Celebrate with your kids the New Year for the Trees with these fun and eco-friendly projects!
For this project you will need:
Have each child decorate a paper cup with images associated with Tu B'Shvat—trees or fruits and vegetables from Israel.
Fill each cup with soil, about ¾ full. Poke a finger into the dirt, then drop 3 or 4 parsley seeds inside and cover them with soil.
Place the cups in a sunny or partially shady spot and water the soil until moist. Parsley likes to grow in moist soil, so over the coming weeks the dirt should be kept moist, not soaked or dry.
Children can watch their plant grow – and by April the parsley might even be big enough to use for the Passover Seder!
Go to a spot where there are several trees. Players will work in pairs. One person should be blindfolded or have a winter cap over their eyes.
The sighted player gently leads the blindfolded player to a tree. The blindfolded player feels the tree, noting bumps, cracks, etc, that make this tree unique. The sighted player then takes the other player away from tree. They can turn the player around in circles or walk a circuitous path to confuse the blindfolded individual’s sense of where their tree is.
Once the blindfold is removed, the player will have to look for his or her tree, recognizing it based on the details they felt on the trunk. Switch players.
The Jewish National Fund helps make Israel bloom by planting trees throughout the country. You can sponsor a tree click here.
