PUFFY PAPER BAG DREIDELS
This eco-friendly craft is fun, festive, and all-around fantastic! It’s also a great way for kids to learn the Hebrew letters on a dreidel — Nun, Gimmel, Hey, and Shin, which is an acronym for the Hebrew saying “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham” and means “a great miracle happened there.” Your kiddos will love making Puffy Paper Bag Dreidels in different sizes and different colors and then using them to make your family Hanukkah celebration extra special!
HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:
-Free PDF Dreidel Letters Template
-Cardstock paper (to print the PDF)
-Paper grocery bag
-Pen
-Scissors
-Painters tape
-Paint (acrylic or tempera) in whatever color(s) you like
-Paintbrush
-Stapler with staples
HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:
(1) Download the Free PDF Dreidel Letters Template which also includes templates of a smaller and larger dreidel (I used the larger size for the example in the photographs). (2) Print the pages you would like to use — it will be easier to trace them if you print them onto cardstock paper. (3) Either draw a dreidel on the paper bag free hand, or cut out one of the dreidel templates and trace it onto the bag. Note that you will need two dreidel shapes (a front and a back) to make one Puffy Paper Bag Dreidel, and you can cut them both at the same time by drawing or tracing on the front of the paper bag and cutting it so that the back of the bag is also cut. (4) Repeat Step Three three more times so that you have a total of eight dreidel shapes which will make four Puffy Paper Bag Dreidels. (5) Decide which size letters you would like to use and then cut them out — you will need one nun, one gimmel, one hey, and one shin. (6) Using small pieces of painters tape (and sticking them as lightly as you can), tape each letter to the middle of one of the dreidel shapes. Note that four of the dreidel shapes can remain blank (no letter) or you can put the letter on both sides. (7) Paint each dreidel shape, being extra careful when painting over each letter. (8) Carefully peel away each letter. (9) Allow the paint to completely dry and note that the paper may curl up a bit as it’s drying — that’s ok. (10) Tear the scraps from the paper bag into smaller pieces and then crumple them — this will be your “stuffing” to make the dreidels puffy. (11) Now you’re ready to staple, which is the last step! Join a front and a back dreidel shape together with the painted sides facing out. Staple around the edges to join the two sides together — start with just a few staples, then add some stuffing to the middle; do a few more staples, and add some more stuffing. Keep repeating this until your dreidels are stapled all the way around the edges.
