7-branched Lego menorahs for toy Temple

Duplo and Lego 7-branch menorahs: upside-down construction

We made “The Temple” out of Duplos and needed a menorah.  Not a hanukkiyah, but a 7-branched menorah as per Exodus and as per the Story of Hanukkah.  (A hanukkiyah has 9 branches, including a higher shammash.)

My kid and I experimented, which is half the fun. We are never to old to learn by play.  Building upside-down was a pleasant change and challenge.

Turning Lego and Duplo upside-down reveals tubes that are just right to hold “flames.” Had I owned enough of those teeny one-unit, columnar pieces (1×1 bricks or plates), they could have been flames and the menorah would have been “pure” Lego. But yard sales dictate what Lego we own, so I made do with Lite Brite pegs.  Tried red Battleship pegs, too, but Lite Brite pegs have graduated thickness and can fit into the upside-down lego holes a bit better.

Right-side up menorahs present a different challenge: the studs on top of a piece are of a different number than the tubes on the bottom.  Menorahs are math!  Try it and see…

Why did we build the Temple in the first place?   Because it was fun, but we did end up taking it to school to help tell the Story of Hanukkah.  See that here.

EDIT: See the Hanukkah versions of these upside-down menorahs here.  Nine branches, and real candles!