Chanukah Foil Art

We wait all year for the festival of lights - which glimmer against the foil many of us lay down underneath to catch the dripping wax… Now you can make your own Chanukiah placemat. This is a simple way to give a more personal touch to the candle lighting experience and atmosphere while also protecting the surface on which the Chanukiah is standing while also incorporating the Israel connection.

This project is developmentally appropriate for people of all ages and stages of life.

The supplies are as simple and the process is as easy as can be! All you need is time and patience and the desire to have a good time!

SUPPLIES NEEDED

• Aluminum Foil, preferably heavy duty
• Sharpie markers
• Stencils of Chanukah shapes (you can draw the symbols on tag board and cut them out for children to trace), Israel Forever Color Me Maccabee drawings, or your own imagination!
• Paper/cardboard/backing boards to glue Aluminum Foil onto
• Glue to adhere the foil art to the backing paper/board
• Black mats to frame your work (optional)
• 11x14 picture frame (optional)
• Masking tape to tape down your foil (younger students only/see below for details)

STEPS TO CREATE YOUR AWESOME CHANUKAH FOIL ART PLACEMAT

1. Roll out your tin foil and tape to the paper - taping it down can help younger artists but is not necessary.
   For a more advanced technique (not recommended for younger children), don’t tape your foil to your background paper. Instead just lay it flat on the table and hold it down as you work gently!
2. Draw or trace your Chanukah image directly onto the aluminum foil. Use the side of your sharpie marker instead of the tip so you do not break through the foil. If your student does rip the foil, emphasize that there are no mistakes in art and how unique their drawing will be. Tell them it adds character!
   
   To use the Israel Forever Color Me Maccabee images, print and cut out the image of your choosing and trace with the sharpie carefully onto the foil.
   
   If the artist wants, he/she can fill in the paper underneath with the same color and they will blend together.
3. When finished with your drawing/coloring, gently wrinkle up the aluminum foil into a large ball. Do not crinkle too tightly or it will be too challenging to unwrinkle your artwork!
4. Gently unwrinkle the ball, separating the foil and being careful not to rip it!
5. Once finished, carefully flatten out the aluminum foil to reveal your super cool art!
6. You can buy black mats to frame your artwork (as in the image below) and then place your image in an 11x14 frame, or you can buy the mat complete set which will allow you to either use the white backing board for this project or another one!
7. Once completed, you can place your beautiful artwork directly into a frame (with or without the black mat) for all your guests to enjoy!
8. Send us images of your beautiful artwork here