Chanukah חַג חֲנֻכָּה
The olive oil of the seven species is the same oil from the Chanukah miracle.
See the Chanukah pack →
The New Year of the Trees · early elementary Judaic Studies
Tu B'Shvat lesson pack חַג ט״וּ בִּשְׁבָט
Trees, fruit, and the Shivat HaMinim — the seven species Israel is praised for. 14 slides of pure celebration, no heavy history. Each fruit gets its own slide. The parent guide even walks you through hosting a Tu B'Shvat seder at home.
Ages 5–9 · K–3
14 slides + 7 worksheets
Tu B'Shvat seder how-to included
What's inside
The easiest pack in our series to teach.
- English presentation deck — 14 slides, 16:9, each species gets its own slide.
- Hebrew vowelized deck — same 14 slides in Hebrew with full nikud.
- Worksheet pack — 7 printable pages: color a fruit tree, trace the 7 species in Hebrew, count, draw, match, plant-a-tree prompt, reflection.
- Teacher prep PDF — 14 pages; slide image on top, full Hebrew speaker notes below.
- Parent guide — 12 pages including a dedicated Tu B'Shvat seder how-to, 1-day & week-long lesson plans, Hebrew help, FAQ.
- Scope & sequence — single-page curriculum overview.
Tu B'Shvat seder — included as a bonus
Page 6 of the parent guide is a complete kid-friendly Tu B'Shvat seder how-to: what fruits to set out, what brachot to say on each, and how to walk a 5-year-old through tasting all seven species in order — plus the Shehecheyanu blessing for a fruit they haven't had this year.
The Shivat HaMinim
Each of the seven species gets its own slide.
Slides 6–12 each focus on one fruit Israel is famous for, with its Hebrew name, a beautiful photo, two or three facts kids can actually remember, and a "did you know?" callout. By the end of the lesson, every child in the room knows what wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates look like — and what each one means in Jewish life.
The grains
- Wheat (חִטָּה / Chitah) — for challah, matzah, every-day bread.
- Barley (שְׂעוֹרָה / Se'orah) — the Omer offering in the Beit HaMikdash.
The vine fruits
- Grapes (גֶּפֶן / Gefen) — Borei pri hagefen every Shabbat.
- Figs (תְּאֵנָה / Te'enah) — soft, sweet, the symbol of peace in Tanach.
The tree fruits
- Pomegranates (רִמּוֹן / Rimon) — 613 seeds, one for each mitzvah, say the sages.
- Olives (זַיִת / Zayit) — trees 2,000 years old. The oil of Chanukah.
- Dates (תָּמָר / Tamar) — the "honey" of milk-and-honey is date honey!
Why this pack works
The simplest, most universal lesson in our series.
Pure celebration
No conflict. No hard history. Just trees, fruit, and gratitude to Hashem for a world that grows food. The lesson teaches itself when there's real fruit on the table.
Sensory teaching
Tu B'Shvat is the rare lesson that gets BETTER when your child is chewing while you teach. We tell you exactly what to set out and when.
Cross-pack learning
The olives slide references the oil of Chanukah; the wheat slide references matzah on Pesach. Your child sees how the holidays connect.
FAQ
Questions parents ask about the Tu B'Shvat pack.
What are the Seven Species (Shivat HaMinim)?
The seven foods the Torah praises the Land of Israel for: wheat (chitah), barley (se'orah), grapes (gefen), figs (te'enah), pomegranates (rimon), olives (zayit), and dates (tamar). Each one gets its own slide in this pack.
Does this pack include a Tu B'Shvat seder?
Yes — page 6 of the parent guide is a kid-friendly Tu B'Shvat seder how-to: what to set out, what brachot to say, and how to walk your child through tasting each species in order.
What if it's not actually Tu B'Shvat when we do the lesson?
Use the pack year-round! The fruits are interesting in every month. The pack is also perfect during Pesach (wheat → matzah), Chanukah (olives → oil), or as a stand-alone unit on Israeli agriculture.
Is this for Tu BiShvat or Tu B'Shvat?
Same holiday — ט״וּ בִּשְׁבָט in Hebrew, transliterated different ways. Tu BiShvat, Tu B'Shvat, TuBShevat, 15 Shevat all refer to the same day.
My child has fruit allergies. Can we still do this lesson?
Absolutely. The lesson works fully on its own — every species has a beautiful photo. The worksheets don't require any tasting. You can still do the planting activity.
Is the "date honey" fact really in the Torah?
Yes. When Israel is called "a land flowing with milk and honey" (eretz zavat chalav u'dvash), the "honey" is date honey — a thick syrup made by boiling down dates. If you can find date syrup (silan) in a grocery store, let your child taste it during the lesson.
Pairs beautifully with
Other packs in the series.
Yom Yerushalayim יוֹם יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
Where the Beit HaMikdash stood — and where the olives still grow today.
See the Yom Yerushalayim pack →
Ready to teach it?
Get the Tu B'Shvat pack on Etsy.
Single ZIP download. Yours forever, free updates included. Single-family license. Includes the seder how-to.