"Birthday of the World" nature walk
Do you know that Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the world?
Rosh Hashanah is the perfect time to take your family on a "Birthday of the World" Nature Walk! Not only is it fun to explore our wonderful world, but also taking the time to appreciate our world, and all that's in it, is the Jewish value Hoda'ah (appreciation).
You can take a nature walk anywhere, but ours took place at Mead Botanical Garden in Winter Park, Florida. We explored under a canopy of trees - surrounded by woods, chirping birds, fluttering butterflies, and a still deep pond.
Start by giving by giving your child a pair of binoculars. I love incorporating imaginative play into our activities, so I crafted colorful binoculars from six inch squares of heavy weighted card stock. In order for the binoculars to "work," we had to first cover them stickers!
Children used the binoculars to look high into the sky for clouds, birds and treetops! We extended our nature walk by using a magnifying glass to discover all kinds of tiny things...dewdrops, blades of grass and little bugs.
These are all the things we looked for on our nature walk:
Nest
Spider's Web
Robin
Feather
Worm
Bunny
Tree Blossoms
Dandelion
Puddle
Green Leaf
Sea Pod
Something Yellow
Mushroom
Ant
Dew Drop
Wildflowers
Animal Footprints
Mud
Smooth Rock
Shadow
Have fun appreciating and exploring our wonderful world on the "Birthday of the World!"
Discover more family outings and activities for Rosh Hashanah here, like a visit to a honeybee farm, by having an apple and honey picnic breakfast, experiencing a special way to say goodbye to mistakes and discovering how butterflies can help children learn about Rosh Hashanah! Let us know how you’re celebrating in the comments below!
Shana tova! Happy New Year!
~Jennifer
