Sydenham’s sensory garden comes alive
JOBURG - The pupils of Sydenham’s Hebrew Pre-Primary School recently celebrated the Jewish holiday, Tu B’Shevat by planting herbs such as sage, rosemary and thyme in the school's sensory garden.
Tu B’Shevat occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month and is also called Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot meaning, New Year of the Trees.
It is the new year for calculating the age of trees and calculating the beginning of the agricultural cycle. The fruit from the trees may not be eaten during the first three years; the fourth year’s fruit is for God, and after that, the fruit may be eaten.
The children used all their senses to explore the different herbs which were planted and were taught how to take care of the garden in the future. All the pupils were dressed in green, as Rabbi Goldman chatted to the children about the five special fruits that they should eat. These fruits included grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.
After planting the herbs, the pupils sang songs and enjoyed a picnic in the garden.
