Introduction:

Create your own mini-Tu b'Shevat Seder. The Tu B'Shevat Seder is a ceremony originally created by the Kabbalists of the 1500's. The Kabbalists were a highly spiritual sect of Jews that practiced mysticism.

Seder means "order," and like the Passover seder there is a specific sequence of events. Each participant drinks 4 cups of wine, starting with white wine, mixing increasing amounts of red wine with white, and ending with a glass of red wine. (For our special preschool seder, we use juice instead of wine.) In between the cups of wine, participants eat fruit from three categories: Fruits with shells, Fruits with pits, Fruits edible inside and out. Each of the categories of fruits selected for the Tu b'Shevat seder represent a type of person and are intended to stimulate discussion. The seder is meant to increase our awareness of this beautiful holiday and nature through prayer, song, story, and discussion.

We have included directions on how to conduct a preshool Tu b'Shevat Seder with your students.

Materials:

• White and red juice (for example, white grape juice, and some type of red berry juice)
• Small dixie cups
• Fruits from each of the following categories:
  • fruits with shells- citrus fruits, nuts, etc.
  • fruits with pits- dates, plums, olives, apricots, etc
  • fruits that we eat inside and out- grapes, figs, carobs

Directions:

1. Start the seder by singing "Hinei Mah Tov," (How good it is to be together) or another song the children like to sing together.
    
2. Discuss the meaning of "seder" and that like the Passover seder you will follow an order and drink 4 cups of grape juice.
    
3. Brainstorm why the number "4" might be important - 4 seasons, 4 directions on a compass, etc.
   
   The Kabbalists thought of the world being made of four things - Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and the human being made up of four parts - Our body, our Heart and feelings, our Mind and thoughts, and our Spirit.
    
4. Drink the first cup of juice. The first cup of juice corresponds to winter. The juice is white, for snow (in some places) or the blankness of the trees. Ask the children to think about what happens to trees in winter, what the weather is like, how animals behave, etc.
    
5. Eat fruits with Shells. The first fruit eaten at the Tu b'Shevat seder is hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. Have students try to identify some fruits that are like that (nuts, etrogs, pomegranates, lemons, oranges, etc.) Can a person be like that (hard on the outside, but soft on the inside--soldiers who are really kind, etc.)?
    
6. Drink the Second Cup of juice-- Add a little red juice to the white and watch the colors change. The second cup of wine is for the spring. Engage students in discussions about springtime-- the weather, changes that take place to the trees and animals, etc.
    
7. Eat Fruits with Pits (Dates, Olives, Apricots).
   We now taste fruits that are soft on the utside and hard on the inside. Again ask the children to name fruit that are like that. Can a person be like that (soft on the outside, but hard on the inside-- the evil queen in Snow White)?
    
8. Drink the Third Cup of juice- Mix more red juice with the white. The third cup of juice is for the summer. In the summer months, most of the trees and flowers are in full bloom and we can harvest many fruits and vegetables. In Israel there are red tulips and poppy flowers.
    
9. Eat fruits that we can eat inside and out (Figs, Grapes, Carob). Why is the Torah compared to a fig? (Other fruits contain things we cannot eat. Dates have pits, oranges have skin. But every part of the fig is good - as every part of the Torah is good.) These fruits represent people who are good through and through-- do good deeds, study Torah, etc. Do you know people like that?
    
10. Drink the Fourth Cup of Wine-- a fully red cup of juice The fourth cup of juice is for the autumn. Have a discussion about the changes that take place during the fall, the weather, types of activities we do in the fall, etc.

A Little Something Extra:

• For your seder, include a variety of fruits that grow in Israel - figs, dates, apricots, pomegrantes and grapes.
   
• The different categories of fruit present an excellent opportunity for sorting activities. Have a variety of fruit or photographs of a variety of fruit and have students put the fruits in appropriate categories.
  
  For example: Have students select all of the fruit that has shells; all of the fruit with pits, etc.
   
• Add stories or songs in each category to enhance the experience (for example, songs and stories about the seasons, different types of fruit, planting, etc.)
   
• The Kabbalists believed:
  • the world consists of four things- 1)Earth, 2)Water, 3)Air, 4)Fire, and
     
  • human beings are made up of four parts - 1)The body, 2)the heart/feelings, 3)the mind and thoughts 4)the spirit.
  
  Many people incorporate these concepts into the seder, by discussing items #1 (earth and body) after drinking the first cup of juice, items #2 (water and heart) after drinking the second cup of juice, etc. Try to incorporate these concepts into your seder as desired.
   
• Make up "fruit or tree songs," do a "water dance" and "flow" around the classroom as a long stream.
   
• When eating the fruit, say the traditional blessing (Baruch atah Adonoi, Eloheinu Melek HaOlam, borei p'rei haEtz - "Blessed are You God, Ruler over all of the world who created the fruit of the tree.") and have students make up their own blessings.
   
• Bring a map of the world to show students where Israel is located. Explain that although Israel is located far away from where we live, it is actually very, very close to us as well. Tell students that we "keep" Israel in our hearts and ask they if they know how we can do this. Explain how when we love something, it is the same as having that thing with us all of the time. Ask students if they have pets and if they love their pets all of the time, even when they are not with the animals.