Tishrei Calendar Lab for Ages 8–12

"Tishrei Calendar Lab for Ages 8–12" by Tessa Bloom presents a hands-on approach for young learners to understand the structure of the Jewish calendar month of Tishrei. This guide directs readers aged eight to twelve to construct parallel timelines for both civil and Hebrew dates, noting how days commence at sundown. It covers the period from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, the seven days of Sukkot, and Tishrei’s concluding festivals. The author employs paper wheels, transparent overlays, and date cards to illustrate lunar months within a lunisolar system. The activities avoid asking students to calculate the calendar from astronomical principles or dictate religious observance, focusing instead on accurate representation and understanding. Historical context is provided to differentiate earlier methods of month observation from the standardized calendar in use today.

The book’s content includes sections on locating Tishrei precisely, comparing Israel and Diaspora timelines for specific observances, and identifying common calendar inaccuracies. Features such as "calendar trap" pages address and correct common misunderstandings like off-by-one errors or assumptions about daytime-only observances. The material supports religious literacy through its mathematical organization, ensuring that all boundaries and labels are verifiable. The final project involves designing a reliable calendar, complete with a legend, sunset notation, source attribution, and an explanation of one calendrical difference. This resource is categorized under children's literature, religion and spirituality, and education and teaching, offering an accessible framework for Jewish calendar education.