzah Jewelry - cute craft to celebrate Passover | Land of Honey

Pin It
You will need:
air dry clay
paint - I used brown, white, and yellow acrylic
rolling pin
knife
fork
hot glue gun
plain pin back, barrettes, and ring

Step one: roll out your clay. How much depends on how many matzah pieces you'd like to end up with. I used about a golf ball sized piece of clay and wound up with 15 matzos. Roll to about quarter-inch thickness.
DIY Clay Matzo - Passover and Unleavened Bread craft | Land of Honey

Step two: decide what size you'd like to your matzahs to be. I cut mine into roughly one inch squares, with a few bigger ones for pins. Use your knife to cut out squares. A pizza cutter might also work well. You can be as perfectionist or not as you'd like.
DIY Clay Matzo - Passover and Unleavened Bread craft | Land of Honey

Step three: this is a fun part! Lightly press your fork onto each piece several times to give it that matzah texture. The holes need not go all the way through the clay and the end product will be sturdier if they don't. 
DIY Clay Matzo - Passover and Unleavened Bread craft | Land of Honey

If you'd like to use your matzahs to make a necklace with, now would be a good time to poke a hole so you can string it up later.

Step four: let your matzah squares dry out. Mine were good to go the next day, but yours may vary depending on thickness and the type of clay you use. Just wait for them to be completely dry before the next step. It shouldn't take more than a few days!
DIY Clay Matzo - Passover and Unleavened Bread craft | Land of Honey

Step five: when your squares are dry, it's time to paint. I mixed brown and white paint to make a shade of tan, and then used yellow and more of the dark brown, going for the golden brown look of matzah.
DIY Clay Matzo - Passover and Unleavened Bread craft | Land of Honey

I started off with painting the squares tan, then adding small specks of the dark brown and splotches of yellow. This helps to mimic the speckled look of traditional matzah. If you're not happy with how one looks, just paint over it and try again!
DIY Clay Matzo - Passover and Unleavened Bread craft | Land of Honey

Step six: I'm sorry but you'll have to wait one more time for these to dry. Mine were okay after a couple hours.

Once they are dry, congratulate yourself. You just made clay matzahs!
DIY Matzah ring for Passover and Unleavened Bread | Land of Honey
Step seven: grab your jewelry backs and hot glue gun. I painted the barrettes cream before hot gluing on the matzah, but other than that, just decide which direction you'd like your pieces to go and hot glue them into place.
DIY Matzah ring for Passover and Unleavened Bread | Land of Honey

Now you have matzah jewelry! Pretty easy, wasn't it?
DIY Matzah hair clips for Passover and Unleavened Bread | Land of Honey

There are many other things you can do with with these matzah pieces too. Instead of gluing to a ring or barrette you could attach them to magnets. Leave them as is for Lego sized matzah. Put pushpins on the back for your Count the Omer Flair Calendar. I'm planning on getting a picture frame and gluing these matzos around the edges for a cute decoration for the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
DIY Clay Matzah Jewelry - cute craft to celebrate Passover | Land of Honey

Fall Feast Gift Ideas

Though presents aren't typically associated with the Fall Festivals I thought it would be fun to share a few items that are appropriate for these set apart times. Giving something to a friend, making it at a party, using to decorate, or keeping it for yourself is your decision. :)

On a side note, I signed up for The Climbing Tree's Fall Feast Countdowns and it is so enjoyable! Talia sends out an email each day with a craft or activity to do and a brief devotional. She has tons of great ideas for teaching kids about the feasts too! The email list continues through Sukkot so you still have plenty of time to sign up.

Fall Feast Gift Ideas and DIY Projects | Land of Honey

Pin It

Menorah Stickers by Petite Paperie - $1.50
-Why wouldn't you want these?

Shofar Cookie Cutter from Big Cat Crafts - $1.99
-So you can make your own shofar cookies during Yom Teruah.

Happy Challah Day Card on Modern Tribe - $4
-Works for any feast day.

High Holiday Nail Decals by Midrash Manicures - $11.99
-Just awesome.

Seven Species Magnets by TamarHammersArt - $12
-Fridge decor for Sukkot.


From Society 6.

Genesis 15:5 Art Print by Kevin Ohlin - $18
-The counting the stars verse we remember during Sukkot. Also available as a rug, card, tote, and more.

Pomegranate Tea Towel on Modern Tribe- $19
-A pretty and useful Yom Teruah present that doubles as kitchen decor.


From Society 6.

Sukkot Festival Poster by Melek Design - $20 
-Also available in other forms. I particularly want it as a blanket.

Feast of Trumpets Shirt by Yeshua Shirts - $26
-They sell shirts for each feast day.

DIY Projects

Constellation Printable by Mr. Printables
-The perfect guide for stargazing during Sukkot.

Pomegranate Sugar Scrub from The Casual Craftlete
-Who wouldn't love this gift for Yom Teruah? Bonus: simple to make.


Photo by Jared Smith.
Breakfast Macaroons from Sugar & Cloth
-Wouldn't it be fun to have these at a Yom Kippur 'break fast'?!

Yom Teruah Printable from Land of Honey
-I think you need this in your life.

Happy Little Camper Printable by Rae Ann Kelly
-Decorate your Sukkah!

Memory Jar from Alice and Lois
-A simple gift to emphasis remembrance during Yom Teruah.


Photo by Mary Costa.
Palm Frond balloons from Studio DIY
-Surprise a friend with these during Sukkot.

Dried Citrus Garland from Free People
-Use etrog or any handy citrus fruit to decorate your Sukkah.

Palm Print Pillows from Dream Green DIY
-Lovely in your sukkah or as an indoor reminder.

Galaxy Necklace from Oh The Lovely Things
-During Sukkot, bring on the galaxy projects.

What did I miss? Let me know what you want to receive for the feasts!