Tu B'Shvat Crafts
Tu B' Shevat is an old Jewish holiday celebrating the New Year of Trees, and it also the start of the Israeli Spring. It is celebrated each year on the 15th day of Shevat of the Hebrew calendar. While there are few specific customs associated with this holiday, you can develop a variety of craft projects based on the tree theme of Tu B' Shevat.
Other People Are Reading
-
Tree Planting and Memorial Stone
-
Celebrate the holiday by choosing any tree appropriate for your climate (Ref 2) and plant it in your yard. To commemorate the date, create a stone marker to place near the tree. Use a large stone and paint a Star of David on the front using waterproof paints. Write the date that you planted the tree on the back of the stone. Once the paint has dried, place it at the base of tree. If you are unable to plant a tree due to your climate, collect donations in a decorated tin and send money to any organization that plants trees in Israel, and place the stone you created in your own garden.
Leaf Printing
-
You can honor all parts of a tree on this holiday by using its leaves as the basis for a fun paper craft. Choose any leaf from a tree in your area and place it under a sheet of white paper with an Israeli flag border. You can create this special bordered paper using your computer and any image-printing program. Using a crayon or colored pencil in any color, rub the writing utensil over the entire paper. Remove the paper and you should have an imprint of the leaf you chose. Write the name of the type of tree the leaf came from and create a book of leaves of various trees in your area.
-
Tree Picture Frame
-
An important part of a tree is its branches. Create a picture frame using various small fallen branches from any tree in your yard. Purchase a plain plastic picture frame and break or cut enough twigs to cover the outside of the frame. Carefully hot glue each piece to the frame in a decorative fashion. Place a picture of your Tu B' Shevat celebration in the frame and write the Hebrew date on the back.
My Favorite Tree
-
Each person has a favorite type of tree he may wish to showcase on Tu B' Shevat. Allow a child to choose his favorite tree that grows in Israel and ask him to draw himself playing under it. Provide a list of trees as well as photographs to help the child create a realistic drawing. Allow him to use a variety of materials such as paints, markers or construction paper to decorate his tree. Display this as a Tu B' Shevat decoration.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
