Your activity book of free Share the Wonder activities to enjoy from home!
Wish Ornament
The wish ornament is a traditional part of Share the Wonder at the Farnsworth. Cut out these ornaments with scissors and poke a hole at the top for string or ribbon to create your own hanging ornament. Don’t forget to make a wish!
Robert Indiana, Love, 1996
Comfort and Joy Dear Friend, Every year I reflect on the indispensable role art plays in building community. Art reduces stress and improves critical thinking, empathy, sense of wellbeing, and even our outlook. This is true for adults and for children. As always, we love to share the wonder of the season with our local community and create cheer for children of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just celebrate the changing season, we hope you will enjoy all the special online programs we have developed for you this year. In addition, this booklet offers activities to share with the family at home. With wishes of comfort and joy,
Christopher J. Brownawell Museum Director
Orange Pomanders A Share the Wonder favorite activity for years, orange pomanders are a simple craft using only two ingredients: oranges and whole cloves! The name pomander comes from the French term “pomme d’ambre,” which roughly translates to “apple of perfume,” or a perfume ball. Pomanders originally took many forms, not just the clove and orange variety, which is the most common today, and were popularized in Europe around the late Middle Ages. Today, pomanders are seen as a symbol of good luck and good health. 1. Use a toothpick or a safe, sharp tool like a sharp pencil to poke holes in an orange (clementines work well, too!). If you want, you can make lines, circles, hearts, or any other designs you can think of. Whole cloves can be found at your supermarket in the baking/spice section.
2. Poke the sharp end of the clove into the holes in the orange to complete your pomander. 3. Pomanders smell great! Place several of them in a bowl to create a wonderful, festive winter decoration that you can enjoy for weeks.
Popular Winter Holidays Unique traditions, celebrations, and holidays that occur during December and January.
HANUKKAH Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, a holiday honoring the Maccabees’s victory over King Antiochus, who forbade Jews to practice their religion. For eight nights, Hanukkah is celebrated with prayer, the lighting of the menorah, and food. A Hanukkah menorah has nine candles, a candle for every night, plus a helper candle. Children play games, sing songs, and exchange gifts. Potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah and are served with applesauce and sour cream. The dates of Hanukkah change because this holiday follows the lunar cycle. KWANZAA Kwanzaa is celebrated December 26 through January 1. It is a holiday to commemorate African heritage, during which participants gather with family and friends to exchange gifts and to light a series of black, red, and green candles. These candles symbolize the seven basic values of African American family life: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
WINTER SOLSTICE The Winter Solstice occurs on either December 20, 21, 22, or 23 in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year. People all over the world participate with festivals and celebrations. Long ago, people celebrated by lighting bonfires and candles to coax back the sun. CHRISTMAS Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas in the United States brings together many customs from other countries and cultures. Around the world, family members help to decorate the tree and home with bright lights, wreaths, candles, holly, mistletoe, and ornaments. On Christmas Eve, many people go to church. Also on Christmas Eve, Santa comes from the North Pole in a sleigh to deliver gifts. In Hawaii, it is said he arrives by boat; in Australia, the jolly man arrives on water skis; and in Ghana, he comes out of the jungle. CHINESE NEW YEAR The Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It falls on different dates each year, between January 21 and February 20. Visits to friends and family take place during this celebration. According to the Chinese calendar, the year you were born may determine your personality. Every year is represented by an animal, and legend has it that people born under that animal have certain personality traits.
Jamie Wyeth Maine Coon Cat, 1998 What is happening in this painting? How many cats can you find? Color in the painting below using your own colors. How would you describe the mood of the cats? Tell a story about what you imagine is happening in this painting. Create names and personalities for the cats.
I colored this! Your name: _______________________________________
Cut out and fold to make your own gingerbread house. GINGERBREAD The ginger root was first cultivated in ancient China and it was eventually discovered that it helped to preserve both flour and meat. Because of this, ginger was baked into little crisps, which eventually became cookies, in Western Europe. These cookies or “fairings� as they were called at the time, grew widely popular at fairs, hence the name. Many fairings were decorated with gilded edges and would be the foundation of what today is known as the gingerbread house!
Comfort and Joy
Check out an entire calendar of FREE creative performances, readings, seasonal recipes, make-and-create videos, and downloadable step-by-step activities posted each week through the end of the year at www.farnsworthmuseum.org.