Tu B'Shevat

It's still winter in the United States, but in Israel, by the middle of the Hebrew month of Shevat (January/February), the rainy season has ended, trees are beginning to bud, and fruits on the trees are beginning to form. The fifteenth of Shevat (in Hebrew) is celebrated as the New Year for trees, Tu B'Shevat.

In Israel it is celebrated by planting trees. Elsewhere it is a day to express our love of Israel. People eat the kind of fruits that grow in Israel, such as figs, dates, raisins, and carob. There is also a custom to eat from 15 different fruits (because Tu B'Shevat is on the 15th day of the month) and to eat a new fruit, one not yet eaten during the current year, so an added blessing, the Shehecheyanu, can be said. Some people eat the fruits in a Tu B'Shevat seder along with four cups of wine. Each fruit is eaten after saying an appropriate verse from the Bible or Talmud. Others give a donation to the Jewish National Fund so a tree will be planted in their name in Israel.

From: The Kid's Catalogue of Jewish Holidays by David Adler, 1996.

Songs

A Tu B'Shevat Song

Oh, what do they do in Israel
On the holiday of Tu B'Shevat?
Oh, they dig and they dig
And they plant and they plant
On the holiday of Tu B'Shevat.

This is the Way

This is the way we dig the ground,
Dig the ground, dig the ground,
This is the way we dig the ground,
And help the garden grow.

This is the way we plant the seeds,
Plant the seeds, plant the seeds,
This is the way we plant the seeds,
And watch for flowers to grow.

And, if we plant together the seeds of
Care and understanding,
They can grow into a tree of love.

Source Unknown

Poems

Trees

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer

Planting Seeds

If we plant a laughter seed,
It can grow into a happiness tree.

If we plant a sharing seed,
It can grow into a friendship tree.

If we plant a practice seed,
It can grow into a know-how tree.

If we plant a helpful seed,
It can grow into a thank you tree.

Activities

• Draw pictures of trees.
• Study trees in winter. Chose a particular tree. Take a photo of it. Watch as it changes through the seasons. Take a photo of it each season.
• Have a tasting party. Try unusual foods such as figs and dates.
• Make Trail Mix using different types of nuts and seeds. (Don't forget the carob!)
• Talk about how the weather in Israel is different from ours.
• Plan your garden using catalogues. Include your child in the planning.
• Purchase a tree in honor or in memory of a loved one from the Jewish National Fund.

Art Project: UPSIDE-DOWN GARDEN
(from The Kids' Catalogue by David A. Adler, 1996).

Parents will need to help with this nifty upside-down garden.

MATERIALS:
1 beet
1 carrot
1 parsnip
1 turnip
grapefruit knife
melon ball scoop
skewer or other thin, pointed object
fishing line
water

1. Cut each vegetable in half. With a grapefruit knife and melon ball scoop, carefully make a hollow space in the cut side of the top half of each vegetable. Leave the walls around the cavity intact.
2. A parent should use a skewer to poke a hole through opposite sides of each of the vegetable's walls, about ¼ to ½ inch down from the top rim.
3. Thread a length of fishing line through both holes and hang the string of vegetables from a tension rod between the sides of a window, tie to the bottom of a coat hanger, or hang from a dowel resting on a large plastic or glass container, such as an aquarium.
4. Fill the hollow spaces with water. Replace with fresh water every other day. Keep the garden in bright sunlight and soon leaves will start growing from the bottom of each plant.