Backyard Rainbows

Educator's Corner

Adapted by Laura Bellows of the Teva Learning Alliance from Spirit in Nature: Teaching Judaism and Ecology on the Trail by Matt Biers-Ariel, Deborah Newbrun, and Michal Fox Smart (Behrman House, 2000).
 
Ages: 6 and up
 
Setting: Outdoors, in a colorful, biodiverse natural area
 
Goals:

• To strengthen personal commitment to conservation and stewardship
• To increase awareness and observation skills
• To understand the rainbow in a Torah context: A sign of God’s promise never again to destroy the earth and a reflection of the beauty of creation
• To learn the traditional blessing for seeing a rainbow and/or share appreciation of this divine covenant
• To become familiar with appropriate care and collecting practices in nature (for example, not collecting poison ivy, not picking unless abundant)

Download Lesson Plan