He’s there best Chanukah present we’ve ever received, and with tremendous thanks and appreciation to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for bringing us to this moment in our lives, on the 7th night of chanukah, 2 Teves, we will, please G-d, be celebrating his bar mitzvah!
We will be repeating a game from past years on that night that is perfect for the siyum and we suggest if you plan on having any sort of chanukah get together this year, you rearrange the days to include this one on that night!
The CHALYMPICS is an 8 day long, 7 event series we partake in every year of Chanukah (we take a break friday night for shabbos!).
Every night, after we light the menorah, instead of opening presents, we set up a game, using inexpensive materials that are easily purchased or that are already lying around the house, and all the kids compete.
Like the real Olympics, we start off with a torch lighting ceremony, the winners stand on appropriate leveled chairs and receive their award at the end of each night, and of course we end the games with another torch lighting ceremony.
Through out the 8 days, we keep track of the winners on a giant score card and at the end of the CHALYMPICS there is a final champion who wins the ultimate prize…BRAGGING RIGHTS!
Onto the final and most vital piece of all this:
These are the 7 events my children will be competing in this year. If some of these games are not suitable for your children, you can watch our videos from years past for some other ideas. You can also come up with your own games that are more appropriate for your family!
*A few things to know:
-All games are based on 5 contestants. Adjust accordingly.
-Games are chosen specifically to avoid judges having to “choose” winners. This keeps emotions a little more at bay. We find that having to choose, who built the “best” menorah can cause more problems than ‘who replicated the menorah the fastest or who got the most blind tastes correct”. If you do choose to incorporate your own games into the CHALYMPICS (which I do highly suggest because no one knows your family better than you!), I would suggest you keep this aspect of the games in mind.
NOW, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!
The homemade torches
12 sets of identical prizes. (2 key chains, 2 silly patty’s…)
24 aluminum 9×13 pans (or any size, you just want yto make sure that the prices fit fully underneath them)
For the opening ceremony, play Olympic music, and have the contestants line up in age order. Light the oldest ones torch and then he lights the persons next to him. Continue until all torches are lit and then take a cermonious walk around the living room.
(Blow out torches and save for closing ceremony)
Send the children out of the room.
Arrange the prizes on a large space on the floor, separating identical prizes, in a grid like pattern.
Cover each prize with an aluminum pan.
Call the children back into the room.
Now play memory….
Give each a child a chance to uncover two prizes. If the prizes are not the same, replace the pan over the prize and it is the next Childs turn.
When someone uncovers identical prizes they keep it.
Play until all prizes have been accounted for.
We like to end this game with a prize swap. No one can keep two prizes and they must trade. Sometimes they need our help to facilitate this but usually it goes smoothly since they are all equally small, 1 shekel prizes!
Any old costumes, articles of clothing, old jackets, or clothes in a giveaway pile that ou have lying around. You will need clothing of all different sizes to make the game more fun.
To put on as many articles of clothing as you can, then run across the room, take them off and place in an empty laundry bin.
RULES: Each player has a 2 minute time limit. They can run back and forth however many times they want.
ONLY articles of clothing IN the bin will be counted.
That means any clothing that was thrown off and was not placed IN the bin (but rather on the floor, next to the bin), or clothing still on the body will NOT be counted!
JUDGES: Remind players before the game begins that running back and forth takes time, as does removing the clothes. They should use their time wisely and think strategically.
AKA, SOMEONE ELSE IS PREPPIN’ DINNER TONIGHT!
(yes, this game is proudly borrowed from top chef)
Every year this event looks different. This is this years version.
On the menu: mini deli rolls, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad
5 plastic cutting boards
5 eggs, each one in a small bowl
5 forks
5 small empty bowls
5 medium sized bowls
5 spoons
3 tbsp Dijon mustard for each player
2 tbsp mayo for each player
4 pieces turkey
2 piece pastrami
2, 5×5 squares of puff pastry
1, 9×13 per player
2 potatoes per player
1 peeler per player
1 knife per player
2 cucumbers per player
Cover your dining room table with plastic.
Set up five separate working stations.
Place a cutting board in the center of each one and one of each ingredient around the cutting board.
Place the ingredients in order of the relay clockwise starting from the bottom left corner of the cutting board.
To play the game each player has to complete each of the 4 parts of the race before moving onto the next part.
The player that completes all 4 challenges first wins.
Make sauce for deli rolls with mustard and mayo, then make 2 small deli rolls and place in the tin.
Crack and beat egg.
Brush on deli rolls.
Move on to peel induct potatoes.
Place in empty bowl.
Peel cucumbers, scoop out seeds and cut.
First player to complete all these tasks wins!
1 small plate with 1/2 cup peanut butter per contestant
1 shallow bowl filled with chocolate lentils per contestant
1 shallow bowl, empty, per player
1 Scarf or bandana to tie players hands with
1 Players hands will be tied behind their backs
Each player must use ONLY THEIR NOSE, and the peanut butter to move chocolate lentils to the empty bowl on the other side of the table.
The player to get the most chocolate lentils in the bowl, in 1 minute is the winner!
1 bath rug or mat (a regular one, something with a sticky grip on the bottom will not work)
Basket full of mismatched socks with 7/8 pairs of socks mixed in
Tape for the floor
1 straw per player (I might have a few extra in case any break or have a hole in it)
Cotton ball, 1 per person + a few extra
This is a 3-leg event. You can choose to play all 3 legs separately, time each play as they complete the mission, and then add up their times off all 3 events at the end, or do what we are doing and let each player have 1 turn and go from leg to leg until they complete all 3 tasks. The person with the fastest time at the end wins.
LEG 1:
Use tape to mar a starting point on the floor of an open area space. Place bathmat on the floor. On the other end of the open area mark and ending point with another piece of tape. Turn up the music and instruct player to sit on the bath mat and cross their over their chest. Using only there tush and feet they must scooch from the starting point to the piece of tape where that challenge ends.
*level up: If you want to make this more challenging you can use the tape to actually map out the path they must take. Are it as windy and difficult as possible!
LEG 2:
After the contestant hasade it to the end point of leg 1, they will fins a basket. Inside the basket will betonsof mismatched socks. They must search through the basket to create 5 pairs of matching socks (i know, to all the laundry doers out there, \you are welcome!) Once they create their 5th match, that leg is complete and they can move on to the final leg.
LEG 3:
Create two parallel zigzag lines that are 2 inches apart, on the floor, using the tape, creating a narrow path. Once the 5th match is complete the player will pick up the straw and cotton ball next to the cotton ball. The player will have to place the cotton ball at the begging of the path you created, and using only the straw push the cotton ball through the path until they reach the end. If the cotton ball goes outsider the path b crossing over the tape, the player must begin that leg again. Once the contestant has reached the endow the path, leg 3 is complete and the clock is stopped!
The player with the fastest time, wins!!!
**this one of the funnest and funniest to watch games we have ever played!***
I know. You’re thinking this sounds dangerous. So I don’t disagree. It also sounds hysterical to watch, so yay for me and Eli the judges. Really though, here is why the blindfold is genius. Without the blindfold the kids can see who to push and shove in order to grab a chair and who pushed and shoved them in order to grab a chair. With blindfolds on we are hoping to eliminate that element of the game. In addition to that, we think the blindfold will turn the game into a more even playing field age wise.
Chairs (i would start with 2 more than you actually need, to stretch out the length of the game)
A really fun playlist, that you can start and stop easily.
We put together a fun upbeat playlist for you on Spotify to make things easier.
Click the link here to access it.
SPOTIFY MUSICAL CHAIRS PLAYLIST
blindfolds (these can be anything from tickles to cute fun ones you can buy on amazon.
Send the players out of the room. Arrange 1 (or 2 depending how may people you are) range a long row of chairs alternating the direction of the chair every other one.
(*note to make the game funnier for the judges everyone, do NOT line the chairs up in rows. Rather scatter them around the room so the contestants will have to work harder top memorize where they are.)
Call the players back into the room.
Give them 15 seconds to look at and memorize the set up of the chairs.
Blindfold the players.
Start the music.
Every time the music stops players must find a seat.
Each time the bus starts again, discreetly remove one chair.
Any player left standing when the music stops is out of the game.
(if you start the game with extra chairs, it will take a few rounds before anyone ovally gets out. I think that will build false confidence and make the game even funnier for us the judges.)
The last player with a chair is the winner!
Object of the game: To identify as many foods as possible by simply tasting them while blindfolded.
blindfold, or scarf
a cookie sheet (to contain any spills)
20 different foods that can fit into small bowls or cups
20 small bowls or cups
a kitchen towel
Send the kids out of the kitchen.
Place the cups on the cookie sheet and fill each one with as different edible product. (can be food, drink, snack, condiment, spice…)
Place a kitchen towel over the filled bowls so that no one can see whats underneath.
Call each child one at a time into the kitchen.
Cover their eyes with the blind and remove the kitchen towel.
Help them guide their hand into each bowl one at a time.
They must taste each item and identify it.
Only first answers are accepted to remind them to take their time.
The child that guesses the most right is the winner.
Examples of tasters: Ketchup, Mayo, Honey, Croutons, Salt, Chopped hard boiled egg, Chocolate chips, Captain crunch, Cut up string cheese, Butter, Cucumbers, Red sufganiya jelly, Lemon wedges, Pickles, Plain yogurt, Franks hot sauce, Soda, Peanut butter, Craisins, Pesto, Salad dressing…
Tally up all the medals on the scoreboard.
The person with the most golds, is the overall winner, the person with the second most is the silver medal winner and so on and so forth.
Repeat the torch lighting ceremony only this time the overall winner goes first!
Keep up with Chalympics and what's happening at PeasLoveNCarrots!
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