Birthday of the Trees | The Almond Tree | Choni the Circle Maker | Shabbat Shira

Tu B'Shvat : Choni the Circle Maker

Motivational Tools:

Dress up as Choni.  Wear a large white scarf on your head.  Also wear a white sheet to allow yourself to look like a old man in ancient days.  Locate a large walking stick or wrap a yard stick in brown duct tape.

Lesson Plan: The Circle Maker (20 minutes)

Introduce yourself as Choni to the children. Children especially enjoy seeing their instructor in costume.  Familiarize yourself with the story beforehand.  You can tell the story to the children as if you are Choni, or you can read the story.

Gershator, Phillis. Honi’s Circle of Trees. Philadelphia:The JPS, 1994.

Follow-up activity:  Have children hold hands, make a circle with their arms held up.  Designate one child to start, walking in and out of the circle.  Have the class sing:

We’re walking in a circle (3 times)
Just like Choni  Meh’Ah’Gel

Now stand behind your neighbor (3 times)
Because it’s Tu’Bshvat.