May 7

May 7 DIY: Canvas bonfire

Spreading light and warmth of Lag B’Omer with a “kid-friendly” bonfire

When I was talking to my friend Dikla about her childhood memories of growing up in Tel Aviv and celebrating the Jewish holiday Lag B’Omer, she told me that from the time Passover ended, until the 18th of the month of Iyar (the date of Lag B’Omer), she and her friends would scour their neighborhood and collect wood and branches for a festive bonfire! On the evening of Lag B’Omer, neighbors and friends would gather around the bonfires, sing songs and tell stories. As you look up into the night sky, you can see twinkling stars amidst the light and smoke of the neighbors’ bonfires brightening up the sky too. There’s a feeling of warmth, not only by the fireside, but also the feeling warmth of a community and connectedness too.

We wanted to capture the warmth and light of a Lag B’Omer bonfire, with a “kid-friendly” twist. For our bonfire, we decided to paint it on a canvas drop cloth.

Here’s what you’ll need to create your own kid-friendly canvas bonfire:

Kid-friendly canvas bonfire:

6’ x 12’ canvas drop cloth (it’s okay if its a little bigger or smaller) - available at a hardware store.
Tempera paint (yellow, red and orange)
Wide paint brushes
Shallow bowl for each paint color

Here’s how to make it!

My incredibly talented friend Fiona was the creative force behind our bonfire! She rolled out the canvas, penciled and gently painted wood logs. Next she penciled flames. To spark the kids’ imagination, some flames were painted, partially painted and some left completely unfinished.

When it was completely dry, we set out yellow, red and orange tempera paints in shallow bowls along with paint brushes, and we invited the kids to “light” our bonfire!. There isn’t a correct way to paint a bonfire. You don’t have to paint within the lines. We didn’t guide the kids at all. We just let them paint, create and collaborate among each other in this fun and imaginative project.

Painting a canvas bonfire is a wonderful family project or for friends to complete together. When it’s done, read a story, sing some campfire songs or have a picnic around it! What’s a bonfire without a sweet treat? We made Lag B’Omer s’more pops and brought them out to eat around our canvas bonfire too!

Learn how to make s’more pops to eat by your canvas bonfire!

Let us know how you are celebrating Lag B’Omer in the comments below! If you decide to have a picnic, be sure to invite no-sew ant plushies and even wear an ant crown!

We hope the light of Lag B’Omer fills you with warmth and love.

Happy Lag B’Omer!

~Jennifer