We officially launched the Shoresh Outdoor School on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017, despite the cold and wet day! Ten amazing kids between the ages of 5-11 joined us in the Kavanah Garden for hands-on nature-based Jewish learning in the great outdoors!
The students toured the garden, with a focus on what we grow that also appears on our Passover Seder plates and learned about the holiday of spring and rebirth. The six kids in Kvutzah Mayim (water group) helped prepare the Kavanah Garden for the growing season by planting beets and lettuce. And the 4 kids in Kvutzah Shemesh (sun group) planted peas, and setup a structure so that the peas could climb tall with support. Over the next 8 weeks of the Spring session, this group will be able to watch seeds that they planted grow into food that they will be able to taste. They will also be learning about giving Tzedakah, because everything that they grow will be donated to Chasdei Kaduri (an organization that packs boxes for Jewish families in need).
Through these activities, the students earned their first two badges: Pesach and Planting. The badges were collected in their self-decorated nature journals, in which they will accumulate their personal thoughts, ideas and inspirations. Throughout the Spring session, they will have the opportunity to earn another 14 badges. Throughout a full year of the Shoresh Outdoor School (both spring and fall sessions), students will learn about 32 core Jewish and environmental concepts with the chance to earn a badge for each.
For more information or to sign your child up for the Shoresh Outdoor School, please contact Maya Stern, Program Coordinator, at (416) 805-8382 or maya@shoresh.ca.