As we celebrate Tu B'Shevat, the birthday of the trees, we are conscious that Israel is very dependent on its trees. Fruit is an important export; shade is necessary in the desert, and the forests prevent soil erosion. We plant trees in Israel in honor of our children and in memory of our loved ones-any excuse to reforest the land. And in my front yard, we need no excuses to protect our umbrella tree. Its beauty is its own reason for being.

The Conversation

Children need little encouragement to appreciate the beauty of nature. They are fascinated by the movement of a squirrel, the collection of birds around a bird feeder and the beautiful colors of the leaves in fall. My children are always the first to notice the buds on the trees in spring and anxiously await the arrival of the "baby leaves" that the buds will yield. Ironically, what the children do not appreciate is the practical side of trees. Ask your children what things they use each day come from trees. Ask if they can name a number of foods which come from trees (maple syrup and chocolate are generally a surprise). Ask what other materials besides wood and paper are tree based. It is not obvious that rubber and cork come from trees. Discuss what is beautiful about the trees. Leaves, shade and a secret hiding place for friends to share are good suggestions. My second graders studied trees this fall and were fascinated by the number of animals that made their homes in living trees as well as ones that had fallen and decayed.

Although it is cold and wintry here, in Israel the buds are out and the trees are beginning to bloom. Tu B'Shevat in January is a nice way to anticipate the spring. Discuss the difference between evergreens and deciduous trees that lay dormant all winter. What will be the signs that spring is coming? What will happen to the trees? Can you believe that the trees in Israel are budding already? Even in the snowy month of January, a tree can be beautiful, covered with snow or delicately encased in ice. Your children will appreciate it...naturally.

Read Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand by Arthur A. Levine, pictures by Robert Roth, published by Tambourine for a story of a woman who understood the beauty of a tree and the need to preserve it.

The following craft is a collage of a tree made entirely (except the glue) from tree products. See if your children can anticipate what the products are by your descriptions.

The Craft

shirt cardboard
brown paper bag
wood chips
powdered cocoa
rubber bands
cork
dried cranberries
construction paper
scissors
glue

Cut a strip from the brown paper bag as the trunk of the tree and glue it slightly off-center on the shirt cardboard. Glue the wood chips into position to be the branches.

Drizzle glue on the "trunk" and "branches" and sprinkle powdered cocoa to give it a textured bark look.

Cut rubber bands into small strips to make a bird's nest and glue it onto one of the branches. Glue small pieces of cork in the nest as bird eggs.

Glue the dried cranberries onto the "branches" to make buds. Cut out a construction paper bird and glue it "flying" to the nest.