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Purim market at the Maof After School Center
Although Purim is already behind us, it is still not too late to tell you about the unique Purim market that took place at the Maof After School Center that operates within the Ilan Ramon School in Jerusalem.
This is the second year that the children of the club set up a Purim market for all their schoolmates. The kids plan and arrange the market from scraatch all by themselves. They make up stations, prepare the signs and decorations, they promote the market in the weeks before Purim and of course they themselves guide the children at the stations.
We see in this very significant empowerment process for our kids.
With the help of the Purim market, children learn to be responsible, experience a sense of ability and success, learn to persevere, cope with frustrations, and so on. This time, too, the market was a great success.
Well done to the kids and all the respect to the team !!!
Our Champions In The Jerusalem Marathon
Last Friday in the Jerusalem Marathon was held in the city. Lots of runners participated in the race, but one group stood out – the children of Gilboa After School Center of Yad Rachel. The kids and staff ran together and we see them as The Champions and Winners even before the race began.We admire their initiative, participation and sportsmanship!
A meeting with the writer Mirik Snir
As a part of the project “After the the reading” for encouraging and strengthening the passion to read in Yad Rachel After School Center “Erez” we held a meeting with the writer Mirik Snir. Preparation for the meeting started long before the activity: in the month preceding the arrival of the writer, children read some of her books, during learning activities for parents and children they wrote together some interesting questions for Mirik. In addition, every parent and child received Instructions and materials for making an animal from the story “If suddenly I meet a lion”. The exhibition presented the animals to the writer on the day of the meeting. During the meeting Mirik told children stories, answered their questions, presented them with signed books and held a conversation parents on their responsibilities as adults to expose children to books and enrich their world. Both parents and kids really liked it and it appeared to us that all of the sides got a lot of positive experience from this activity.
Literacy Program funded by The Jerusalem Foundation as a part of Yad Rachel Activity
We are very grateful for the continued funding The Jerusalem Foundation is providing for our Literacy Program.
In the current information age, an individual’s literacy level has a critical impact on a person’s ability to integrate into society, to contribute to it and enjoy the contribution from it. Literacy skills, including the ability to acquire language, social competence, etc. and to use it correctly, begins to form at an early age. As a child grows up, we witness a remarkable evolutionary process, rich and multi-dimensional. Studies show that when it comes to literacy skills, the children problematic social backgrounds struggle wit the most significant gaps and their success levels in the field of literacy are much lower then those of the children from a high socio-economic background.
The combination of the educational component, emotional component and extra studies, as part of a treatment offered by Yad Rachel, allows families to move forward with confidence creative and to grow up productive members of the society.
Together with The Jerusalem Foundation we have established the assisted learning room in Yad Rachel main building in Jerusalem. This room has a magical atmosphere where we are able to give children the opportunity to get to know the world of letters, reading and writing more closely. Our teachers have worked hard on the design and planning of the room and of course on preparing learning materials and activities to help kids make the most out of the space offered. The children will find here a place to read, to play, to create works of art on issues related to the stories they are being taught at the moment and on and on. Environment is comfortable here, neatly kept room and it’s good arrangement helps children to feel respect and appreciation for the activities that take place there, and even for themselves when they take part and make success in the learning process.
We are always happy to thank our donors and partners from The Jerusalem Foundation!
Have a closer look to our renewed learning room:
Paz After School Center Exhibition In Israeli Museum
This week there was an impressive and exciting event at the Israeli Museum. Kids from Paz After School Center which is operated by Yad Rachel in Rainbow Talpaz school in East Talpiot in Jerusalem, presented their art works to their families, school officials and representatives of the Ministry of Welfare. The exhibition at the museum was the end of a very significant process occurred in the past two months, during which the children came once a week, accompanied by a museum’s art instructor, Mrs. Nina Elan. They produced several series of works of art related to nature and life circles. The exposure of children to the subject, the art and the museum was very significant for them. During the work they have learned a lot about themselves and their friends and acquired many tools that will help them in their lives. In addition to the exhibition of children’s works of, families also received a guided tour of one of the current exhibitions at the museum and were interested in it, asked lot of questions and participated very actively.
This is not the first time we have such cooperation with Israel Museum and all the museums in the country and every time we are excited about the intensity of the process and the exhibitions themselves for the children and their parents and therapeutic work done outside the treatment room.
Purim in Yad Rachel
These days we celebrate the holiday of Purim all around the country. Of course, it also was felt in our programs. The team members are doing their best to give children a special experience, colorful and happy.
Here are only several examples: our main building in Jerusalem became a palace with a fancy banquet hall, Alonim Afterschool Center became a live jungle, the Center in Mavkiim turned to a magical world of Alice in Wonderland and the kids from Alon Shvut were surprised to celebrate the holiday in the Kingdom of Sweets.
Thanks to huge effort of the staff members and their orientation towards the needs of our children, the kids from our Centers had really happy and special Purim holiday.
Creating and Recycling In Yad Rachel Preschool Center
Each month in Yad Rachel Afterschool Centers has it’s special topic. At the Alonim Center for preschoolers from Jerusalem we’ve been working recently on two themes: “Me And My Body” and “The Family”. On the firs one the staff dedicated some time to the concept of “personal space”. Councellors and kids created puppets and created small drama sketches on various situations of everyday life that allow even such small children to understand the idea. One of the activities on the subject of the family was the creation of the family of animals and the dialog about various characteristics different families may have.
Seminar On Puppetry In Jerusalem
As a part of personnel training program, at regular intervals throughout the year there are being held various enrichment courses and seminars. These seminars cover issues relevant to our work with children and their families, as we strive to professionalize it and to give our staff the greatest variety of tools to help them cope with the challenges they face working in our Centers. During the last month we’ve offered our team in Jerusalem to take a part in a course on puppetry. Our counsellors had learned and experienced working with puppets and received an additional and very creative tool with which they can conduct a therapeutic dialog with the children.
The everyday life in Afterschool Centers in Jerusalem
Everything feels new after the holidays… Holidays ended and the daily routine of the clubs began. The children come regularly and even holidays do not interrupt our work. Team members are able to spend all the resources and energies for creating a significant a process. Fortunately, after many bureaucratic difficulties that do not depend on us, the Centers opened also in Jerusalem. After a long time of preparation and anticipation both children and staff met again and started working, learning and creating with great excitement.