Tu B’Shevat Activities for Children
Start Tu B’Shevat with a tree study unit – at home! You don’t have to wait for your child’s teacher to cover the life cycle at school. Use the Jewish ‘New Year’ for trees as the jumping off point for learning about how trees grow and what the process is. What can you do to help your child learn about the tree life cycle?
Start A Seedling
Grow your own tree at home. Even though it’s winter, you can still start your plant inside. One easy option is to grow an avocado tree. Take the seed (the large pit inside) of the avocado and suspend it over a glass of warm water using toothpicks. The seed should dip down about 1-inch into the water. Place the cup in direct sunlight and wait. When the plant starts growing, move it into soil.
Explore Fruit
The next time that you add an apple or an orange to your child’s snack, stop and explore what’s inside. Have your child look for the seeds, take them out and examine them. If you have a magnifying glass on hand, use it to get an up-close look.
Match the Fruit
Not all fruit comes from a tree. Some fruits grow on vines and others grow on smaller plants in the ground. Print out a few photos of fruits (or have your child draw them). Ask your child to match which ones grow on trees (such as apples or pears) to photos of trees (you can also find these online and print them out).
