Hazon Educational Library: nature

The series of programs focuses on the interconnections between Judaism, nature, and food - aiming to explore the threads of interconnectedness that bind people, plants, pollinators, soil, and Jewish traditions.

This program is an exploration of the Jewish concept of hakarat hatov, or ?noticing the good?, understanding and expressing appreciation for all life and experiences in the garden or farm.

This program is designed to have students deepen their connection with nature by looking at all the details and empowering them to use their positive brain instead of their negative brain. Participants will also have a greater understanding and connection to the story of the Jewish peoples first look into Israel.

This program was designed for families with young children to connect with each other, their community, and the earth through multi-sensory activities centered around Passover and the coming of spring.

This program is an opportunity for families to celebrate Tu B'Shvat through learning about local ecology, connecting to nature, and understanding the essence of this Jewish holiday on a community hike.

This curriculum is part of four-part elective (aka Chugim) titled Moon Qweens. The overall purpose of the elective is to introduce campers to female and feminine spirituality, archetypes, leadership styles, and divinity in Judaism and beyond. Through this introduction, campers may feel better able to relate to Judaism and to see the connections between spirituality, care for the earth, and care for our bodies.

This program is an introduction to the history and uses of medicinal herbs growing in the Camp Tawonga Garden. Participants will learn about how medicinal herbs connect to self-care and earth-care. Participants will learn about the healing properties of twelve medicinal herbs as well as their cultural and historic uses: Israeli, Mediterranean, Jewish and Native American. Participants will be given the opportunity to and think about what it means to connect both to their herbal heritage as well as the medicinal herbs that grow natively on this land.

In the tradition of the Kabbalists (16th century mystics of Tsfat, Israel), we gather in the forest to create an experiential Tu B'Shvat seder (ceremony) that connects us to the trees and the elements, and we are taken on a journey from the physical world to the spiritual world. This oral tradition within Judaism encourages us to open ourselves to the mystery, wonder and creativity that this time of renewal and rebirth brings. During the seder, we delight in experiencing and tasting of p'ri ha-etz (the fruit of the trees) and celebrate the season together through the five senses, movement, mindfulness, ritual, and Tu B'Shvat teachings.