Tu B'Shevat Theme: Throw Back Edition to Last Year & Young Toddler-Friendly Activities

Tu B'Shevat family art
& tree with fingerprint leaves

Last year around Tu B'Shevat time, I was still teaching preschool outside of the home during the day. I tried as much as possible to incorporate the themes I was teaching about at work into the play and learning activities we were doing at home with my then very young toddler. Sometimes that meant we did activities in the afternoons or as a family in the evenings. Other times, I set out activities my son could access during the day while his babysitter was here. As an added bonus (or surprise) we had a snow day last Tu B'Shevat--the perfect opportunity for some cozy indoor learning about trees on their special day!

Outside, we had a lot of snow this time last year. We made
some necessary accommodations to try some planting
activities inside instead! 

 Despite the wintry weather outside, we had some Tu B'Shevat themed fun last year were planting kitchen herbs together indoors. I set out an old tablecloth as a drop cloth, provided a bowl full of dirt and some small shovels and let my little guy (about 18 months old at the time) fill our planter with soil. I helped him put the seeds in the soil and water it before setting it on our kitchen windowsill. It is common to plant trees in Israel on this holiday. In the states, we often plant parsley that will (hopefully) come to fruition in time for Pesach (Passover) and grace our seder plates!

Definitely glad I tossed that old tablecloth down! He had fun, though!

I covered his little table with white craft paper last year and prepared a tree trunk on it in advance. Each day, I provided a new medium for adding leaves, flowers, even fruits to the tabletop mural. He loved working on it with his babysitter and while we were at home together. Afterward, we cut it out and hung it in his room beside his bed to admire for months to come!

We had some fun exploring the four seasons of a tree as well. I cut down some recycled brown paper bags for tree trunks and branches and glued them to four sheets of easel paper. Each tree trunk was devoted to one season and we used paint and a round sponge brush to paint each one together. These we hung along our staircase to be admired each time we went up or down. I'm looking forward to digging them out of the closet this year to admire again. While I do not save every bit of art we create, I do save some special items from each theme and season. It's wonderful to hang them up again as we revisit familiar themes or come upon holidays each year.

Autumn...

Winter, Spring, Summer...

On a smaller scale, my son also enjoyed making a colorful tree by adding his rainbow fingerprints (washable ink-pad) as leaves to a pre-painted tree trunk. 

We took an evening to do some family art together and made a Family Tree on canvas. Again, I painted a simple tree trunk and branches onto a blank canvas and allowed it to dry. As a family, we each chose a color of buttons (I happened to find some fun colors and shapes at our Dollar Tree) and using white glue and paintbrushes, stuck our button leaves to our Family Tree. The finished product still hangs in my son's room and is a beloved piece of family art.

 All of that planting and creating made us hungry. Next it was time for a tree-themed snack. We decided upon a peanut butter sandwich tree with raisin "fruits" growing on it.

He decided to pick off the raisins first and then tackle the sandwich!

Even very young ones (and adults alike) can enjoy learning about Tu B'Shevat! And while preparing art projects and planting activities are great ways to include the whole family in the process, it needn't be so involved or include a lot of preparation at all. In fact, the greatest way to learn about and appreciate trees is to enjoy them in their natural environment--outside! Whether it's snowing where you are or mild this time of year, getting outside together is a great way to observe and celebrate trees.

We are feeling nostalgic here as we revisit last year's activities and creations and feeling excited for the new level of independence that this year will bring as we gear up for Tu B'Shevat. Until then...

Happy Playing!