Get ready for Tu B’shvat with these four classroom activities
Tu B’shvat (ט״ו בשבט) will be celebrated on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shvat (שְׁבָט), which starts on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 20 and ends in the evening on Monday, Jan. 21. It is the day that marks the beginning of a “new year” for trees. This day marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle.
As you are planning Tu B’shvat lessons you may be thinking about ways to include technology and STEAM. Here are some ideas:
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Real Life Algorithms - Plant a Seed - This lesson explores how algorithms are used in our daily lives, using the act of planting a seed as an example. It also focuses on the bigger picture of computer science in which algorithms play an essential part.
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JiTap offers two different activity options:
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Make it Grow - an app that allows the user to virtually plant seeds and nurture them.
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JiTap - a curated list of games and activities that have been created on the platform. JiTap also offers many different stickers and tools that relate to the holiday to make your own games or activities.
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Hazon - The Jewish Lab for Sustainability has created a list of sustainable activities and resource ideas. Feel free to visit their website for more information.
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Last but not least, check out these 10 free apps to decrease your ecological footprint.
For more resources with Tu B’shvat lesson ideas:
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Revisit our blog post from 2017.
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Take a look at The AVI CHAI Foundation’s recommended Tu B’shvat resource list.
Wishing you a Happy Tu B’shvat!
Monica Brandwein is the Educational Technology Consultant for DigitalJLearning.