Learning About Tu B'Shevat through Loose Parts

When I realized that Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish new year of the trees is just a few weeks away, falling on January 20-21 this year, I kind of panicked. I had nothing or prepared at home. S will surely gain a great understanding and experience of this special day in school, but we are away for a week coming up to visit my family up north and I wanted something at home to supplement and make the day meaningful to the boys. I love when Tu B'Shevat falls in the dead of winter here. It really is a holiday centralized in Israel to mark the beginning of the season shift there. Here (although it's been unseasonably warm), the trees and plants are mostly dormant. Still, every season deserves its honor and what better way to view each one than through the cycle of a tree? And what better way to experience this than through child-led, hands on exploration of loose parts?

While doing a major playroom shift and setup is never a small feat (especially with little ones "helping,") this was kind of my version of an easy way out this year. Rather than focusing on directed activities and lessons at home (although we may do a few art activities and directed play and STEAM invitations), I wanted to set out materials the boys could explore at their whim that had to do with trees. So I set about gathering materials from around the house, printing and laminating labels and made a brief stop to the local craft supply store. Little money saving pro-tip: if you're looking for tree-related craft supplies and materials, right after Christmas is a great time to take advantage of super sales! And then, I revamped our STEAM Cart and top play shelf to incorporate a variety of loose parts and materials having to do with wood, woodworking, building, parts of trees/plants and seasons.

I envisioned completing this project in a peaceful and empty living room. What actually transpired was a very eager to help Y accompanying me on the endeavor. He had a lot of ideas, and you know what? They weren't half bad! (The bowl of flowers and apples are his addition--and we are celebrating the emerging growth of fruit trees and Spring in Israel, right?) He is also responsible for the loose parts shelf altogether as I only envisioned a small muffin tin and tinker tray in one of our STEAM drawers. He wanted to work with a larger pallet, and this reminded me keenly of the importance of seeing the space we intend for our children through their eyes and not only our own. So I upgraded from the muffin tin to a secondhand set of wooden salad bowls and we gathered and sorted materials. Some are natural and others man-made. 

We included:

• dried cotton flowers
• seed pods
• pine cones
• acorns
• cinnamon sticks
• acrylic acorns, leaves and large gems/beads
• wooden letter tiles (a fun way to sneak in some early literacy and writing)
• snowflake decorations (deconstructed Dollar Tree ornaments)
• silk leaves 
• silk flowers
• artificial apples

You can use solely items collected from nature or add in relevant man-made loose parts as well. I like the combination of the two and I think it can also spark some meaningful conversation about nature versus man-made materials. The finishing touch was to set out some of our favorite books about Tu B'Shevat and trees and a couple of decorative "trees" in the background.

Meanwhile in our STEAM Cart, I wanted to focus on building using tree-made materials--i.e. WOOD! S has long had a fascination with woodworking and Y is eagerly catching on and catching up. Our woodworking area in our play garden has been temporarily cleaned out and shut down for the winter weather. Much of the wood left outdoors needed to be recycled and the tools brought inside after a very wet summer. We definitely plan to open up shop again outdoors (perhaps with a more waterproof setup) but in the meantime, we have incorporated opportunities to plan, build and design indoors. Our STEAM cart labels were created using the editable version and read-made version of Pocket of Preschool's FREE STEM labels. The drawers are stocked with materials to encourage loose parts play, design, planning, recording, small world play, building and even woodworking (with adult support and supervision). Here's a virtual peek inside:

• Our top drawer (not shown) is still stocked with playdough and tools. Currently that includes homemade peppermint playdough and some winter and tree shaped cookie cutters along with rolling pins, trays and plastic knives. I also store small containers of kinetic sand here and silly putty--this is a quick go-to when we need a table time activity. Playdough can also be used in conjunction with loose parts to build and create tree-themed art. Stay tuned for a post on that in the future...
• Our write and record drawer still has colored pencils and pencils, graph paper and blueprint templates ready for use.
• Woodworking tools including sanding blocks/sand paper, safety goggles, hammers, nails, rulers and/or a tape measure
• Wooden craft sticks in a variety of sizes
• Wooden loose parts including peg clothes pins, mini Jenga blocks, unpainted wooden peg dolls, some painted wooden peg dolls and a set of seasons Russian nesting dolls I painted last year, and other unique small wood parts. You can include spools, clothespins, wooden cups, blocks, small toys and other shapes--whatever you have on hand.
• Wood Scraps purchased in bulk from craft supply stores are great for building temporary designs, practicing sanding, hammering and nailing and even planning and producing simple projects. Adult support and supervision is necessary when using tools and nails with young children.
• Large tree planks, wooden craft planks with the bark still on are available for building--these larger pieces are great for supports and foundations
• Assorted Small Tree Blocks collected from craft supply stores including tree circles, shapes and blocks with the bark still on, drift wood, etc. for building/designing
• Wood blocks in assorted shapes and sizes. You can find block sets in secondhand stores quite frequently and we also have some Jenga blocks thrown into the mix. 
• Cardboard tubes and/or other recycled materials are a great way to incorporate the idea of preserving and protecting natural resources into learning about the importance of trees. They also make fabulous tree trunks and building materials!

The boys have just begun to explore these materials and I am excited and eager for the play and learning that will come.

Even if you don't celebrate Tu B'Shevat, these ideas can be incorporated into a unit on trees, gardening, plants or the four seasons. I love that while our trees and garden lie dormant, this holiday helps me connect to the life that is sleeping just beneath the soil. A friend who is not Jewish shared with me that after learning through me about the holiday of Tu B'Shevat several years ago, she now takes a little hike in the woods each year on that day to visit the trees! What a beautiful and inspiring concept. So while we look longingly out of the window this time of year where I live, we can also enjoy a bit of nature inside. We'll be back with some more Tu B'Shevat inspired activities in the days to come. Until then...

Happy Playing!