Tu B'Shevat is coming!

I know the kids are counting down the days till Purim, but we shouldn't overlook another great holiday for kids. This year Tu B'Shevat (the 15th of Shevat) falls on Saturday Jan 30th. This day marks the beginning of a "New Year for Trees." This is the season in which the earliest-blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. In Israel, the 15th of Shevat is the day when new sap starts to rise in the trees. It is a time of rejuvenation.
We mark this day by eating fruit (here's where the fun begins...), particularly from the types that were singled out by the Torah in its praise of the bounty of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates. And my personal hard to find favorite, bokser, the carob fruit.

Tu B'Shevat is a celebration of the circle of life. After all, what says "I am here for you just as I was here for your fathers, and I will be here for your children just as I am here for you" like a tree.

I just love this article Your Child, Your Tree by Eliezer Shemtov
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/468751/jewish/Your-Child-Your-Tree.htm

Now go tend to your "garden" and make a fun Tu B'Shevat seder for your "seedling (s)." :)