Tag Archives: seeds

Tu B’Shevat garden-in-an-eggshell

Posted on 01/18/2013 | 1 comment

quick, easy and visible plant life-cycle activity

Here’s a supplementary indoor gardening project for Tu B’Shevat. I swear by the Eat a Fruit, Plant the Seed project, and my version of the traditional Plant Tu B’Shevat Parsley for Passover project, of course. Both are hands-on and at the heart of the holiday. But, if you can program additional growy activities with your favorite kids, try this one, too. The nearly instant gratification is a contrast to the slow and iffy germination rates of parsley and fruit seeds.

What: Kids grow a nearly-instant, indoor, mini “garden” in an eggshell.
Why: to connect with Tu B’Shevat; to demonstrate the everyday miracle of seed germination; to grow food for us, for wildlife and for the earth. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Activity, Crafts, Edible Craft, Nature, Tu B'Shevat

Tagged gardening, seeds

Tu B’Shevat stuff: indoor gardening, edible bowls, sugar overload and birdfeeders

Posted on 01/17/2013 | 3 comments

Here’s a quick list of links to my earlier posts for Tu B’Shevat. New ones coming soon…

pear seedlings from our snack

Eat a Fruit, Plant the Seeds: So easy. Cut open a fruit with your kid. Eat it, plant the seed. Of course, I mention a few Jewish-y choices of trees, but the important take-away is that THIS is where trees come from. Can’t get more thematic.

How (and Why) to Let Kids Plant Tu B’Shevat Parsley. Detailed how-tos here. I’ve a method that works without compromising hands-on learning or enthusiasm.
Find out why the go-to Tu B’Shevat planting activity is not about planting trees. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Activity, Crafts, Nature, Tu B'Shevat

Tagged birds, fruit, gardening, seeds, trees

Seedling update

Posted on 02/19/2012 | Comments Off

Pear seedlings from our snack

See the teeny seedlings emerging? Two weeks ago, at the family Tu B’Shevat program I helped plan, we ate fruit and planted the seeds. Yesterday, one pear seed sprouted, and today, another. Baby trees!

For the program, I made little flags so each kid would remember which fruit seeds they chose:
I planted a ______ tree for Tu B’Shevat.
The child’s name goes on the popsicle stick above the dirt line. (We used colored pencils, which are made from trees. No Sharpies that day.)

I wrote about this activity in the post Eat a Fruit, Plant its Seeds for Tu B’Shevat. I know, I know, the resulting seedlings may not grow into fertile adults, what with commercial fruit propagation techniques and whatnot.
The important thing is for a kid to eat a fruit, plant the seeds, watch them sprout, and take care of them. So far, so good…