On January 17, 2019, TreePeople worked with students from Kadima Day School in honor of the holiday Tu BiShvat, or “New Year of The Trees,” in Hebrew.

In support of the celebration, TreePeople worked with students to bring understanding to the steps that are involved in caring for struggling trees.

Here are some of the activities the students participated in:

Instant Expert Activity

This activity prompts students to read facts about the importance of trees in our urban environment and tree care. After the information session, students are asked to illustrate their interpretation of what they read. Each student has an opportunity to share their understanding with the class.

What Do Trees Eat? Activity

After an open conversation about the importance of mulch, students broke into groups to sort through all ingredients they could find in the bowls of mulch sitting on their desk. Students found and examined pieces of tree bark, leaves, dried flowers, branches, and decomposing insects. We discussed how mulch acts as a layer of insulation, adds nutrients to the soil, holds moisture, and adds value to compacted soils.  We highlighted the processes of how trees eat and absorb nutrients with the roots that are in the soil.

Some words from the amazing students who participated:

“We need tree to breath and live.”

“Some trees live for 100 of years!”

“ Mulch is good for trees and so are the bugs. Mulch is the medicine for the trees.”