Make a Mini-Piñata for Kha b’Nissan

Date: March 29, 2017

As a tribute to the traditional twelve-day celebration of the Assyrian New Year, we’re sharing unique ways to honor Akitu no matter where you are in the world as we count down the days to Kha b’Nissan 6767.

It can be tough to get the little ones in the spirit of the new year. But sometimes, a simple, small activity can do the trick. Here’s an easy craft that is guaranteed to bring you smiles this Saturday morning.

MATERIALS:

Toilet paper roll
Tissue paper (dark and light blues, white, red, yellow)
Tape
Ribbon
Scissors
Glue gun (optional)
Small candy

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut your tissue paper into strips. The strips should be about 6 inches long, and 2.5 inches wide. You should have two strips of each color.
Fold the strips in half “hot dog style.” Tape the strips down to your table so that the folded end is facing you.
Snip vertical lines along the tissue paper strip. We recommend snips be about a centimeter wide, but you can cut these as you like.
Cut two square sheets of tissue paper. You will need one to cover each of the holes, so use the holes as a guide for size. Cover the bottom hole using one small square of tissue paper. Secure with tape. Don’t worry about what it looks like because it will be covered. Make sure you only use a single piece. Doubling up might seem like a good idea now, but it will be a problem later.
Starting from the bottom, select a strip of tissue paper prepared in step 3 to wrap around the roll. We recommend using the same colored tissue paper as the piece you chose to cover the bottom hole. The tape should be used to position the strip.
Work your way up until the whole roll is covered, covering the top of each strip with the fringe of the next one.
Make confetti by cutting up extra strips of tissue paper into tiny bits.
Fill the paper roll with small pieces of candy and your homemade confetti. We used Hershey’s Kisses.
Cut a piece of ribbon to serve as your handle.
Use a glue gun to secure the handle. The two ends should be placed inside the circle directly across from one another.
Use the glue gun to trace along the top rim of the roll. Place the second sheet over the top and trim away the excess.
Cut piece of ribbon several inches long and tape to the bottom so that it hangs.
When you pull the bottom string, it will tear open the bottom. Out will come the candy and confetti. Happy New Year!

Liven up your home for Kha b’Nissan

Date: March 22, 2017

The first of April—or Kha b’Nissan—marks the Assyrian New Year, also known as Akitu. In ancient Assyria, the new year was celebrated for a period of twelve days. Now, after thousands of years, Assyrians are spread all over the globe but continue to honor the holiday annually.

As a tribute to the twelve-day custom, we’re sharing unique ways to honor Akitu no matter where you are in the world.

Liven up your home with this fresh decorating idea. Flowers are an important symbol in the celebration of Akitu. The new year marks the start of spring—representing life and revival. Regardless of the weather outside your window (there’s still some snow on the ground in Chicago), it’s easy to bring the spirit and beauty of the Assyrian New Year into your home.

We stopped at our local Jewel to pick up flowers; their floral department is always stocked with tons of market bunches, giving you plenty of room for creativity without breaking your budget. See our bouquets below for inspiration as you build your own Akitu-themed bouquet.

Here’s our quick how-to:

Decide on your color scheme. We went with the colors of the Assyrian flag: red, blue, white, and yellow. This is optional. Note: We spray-painted flowers to get that vivid blue you see in our pictures. It’s tough to get a good blue; blue hydrangeas are beautiful but too light for what we were trying to achieve and sometimes look purple. There is special floral spray paint that you might choose to use. We really wanted a blue that pops. Here’s a quick tutorial video that gives you a look at how it’s done.
Choose a strong primary flower. This will be the focus of the piece. We suggest limiting primary flowers to two or three, otherwise they might clash with one another and your bouquet will look too busy.
Choose secondary flowers to compliment your primary flowers. This is a great way to add some color. Don’t be afraid to use greens, even if you’re doing the flag’s colors.
Decide on a size. The vase you decide to use should be your guide when determining your bouquet’s size. Mason jars are always a great choice—and you can get them for a dollar at Michael’s Craft Store. Michael’s also offers many different inexpensive vases that will fit any floral design. (Don’t forget your coupon.)
Trim down your stems before starting. Keep flowers in a bucket of cool water until you’re ready to build your bouquet.
Build your bouquet around your primary flowers. Check out our pictures below for inspiration, or look online.
Consider adding bows to bring in some more color, or maybe throw in a small Assyrian flag to give it a touch of Kha b’Nissan.
Snap pics and share your photos with us using #12DaysofAkitu.

Don’t miss our Kha b’Nissan Flower Workshop this Saturday! There are several spots still remaining. Click here to register.

How to make a tissue paper Assyrian flag

Date: March 21, 2017

As a tribute to the twelve-day custom, we’re sharing unique ways to honor Akitu no matter where you are in the world.

Looking for a fun way to get your kids thinking about Akitu? The Assyrian flag is a great place to start. Here’s a simple, inexpensive craft that will give you the chance to talk to them about Assyria and the new year.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Tissue paper (red, blue, white, light blue, yellow)
Elmer’s glue
Pencil
Card stock
Marker
Picture of Assyrian flag (print out or electronic)
Cardboard (optional)

PREP:

Cut tissue paper into small squares (2×2 is a good size). You will need more red, blue, and white squares for the piece. A good technique is to start by cutting tissue paper into strips, and then proceed to cut the stacked strips into squares. They don’t have to be perfect—it won’t matter later.
Draw an Assyrian flag onto a blank piece of card stock. We made the star a bit larger than usual. The color of the paper and the marker doesn’t matter. We used a standard 8.5×11 sheet, but this project will work with any size. You can use regular sheets of paper if you don’t have card stock handy, but using a thicker stock will ensure the flag doesn’t flop around once finished. You may choose to glue the sheet (card stock or not) to a piece of cardboard before starting. While we recommend this, it’s not necessary.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by wrapping a square of tissue paper around the pencil’s eraser, and dip the end into glue.
Using the pencil, press the tissue paper onto the sheet. Children should have a picture of the Assyrian flag handy to use as a guide. We started from the very center of the Assyrian star, working our way out. Don’t worry about getting the pieces to look “right.” As you continue to fill the flag, it will come together.
The red and blue lines might be difficult to replicate using tissue paper. Don’t stress over this—the tissue paper will give them a fun, organic look.
While working, consider talking about the symbolism of the Assyrian flag.
Once finished, allow flag to dry.
Display the piece in your home to celebrate Akitu, or gift it to nana and jedo. Either way, it’s sure to brighten up any room. Smaller versions can be used to decorate a bouquet.

If you give it a try, please be share to share your photos with us! Use #12DaysofAkitu and tag us on Facebook.

Looking for more Assyrian-themed art projects to try with your kids this Kha b’Nissan? Check these out:

Ishtar Gate Mosaic: This unique mosaic-style art activity will give your child the opportunity to recreate one of the most iconic Assyrian sites.
Little Scribes: Your child will learn how to write like an ancient Assyrian—on a clay tablet!
Assyrian Metalworking: A fun art activity that will give kids a look at an ancient Assyrian industry.

Art for Kids: Ishtar Gate Mosaic

Date: December 8, 2016

The Ishtar Gate is one of the most iconic sites in the Assyrian homeland. Erected during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II, it was the main entrance leading to the city of Babylon. At one point was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Gate was built in honor of the Assyrian goddess Ishtar—the goddess of love, fertility, and war. Built using glazed bricks, it stood nearly 40 feet high. The walls were adorned with depictions of flowers, lions, bulls, and dragons using colored tiles. For this project, we’re zooming in on the famous lion design depicted on the Ishtar Gate.

Our unique mosaic-style art activity will give children the opportunity to reflect on and explore Assyrian heritage. A mosaic is a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, glass—or in our case, paper!

ishtar-gate

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Small foam board
Scrapbook paper (shades of blue, brown, grey, yellow)
Glue stick
Black marker
Pencil
Scissors
Crayons or markers
Paper-cutter (optional)

PREP:

Print out the above image to serve as your inspiration. If you look closely, you’ll notice the discoloration that occurred with time. We chose four colors to help recreate this aged look: navy blue, royal blue, light blue, and grey. We also got a few shades of browns for the bottom bricks for the same reason, but only one yellow color (with an orange tint). You’ll need more blue than any of the other colors.
Once you’ve chosen your colors, start by cutting the scrapbook paper into strips. These will be used to create the bricks. We used a paper-cutter for this step, but you can use scissors instead if you don’t have one at home. Try and gauge how many strips you’ll need—we used only one strip of each color and two of the navy blue.
Rip the strips into small pieces. Vary the sizes and the shapes—this will make for a more interesting art process and a cooler final product. Don’t use a scissors for this step, as the irregular, softer tear will result in a more natural look when you start piecing the bits together. Sharp edges won’t give you the same effect.
Now, onto your foam board. Using a pencil and a ruler, draw out a brick design. Try to get the bricks to be about the same size.
Go over the pencil design with a black marker. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect. It won’t matter in the end.
Finally, find a “coloring-book image” of a lion on the internet. We tried googling “roaring lion coloring book page” (and all variations of that phrase), but couldn’t find one we liked, so we went with this one instead. Adjust size as necessary to fit your board, and print it out.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Share the Ishtar Gate image you printed with your children, and allow it to serve as their guide during this project. A quick intro is appropriate here—maybe a few words on Ishtar herself and the magnificent gate that was built in her name. Encourage children to examine the image and share with you what they see in detail.
Give the kids their foam boards, explaining to them that they have to fill in the bricks with the scraps of paper using a glue stick. The bottom row should be brown, as pictured here, and the rest a mix of the blues. Give them free reign here, but the same way that they are taught to color inside the lines, they should try to keep the scraps inside the brick lines. The straight edges on each piece will help them fit the pieces in. Pieces can (and should) overlap one another. Some white space is okay.
Once their board is filled, kids should turn their attention to their lion. You can choose to bring him to life with the same paper-mosaic process, but we’ll be honest—that’s a little ambitious. Kids will likely be tired at this point. We simply used crayons to color ours. Once done, cut him out.
Using a glue stick, attach the lion to the foam board. Make sure his feet line up with the brown bricks. The end result is awesome.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

For younger kids, consider a larger foam board and larger scrap pieces. Small bits like the ones pictured here may prove too daunting a task for the little ones.
Swapping the foam board for construction paper or card stock works just as well if you’re trying to minimize costs.
Look at other images of the Ishtar Gate for other variations—i.e. Maybe try to recreate the flower design as opposed to the lion.
If doing this in a group or classroom setting, hang all of the designs together to create a wall.
If you’re trying to save time (or if your child generally loses interest quickly), consider tracing the lion on the board and instruct children to fill only the blocks outside its shape.

HELPFUL READING:

Glue Art for Kids: Ancient Assyrian Metalworking

Date: December 2, 2016

The Assyrian Empire is known for its rich material culture—magnificent stone wall reliefs, colossal gateway figures, and legendary towers. Often overlooked, however, is Assyrian metalwork. Assyria had a thriving metalworking industry, considered superior to any contemporary state in the region. Much of ancient Assyrian metalwork was excavated from the Assyrian city Nimrud between 1949 to 1963. Assyrians produced large quantities of sophisticated bronze and ironwork—some of which were intricately decorated.

Here’s a unique art activity for you to try with your kids. It’s simple, exciting, and gives kids a reason to use glue for a purpose other than gluing (which is pretty much their dream come true). The only catch—it’s a two-day project. Luckily, both parts to this project are equally exciting.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Cardboard
Elmer’s glue
Pencil
Metallic acrylic paint (stick to gold, bronze, and silver colors)
Paintbrushes (or sponges)
Photos of ancient Assyrian patterns

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take some time to google “Assyrian art patterns.” You will find many exquisite designs that can serve as your inspiration for this project. Print some of your favorite images to be your guides when drawing out the patterns. You can make this step part of your prep work, or you can decide to do it with your child. Either way, before getting started, be sure to take some time to discuss the various geometric patterns, the similarities between designs, and common features—such as the Assyrian stone rosette. Also, talk to them about the history of metalworking.
If the kids are old enough, they may be able to do this step on their own. But for the younger ones, you’ll want to include this as part of your prep. Using a pencil, draw Assyrian-style designs on pieces of cardboard. Different sizes will make for a more interesting project, but we recommend that you keep the shape to a rectangle “plaque.” Keep the designs simple, both to remain true to Assyrian designs and to avoid winding up with a big blob of glue when we get to the next step. We simply cut up cardboard boxes to use for our plaques.
Now that you’ve got your patterns down on the cardboard plaque, use Elmer’s glue to trace over the pattern. Remind the kids to go easy on the glue, and have them start at the top and work their way down. Your child may not follow the design exactly (it’s tough for even adults to do!), and that’s perfectly fine—the end result will still be great.
Let the glue dry overnight. It will dry clear.
Once dry, have the kids use paintbrushes (or sponges) to paint over the designs using the metallic acrylic paints. Be sure to cover the entire plaque. Encourage children to paint in streaks for a smoother end result—but of course it’s okay if they don’t.
The plaques will dry quickly. Once they do, they look awesome! The kids will love the process and their final pieces—we promise.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

We picked up all of our paints at Michael’s Craft Store. We went with Emperor’s Gold, Venetian Gold, Rose Gold, Worn Penny, and Shimmering Silver (all DecoArt products). Never pay full price at Michael’s. They’ve always got great coupons on their site, and be sure to check out RetailMeNot where you might find a better deal. It varies.
When letting the glue dry, be sure the cardboard is set on a completely flat surface. Otherwise, the glue will slowly but surely start sliding across the plaque, distorting your design, and will likely drip over the edge.

How-to: Our Adorable Thanksgiving Shoot

Date: November 30, 2016

Another year, another Thanksgiving. Whether your family served turkey, or went the traditional Assyrian route—serving dolma and the likes instead—you’re probably all out of leftovers, and chances are you’ve already got your tree up. But before we fully shift gears into Christmas mode, we want to share with you our adorable Thanksgiving photo shoot. If you haven’t seen the photos yet, check out our post. The children you see pictured are students of our music and art programs.

The results were adorable, and we got such great feedback from parents. Our photo booth was so effortless, we decided we’d share a quick how-to. This is a simple and fun way to capture memories at your next family event or birthday party.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Camera (your iPhone camera will do)
Tri-fold board (any color, but we went with orange for Thanksgiving)
Small chalkboard
Chalk
Chalk eraser (napkins work fine)
Tape (or glue)
Scissors
Glue gun (optional)
Prop printouts (optional)
Bamboo skewers (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

The tri-fold board will serve as your backdrop. If you’d like to include any text/images, it’s easy to do. Given that ours was a Thanksgiving shoot, we went with the text, “I am thankful for.” You can easily swap the text for a different phrase—”Happy Birthday Sargon!” for example. We printed the text, rolled up bits of tape and stuck them on the back of the letters to attach them to the board. You can choose to glue instead, but taping allows you to remove the letters should you wish to reuse the board. Also, using tape allows you flexibility if you realize you need to reposition the letters. Tri-fold boards are available anywhere that school supplies are sold, but if you’d like a specific color, chances are Michael’s or a Constructive Playthings Store will have a wider variety.
We set up our tri-fold board on a table and had the kids sit in front of it. Each child was asked what they’re thankful for, and we jotted it down on the chalkboard for them. They then simply posed with the chalkboard as we snapped some photos. You don’t need to be a professional to get a great shot. We bought our chalkboard from Michael’s for $5, but there are always tons in the Target dollar section.
In addition the chalkboard message, we decided to incorporate photo booth props. You can find tons of options on Etsy or at your local Party City for sale, but if you’ve got the time and the soda, you can easily make them yourself. We spent some time googling clip art images (for our Thanksgiving shoot, we went with: turkey, pumpkin, pie, pilgrim hat, fall leaf, corn, ties, a bow-tie/bow, and mustaches—which were hands down the most popular), copied and pasted them into a Word document, and hit print. Our only recommendation here is that you try to find clip art that are similar in theme/style. We printed our images on card-stock, and then laminated them for good measure. Using a glue gun, attach one bamboo skewer to each prop to act as the holder. If you don’t have a glue gun handy, several strips of tape should do the job.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

Don’t worry about getting the perfect shot. You can always crop later.

Easy Kids Activity: Understanding Heritage

Date: November 1, 2016

Explaining something as abstract as heritage to a young child can be a challenge. They may have some sense of their own culture, but often times they are balancing more than one. By helping your child understand and respect similarities and differences you will also help your child to understand who he is in the context of your race, ethnic group, culture, religion, language and familial history. In so doing, you will provide your child with personally meaningful information and also introduce concepts from anthropology, history, religion, and geography.

Here’s a very simple and quick activity designed to help you initiate this conversation with your children (that also works with their attention spans!):

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Photos of various items/traditions that represent Assyrian heritage (see our photos below for ideas)
Photos of various items/traditions
Optional (see #5 below): scissors, glue, poster board

DIRECTIONS:

Shuffle photos of Assyrian and non-Assyrian heritage. Place them into a face-down pile.
Before starting, ask the children to define the world culture. They may have some ideas. Here is the simplest definition for a child: Culture is the way people live. Observable aspects of culture include language, clothing, celebrations, art, and food.
Have children alternate picking up a photo from the pile. They should be asked to identify what’s pictured in the photo, and then decide if it’s an example of Assyrian heritage. The photos should then be divided into two piles (Assyrian and non-Assyrian heritage). We ran this activity in a large group setting. Each child was given a photo and told to keep it face-down until it was their turn. When prompted, they showed their image to the group and identified the object—often prompting laughter (i.e. a photo of sushi got the loudest laughs)—and together the group decided whether it was representative of Assyrian heritage. If the answer was yes, the child then added the photo to our board.
Once you’ve identified all the examples of Assyrian heritage, allow the activity to lead into a discussion. Some sample questions: Which of these items are things we do/use everyday? Which of these traditions are your favorite?
Optional: Encourage children to create a collage using the photos.

TIPS:

Looking to go paperless or save ink? Consider using an iPad to display the photos. Create a photo album with the images (be sure they’re mixed). In this case, consider making a chart where children are encouraged to write down items that are part of Assyrian heritage. (In a large group setting, try a PowerPoint presentation).
Another alternative is to create and print a worksheet with these photos and ask children to circle those that can be categorized as Assyrian heritage.

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Arts & Crafts for Kids: Little Assyrian Scribes

Date: October 1, 2016

Over time, the need for writing changed and the signs developed into a script we call cuneiform. For thousands of years, Assyrian scribes recorded daily events, trade, astronomy, and literature on clay tablets. Cuneiform was used by people throughout the ancient Near East to write several different languages. Ancient Assyrians used cuneiform script until it was abandoned in favor of the alphabetic script.

Here’s a fun and easy pretend play activity that kids will enjoy and learn from. Children do not need to have any knowledge of the Assyrian language to participate. This activity can serve as a great introductory lesson to those children looking to learn the Assyrian language.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Clay
Craft sticks, bamboo skewers, or lollipop sticks
Printouts of Assyrian letters/words
Printouts of cuneiform symbols
Wooden plaque (optional)
Placemat (optional)
Photos of ancient Assyrian tablets (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Set up individual working stations with placemats. Place wooden plaque on placemat. Helpful tip: You can skip on the placemats and wooden plaques if you’re trying to cut budget—we’ll admit we used them mainly for the photos! To help avoid a mess, you can opt instead for newspaper, plastic tablecloth, and/or paper plates. We got our placemats from the dollar section at Target (it’s often a gold mine!) and the wooden plaques from Michael’s Craft Store for about a dollar each.
Each station should include a writing utensil—we chose to use bamboo skewers (available basically everywhere for really cheap) because they include a pointed edge. The only downside is that they’re a bit long. Alternatively, you can try lollipop sticks or regular craft sticks. You can get a large quantity of these items anywhere for under two dollars.
Roll a decent-sized ball of clay, place it on the center of the wooden plaque, and press down. Pat down the clay until it resembles a tablet—try to create as flat a surface as possible. Helpful tip: We got a tub of Crayola Air Dry Clay from Target. Any clay works for this project—you can even use PlayDoh—but stone-colored clay is ideal.
Create printouts to serve as guides. You can choose to use the Assyrian alphabet, Assyrian words, or cuneiform symbols—or all three! For our activity, we encouraged children to write out the word “Shlama” in Assyrian. Keep in mind—we designed a 5-10 minute activity. If you’re aiming for a longer activity, we recommend that you create more options to keep children engaged. Laminating the sheets helps keep them clean. Helpful tip: We’ve added some options you can use—including our own—below.
Before getting started, take a few minutes to examine samples of ancient Assyrian writing. Share fun facts (see additional reading below).
Give each child a guide to follow. Their instinct may be to write from left to right, but encourage them to write right to left, as this is the way the language is written.
Once they’ve filled up a tablet, you can either choose to let it dry and harden, or restart by rolling the clay up into a ball again and repeating step 3.

PRINTABLES:

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

Michael’s craft store always offers great coupons. Be sure to check out their website and/or RetailMeNot for the latest offers. Seriously, never pay full price.
Instead of printing out the images of the ancient tablets—consider sharing them off of a tablet to save paper instead.
If you’re based in Chicago like us, consider pairing the project with a trip to the Oriental Institute. Its Assyrian Gallery is home to a large number of ancient Assyrian artifacts. The museum is not necessarily kid-friendly (meaning, it’s not very interactive and there’s a strict do not touch policy), but our students aged 7 to 12 absolutely loved it.

HELPFUL READINGS:

Make Your Own Assyrian Jewelry

Date: May 2, 2016

Ancient Assyrians wore jewelry not only for fashion, but also to show their status and wealth. Jewelry was made from the most precious materials, and designs were based on symbolism. Here’s a fun and easy way to engage children, and sneak in a small history lesson while you’re at it.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Assorted beads
String
Scissors
Printouts of images of ancient Assyrian jewelry
Mason jars (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Sort and organize your beads as desired. We used mason jars, which allow easy access for tiny hands (and look great in photos!). Helpful tip: We purchased our beads from Oriental Trading and Michael’s craft store. Try to select beads that fit the ancient Assyrian theme (golds, browns, and blues are great).
Before getting started, take a few minutes to examine samples of ancient Assyrian jewelry. Share fun facts and ideas—please feel free to use our printable document: Fun Facts on Ancient Assyrian Jewlery (Printable).
Children can create a necklace or a bracelet. Depending on their choice, use the scissors to cut the string accordingly. Tie a knot at one end to prevent beads from slipping off. Helpful tip: Leave some extra room to make step 5 easier.
Encourage children to pretend they are making a necklace for an ancient Assyrian king or queen. Allow them to design their jewelry as they wish, or perhaps consider coming up with a pattern together for them to follow.
Once ready, help your little one tie the the ends together (a double knot should do it).
Let them wear their custom Assyrian jewelry with pride!

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

Michael’s craft store always offers great coupons. Be sure to check out their website and/or RetailMeNot for the latest offers. The same goes for Oriental Trading: look here and/or here before placing your order.
When choosing string, make sure that the string won’t break easily—but is still thin enough to slide through your beads.
Instead of printing out the images of the ancient jewelry—consider sharing them off of a tablet to save paper instead.