Our Tu Bi Shevat discussion began with the children creating trees with sticks and clay, using branches to “plant” trees on the playground, learning about the seven species, and thinking about why we celebrate the tree’s birthday -“they are getting older”, “they are alive” Then thinking about how we can celebrate their birthday - “give them water and sun”. We then thought about what trees and plants give us -“oxygen”, “homes”, “wood”, “woodchips”, “paper”, “food”.
The children’s appetites were whet by the idea that trees give us food. They were already really interested in the pecans from the pecan tree on the playground so our Tu Bi Shevat explorations sprouted from there. The children used nutcrackers to crack pecans for their haetez market for the holiday. After preparing pecans, we listed other fruits we would sell including apricots, figs, and raisins.
The children immediately realized we need money for the market and were excited to make money. They began coloring and cutting American money observing the green colors and rectangle shape. Some children created rainbow money. The children decided the mail center would become the spot to create money. They then put the money in the mailbox to mail to the market. We didn’t stop with American money. The children looked at shekels and money from other countries then cut out and created these currencies. We observed the colors and letters on each currency and marked the coun- tries on our world map to tie in our interest in maps.
The children created their own sign for their haetez market. One child wrote the words “haetez store” on a piece of paper while another child glued it on a larger piece of paper the children decorated together. Children drew an apple tree complete with “a ripe apple and this apple is not ripe it is brown and me holding an apple” sunflowers, the sun, rain cloud, flowers, “me looking at the sun and holding a sunflower” and hearts. While the children created the store sign, they discussed the jobs they would have “I am going to pass out the money” Once the market was ready, KDH took turns shopping, scooping, bagging, and running the register for each other. The market was so successful that we invited Kitah Bet and Kitah Gimmel to shop. Once child from Kitah Bet asked it shop again when he came to school the following day. Great customer service KDH!
Pecans
are not the only seed we explored. The children dissected lima beans and
examined the little plants inside observing “the bean looks like a bald eagle
in there” “it’s like an egg hatching” “the seed coat protects it so the inside
doesn’t get dirty.” The children looked at magnetic pictures of the life cycle
of a lima bean and put them in order. After seeing these pictures, the children
naturally brought them over to our bean sensory tray to compare and to our
sprouts as they planted. They children planted lima beans in wet cotton balls
and observed them. One child said “the pom poms are to keep the seed clean.”
When the beans sprouted, they observed the sprouts and roots and planted them
in cups of soil. Excited by their plants many children made signs asking how
to spell lima bean and sounding it out. This began our letter l and letter b
week. After planting our lima beans, the children noticed plants sprouting in
the woodchips on the playground. “What’s that?” Asked one child which lead
to a discussion between the children. Once they decided it was a plant
sprouting from a pecan on the ground in the recent rain, a child said “so
throwing seeds on the ground is not littering. It is planting.” The very next
day there was a lot of rain, lightening, thunder and wind. When we got back on
the playground the following day the children discovered many big and small branches
that has fallen in the stormy weather. The children immediately decided the
branches looked like trees and picked up their shovels. “We are planting trees
for Tu Bi Shevat!” they declared as they worked together to plant in the sand
and the woodchips. They discovered planting involves many jobs … “someone needs
to hold the tree” “I will dig the hole” “I am covering the tree with sand” “get
water to pour on the tree” Once the children completed planting their trees for
Tu Bi Shevat, they decided together how to take care of the trees. “water the
trees” “give them sun” and placed cones near them so other people would know to
be careful around the trees.
