Tu B’Shvat on Campus

Category: Tu B'Shvat

Tags: Holidays, Tu B'Shvat

Compiled by Adamah on Campus student leaders

Consider the time your group has and pick an activity from any or all these categories to build out a customized program that will meet the moment on your campus and the interests of your peers.

Tu B’Shvat Program Guide

Seder/text-based activities
Outdoor/nature-based activities
  • Organize a group of Jewish students to spend a day at the farm/garden to learn and tend to the space and/or plant tree and join together in this blessing
  • Find a nature spot for a walk, hike, etc. alongside members of your community. Take in your surroundings and create space for gratitude of the trees and natural world around you
  • Planting Day! Invite students to plant succulents and other plants to keep in their dorm room (keep in mind your college region and what plants will survive)
  • Spend the day volunteering with the National Park Service, doing a cleanup at your local park, or working with a local nature conservancy to do restoration or beautification projects
Creative/arts and food activities
  • Iron Chef – Cooking class and food tasting using the Seven Species
  • Lead a pickling program and discussing food systems and the relation to Tu B’Shvat
  • DIY granola or granola bars making using the 4 fruits of the Tu B’Shvat seder
  • Sip and Study – (for 21+ students or grape juice if not), host a night of drinking the 4 glasses of wine and eating the 4 fruits and 7 species and learn about the meaning of Tu B’Shvat
  • Climate art build and/or coloring pages to hang in the building
  • Climate art wall or installation, everybody gets a square on a big wall and gets to draw/paint. Could be a place in nature that means a lot to them and that they wouldn’t want to lose, imagery of their climate story, Jewish environmental associations
  • Build your own biosphere, creating a connection to the earth and one’s own environment
  • Write a poem, letter, or song to the earth/a tree and let your creative juices flow!
Other activities
  • Host a Tu B’Shvat Shabbat. This can include vegan food, zero waste, compostable tableware, etc.
  • Bring in a speaker from the Office of Sustainability, a professor in the Environmental Studies department, or some other expert in the area to speak to the local forestry in the area or other nature-based programs happening locally
  • Host a movie night and discussion. Reference our movie list for ideas
  • Partner with other student orgs to share in the ways Tu B’Shvat is observed around the world, such as these LatinX traditions or Indian traditions
  • Raise money for planting a tree in Israel through the Jewish National Fund (JNF)

Need promotional graphics for your event? Use this Canva template with some pre-made ideas. If you are running an event using our resources, please add our logo to your promotional materials.

Tu B’Shvat programs from Adamah on Campus chapters
The Adamah on Campus chapter at the University of Maryland (UMD) had a Tu B’Shvat and welcome back to campus event where they offered pot painting, seed planting, had text sheets out for learning by table, and brought the themes into that week’s Hillel Tu B’Shvat Shabbat with further engagement, reaching 60 students.
Adamah on Campus at Hillel 818 hosted a Tu B’Shvat seder for the community, turning the Haggadah into a slideshow to guide students through the different elements of the seder. Additionally, they made recycled planters using plastic bottles.
The Adamah on Campus chapter at Brown hosted a seder for 20 students at the Brown RISD Hillel building, complete with fruit tasting, community building, and use of the JYCM Haggadah.
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