What is Tu Bishvat?
This year on the 15th of Shevat (17th of January), we celebrated Tu Bishvat, which is the “New Year” for trees! Tu Bishvat is the day where the earliest-blooming trees in Israel begin their spring cycle, making Israel colorful again from the winter. Deuteronomy tells us that “Man is a tree of the field”, so we celebrate the trees and all the blessings they bestow on us!
What We Did:
All of our activities reflected what plants need- water, food, and shelter. Not only do they help plants grow, but us too!
The Chickadees class went outside and collected some natural material to make collages out of branches and leaves.
Some of our other elementary classes counted pomegranate seeds, and other’s built “trees” by gluing branches and using their fingers to paint “leaves”. Our students in quarantine and zoom made “fruit faces”. Luckily, the weather was nice and everyone was able to play outside with the trees!
And of course, no Tu Bishvat would be complete without planting some trees to help our environment!
What can you do for Tu Bishvat at home?
Here’s some more ideas:
Coloring pages for toddlers:
Here’s an easy sit-home activity for your children. Only a printer and colors required!
https://www.slatertorahacademy.com/kids/article_cdo/aid/819725/jewish/Coloring-Pages.htm
Chocolate Trees
After planting some, make some, and eat them too! Enjoy this easy recipe to do with your kids!
Recipe here!
Learn about and cook the 7 fruits!
Create a Tu Bishvat menu that celebrates your family’s food traditions while honoring trees and the fruit that grows on them. The Torah names seven special fruits, often called the seven species: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. Experiment with fig bars or make olive bread. Put grapes in a zip-top bag and stomp on them for homemade grape juice. The possibilities are endless!
We hope you enjoyed reading about our Tu Bishvat this year and it will give you ideas for next year (or Earth Day on April 22nd)! Stay tuned for more blogs, and in the meantime, check these others:
Yom Zikaron at STA
STA Meets with Two Holocaust Survivors
