Peace in the (Natural) World

Schach (the covering of the sukkah) should be made of materials from nature. Activity: Create a sukkah poster out of natural materials. Use natural materials (grass, leaves, flowers, sand, seashells, twigs, etc.) to decorate a shalom sign or a poster of the blessing said when dwelling in the sukkah. The shalom and blessing templates in Hebrew and English are available to print below. Directions: Collect the materials. Copy or glue the letters onto a piece of wood and decorate them with permanent markers. Decorate the frame of the board with the natural materials. Clip a large binder clip to the top of each board, tie a piece of twine through the handles, and hang the art in the sukkah.

Ushpizin Symbols Chart

Every night of Sukkot, we "invite" a Biblical personality to join us in the sukkah. Activity: Make a chart with a picture to symbolize each of the guests. The seven ushpizin are: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moshe, Aaron, and David. The seven ushpizot are: Sarah, Miriam, Devorah, Hannah, Avigail, Hulda, and Esther. Directions: Draw or download a representation of a symbol for each of the ushpizin and the ushpizot using the links below. Use two index cards for each Biblical personality. Write the name on one card and draw or give a picture of each symbol on the other. Glue or staple them back-to-back on a long piece of ribbon and hang from the sukkah.

Shalom Stars

On a clear night, one should be able to see the stars while sitting in the sukkah. Activity: Make stars to hang in the sukkah. Directions: Make multiple copies of the star template (available to print below) or draw your own stars. Use glitter or glow-inthe- dark crayons to decorate each one. The stars can also be used as a frame for Rosh Hashanah greeting cards, family photos, or ushpizin symbols. Staple each star to a ribbon, attach the ribbon to a hanger, and hang from the sukkah.

An Edible Sukkah

Activity: Assemble an edible sukkah made from yummy snacks. Directions: Spread ready-made frosting (any flavor) on the bottom of a 10-inch plate. Place 3 and a half graham crackers standing up in the frosting for the sukkah sides. Place twig-shaped pretzels as slats on top. Squeeze some green cake-decorating frosting on the top of the pretzels for schach. Decorate the top of the sukkah with fruit-shaped candy. Enjoy!

My 4 Species

The lulav and etrog together are called arba'ah minim (four species). Activity: Choose a special combination of four species from your own environment. The four species of Sukkot are palm, citron, myrtle and willow. Do these four items grow in your neighborhood? Look around and find four other natural items that may have some special meaning for you and are from where you live, and put them together in some way. [Note: The Sukkot four species are tied together with long strips of palm leaves.]

Sukkah Salad Suprises

Activity: Make a salad that is easy to serve in the sukkah. Here are some "fresh" ideas:

• Salsa salad - salsa, cheese, beans, broken tortilla chips, lettuce, corn kernels
• Sundae Salad - ice cream, cookie pieces, candy, chocolate sauce, whipped topping
• Sushi Salad - rice, sushi wrapper (in little pieces), cut-up vegetables in strips (carrots, avocado, cucumber, lettuce), and rice vinegar dressing

Paper Peace Chains

Activity: Write messages on strips of paper before making them into paper chains. Cut same-sized strips from any paper such as colored construction paper or wallpaper samples. Use permanent marker to write on each strip a message for or about peace. Staple the strips into chains and hang in your sukkah.