feels nice.” 
Meanwhile, one way 
4-year-old twins Riley and 
Easton Foon of Bloomfield 
Hills will be sharing in the 
holiday is by putting together 
JFamily Detroit’s edible 
sukkah craft project, which 
gives kids the chance to 
use tea biscuits, cereal and 
pretzels to make their own 
sukkah.
They’ll also be attending 
services with parents 
Samantha and Michael 
for the holidays. “Simchat 
Torah, as a kid, I remember 
going to the service and 
marching around with the 
little Torahs,” says Samantha 
Foon. “It’s really one of my 
favorite things I did as a kid 
at Temple Israel.”
It’s also part of her 

family’s goal of giving the 
kids an understanding 
and feeling of community, 
togetherness and shared 
traditions, she says. “I 
want them to have a well-
rounded Jewish education, 
not just from school but 
from family members, from 
their congregation and 
from Jewish organizations 
within the community.” 
Lacey Foon of Bloomfield 
Hills, her husband Elliot, 
and 2-year-old twins 
Phoebe and Eloise will be 
making edible sukkahs and 
have additionally arranged 
to receive a visit this Sukkot 
from Royal Oak Chabad’s 
mobile sukkah, which will 
feature activities geared 
for kids, music, prizes and 
more. 

Talk about it!
Shemini Atzeret is a great time of year to 
think about rain and conserving water. Start a 
conversation in your family: 
• How do you feel when it rains and why?
• Sometimes we feel sad when it rains because it 
spoils our fun. What are some of the good things 
rain does?
• Rain nourishes the earth and helps plants to 
grow. What things do you need to help you grow 
big and strong?
• What are things we can do to save water?

Shemini Atzeret
Don’t forget about Shemini Atzeret! The holiday starts 
Monday evening, Sept. 27. During this holiday, it’s customary 
to recite a prayer asking for rain. It makes sense — it coin-
cides with the start of Israel’s rainy season. 
Here’s an activity from JCC’s JFamily Detroit, and some 
things to think about over the holiday:

How to: 
Create a 
Rain Stick!

3. Pro tip! If you make one 
foil coil thinner and insert the 
smaller coil into the larger 
coil, this will really make it 
sound like rain!

4. With one end cap secured, 
insert the coils into the card-
board tube. Add the popcorn 
kernels (or dry rice or beans). 
Secure the other end cap to 
seal the tube. 
*Optional: Tape or glue end 
caps to make the tube more 
secure. 

5. Now close your eyes, tip 
the rain stick back and forth, 
and imagine the rain falling 
over the Land of Israel.

Need additional help mak-
ing your rain stick project? 
Check out the JFamily 
Detroit Facebook page and 
JFamily Detroit Community 
Facebook group for a brief 
instructional video
 (@Jfamilydetroit).

Need rain stick materials? 
Contact jrosenbaum@jccdet.
org for more information.

2. Take the large pieces of 
aluminum foil and roll each 
piece into long “snakelike” 
shapes. Form them into 
coils by wrapping around 
a stick (like the dowel rod 
from your honey dipper or a 
pencil).

Here’s what to do: 

1. Use yarn, stickers, glue 
stick, markers and other art 
supplies to decorate the 
outside of the tube. 

You’ll need: 

· A cardboard tube with 
plastic end caps
· Aluminum foil sheets
· Popcorn kernels
· Yarn and stickers to 
decorate the tube

MORGAN DIEHL, JCC ART DIRECTOR

Riley Foon and her mom, Samantha, of Bloomfield Hills, make an 
edible sukkah.

SEPTEMBER 23 • 2021 | 33

