DIY: Mini royal crowns
Celebrate Purim and honor Queen Esther with a mini royal crown
From creating joyful noise to playing carnival games to eating delicious sweets, there are so many fun ways to celebrate Purim. When I was a young, what I loved most about the holiday was dressing up as Queen Esther. I loved that Esther was the prettiest girl in all of Shushan, and because of her beauty, she was hand-picked to marry a king (I promise you, in the 1970’s this was really special). Celebrating Purim was like living a fairy tale. My mom would get in on the fun too! She had special box of jewelry that would come out once a year for me and my sister - and it even had a special name - “The Queen Esther Collection.”
As I got older, my reason for loving Queen Esther changed. Rather than admiring her for her beauty, I admired her for being brave and standing up to evil. The story still ends like a fairy tale. Esther reveals her hidden Jewish identity to her husband (the King) and saves the Jewish people. Everyone (except Hamen, the King’s advisor), lives happily ever after!
In honor of Queen Esther’s courage and clever action to overthrow Hamen’s evil plot (and my mom’s special jewelry collection), we are making sparkling mini royal crowns with colorful gems and happy metallic confetti. Sharing and passing down a family tradition (like “The Queen Esther Collection”) is the Jewish value L’dor Vador (from generation to generation).
You only need a few of items to make mini royal crowns with your chidren!
For each crown, you will need:
A small paper tube
Metallic paint (we like gold, but any shiny paint will do)!
Sparkling gems, glitter or confetti
Paintbrush
Glue
Scissors
Elastic string
Hole punch
Here’s how to make your own Mini Royal Crown:
Use the scissors to cut narrow triangle points (V shapes) going around all the way around the top of the crown. (Best for an adult to do this part).
Take a dab of gold paint, and invite your child to paint the crown.
Now it’s time for some sparkles! Use the glue to attach glitter, gems or confetti. This can get a little messy, so it’s extra fun for children to do this part!
To wear the crown, cut a piece of elastic string (about 10 inches or so). Punch a tiny hole on each side of the bottom of the crown, string the elastic through and tie the ends onto the holes.
We hope on Purim - this happiest holiday of the Jewish year - you create a Purim tradition that you can pass down with your own family. Maybe it’s making joyful noise makers, making delicious hamantaschen, playing dress-up with DIY clothespin dolls, packing a Purim-themed lunchbox, baking gluten-free double orange hamantaschen or discovering a favorite Purim story. Let us know how you celebrate in the comments below!
Chag sameach! Happy Purim!
~Jennifer
