DIY Menorahs from Repurposed or Otherwise Interesting Materials

building the PVC menorah at a carnival

All my DIY Hanukkah menorahs are made with repurposed materials, scrap or otherwise compelling components. Meatloaf? Easter eggs? Car parts? Marmite jars? Swim noodles? Plumbing supplies? LEGO, too, of course. And more. Irresistible materials attract builders. To build any menorah is a far deeper learning experience than to simply color one on a sheet of paper. Our builders need to build because they are building themselves.

Not all DIY menorahs are created equal when it comes to child-friendly construction or use. Use your noodle.

Speaking of noodle, menorahs with fake flames—like the Swim Noodle Menorah—are opportunities for real learning: they teach menorah structure, offer a child practice adding candles and “lighting” them (in proper sequence), and they give you opportunity to practice the blessings alongside.

Here’s a gallery of pics. To see the original posts, scroll down and find the menorah in the list below. (I can’t link each pic to its post.)

DIY MENORAHS at BibleBeltBalabusta are made of scrap or otherwise interesting materials, such as:
Empty rifle casings
Meatloaf
Swim Noodle
Dinosaur figurine
Altoids tin
Altoids Smalls tin
DIY oil versions
Easter eggs and a ruler (LED or flame tealight)
PVC fittings (LED or flame tealight)
PVC pipe
Marmite jars (LED or flame tealight)
V-8 engine distributor cap
Juice lid upcycle scrap menorah (LED or flame tealight)
Turkey figurine
Solar turkey toy
Papier-mache roast turkey
LEGO minifigs (as flames)
LEGO for human-size celebrants
LEGO for minifigure-size celebrants