Teva Tabling provides quick and easy hands-on interactions with Jewishly rich content from Hazon’s outdoor, food, farming and environmental education portfolio. Click on any of the titles or images below to view and download PDF instructions for these tabling activities.
Birdfeeder
In Judaism, treating animals with respect and kindness is very important. Some of our most important biblical heroes, like Jacob and Moses, were shepherds who treated their animals with love and care. Rebecca was known for her significant kindness to animals. Use a combination of recycled and natural materials to make a take-home bird feeder for your local feathered friends!
Decomposition
What can return to the earth quickly and what will stick around for hundreds of years? This game will challenge participants to think critically about the trash they produce, what happens when they throw things “away” and how the earth plays a role in this process.
Guess that Smell
The smell test game is a way to open yourself up to the world of scents. Do you remember a time when you smelled something and it brought you back to another place? It is taught in our tradition that the sense of smell was the least changed after we left the Garden of Eden. What is a smell that reminds you of home? What is a smell that you reminds you of a Jewish holiday?
Havdalah Sachets
Developing ritual objects can bring a depth of meaning into our lives. Create your own blended Havdalah spices to bring home in its own sachet. Learn about different herbs and spices and how they connect to the world around us!
Leaf Rubbing & Collage Art
Nature provides beautiful materials which we can create art with. Together we will create lasting art by making leaf rubbings and leaf art. Know that each leaf is different and beauty can be found in each and every leaf. In our Amidah prayer, we give thanks for the miracles that are with us every day.
Pipe Cleaner Animals
In the Garden of Eden, Adam named all the creatures in the garden and looked into their souls, basing their names on their essence. Here in a small way we have the opportunity to create and name pipe cleaner creatures. There is amazing diversity of life on the planet. What animals do you interact with and what are their needs?
Seed Balls
Green the world through guerilla gardening! As partners in creation we can bring more beauty and life into the world by seeding areas with more wild flowers. We have inherited a world full of beauty and we know that there are places that could use more wildlife. Through making seed balls we can take small steps toward that more colorful future.
Seed Necklaces
Life has the vitality to continue on and on – even with just a cotton ball, a plastic bag, and a seed… the plant will grow into a small wearable garden. Seed necklaces are a very simple activity to do outside or in a classroom. In a week or so, participants will be able to watch their seeds sprout and grow. The seeds can then either by planted or fed to animals in the garden.
Veggie Prints Postcards
Instead of buying stamps made of plastic or styrofoam, use the unique and natural patterns found in nature to create beautiful art to send to friends and family. If this activity is being run in close proximity to a Jewish holiday, postcards can be framed specifically for these occasions. For example, use oranges, apricots and figs around Tu B’Shvat, use apples for Rosh HaShanah, and use a lulav and etrog after Sukkot.
