At Yavneh, Chanukah provides lots of opportunities for science, and ganon students have been experimenting with oil, candles, wicks and small flames. The children’s favorite activity was making a chanukiah out of potatoes, inspired by Floreva Cohen’s “Hanukkiyah for Dina.”

In Gan, the students had so much fun acting out the parts of the Maccabim and the Yevanim. The children cheered when the small Jewish army was able to defeat the larger army of Yevanim and they held their breath as the Jewish people searched and searched for a little drop of shemen zayit to light the special menorah. Finally, they smiled in amazement as they recalled that the flames of the menorah burned for eight whole days, an amazing nes from Hashem. Students also had the opportunity to learn how to make olive oil by pressing the olives.