It’s the holiday season, and with hot doughnuts, chilly nights and cozy evenings by the light of the candles come long days of no school and curious kids. The following list gives ideas for quality fun that’s both educational and appealing for all ages – adults included!
The Israel Children’s Museum of Holon will be opening its stage this Hanukkah by introducing various workshops for their most heartwarming exhibitions. Children and their parents are invited to participate in ‘Invitation to Silence’ and ‘Dialogue in the Dark’, both didactic programs presented by a deaf guide to instruct the audience in a remarkable sensory experience. Children can learn how to sing in sign language and how to communicate through compassion and attentiveness rather than words. The workshops are intended to help develop a sense of heroism, focusing on the senses and the child’s ability to perceive the world in an unfamiliar way. Donuts, of course, will be available as well to remind us of Hanukkah’s most rewarding sense: taste.
For the wee ones (ages two – four) the museum will be offering theatre productions aimed at stimulating the insatiable curiosity of children through storytelling. Productions include “In the Footsteps of a Butterfly” and “An Owl-Cat Tale”. There will also be an interactive gallery that combines theatre with active audience participation. The museum will be open throughout Hanukkah until 17:00 on the weekdays and 13:00 Friday and Saturday.
For older wee ones the museum offers “The Journey to Restore the Kingdom of Time” (ages four – six), “The Enchanted Forest” (six – eight) and “The Aliens” (eight – twelve). Each show introduces a different universal question and provokes thought and open-mindedness for its respective age groups.
For ones who are simply young at heart, the museum’s “Dialogue in the Dark” for adults is an extraordinary tour let by blind guides that takes place in a pitch-black room. The guides instruct visitors how to “see” through texture, smell, intuition and an inner perception that helps us discover more about ourselves and the world around us. “Invitation to Silence” is also offered to adults who wish to embark upon a world without sound; a communication beyond the boundary of words. Intimate groups of ten promise an intense and uplifting experience.
For more information on what the museum offers, including prices and dates, visit their website:
www.childrenmuseum.org.il
If film, comic books and digital creativity is more your style, the Holon Mediatheque will be hosting numerous productions in fields for the endearingly nerdy. Programs are suitable for the entire family and include comic book workshops, theatre and tours in the Design Museum Holon. The Design Museum will also be presenting their new exhibition “Decode: A Digital Experience”. Close by, the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics is also launching comic and animation workshops for ages 9 – 12 throughout the holidays. Popular comic book artists will instruct on how to draw super-heroes, how to fight bad guys and how to be the coolest geek in town.
For tips, tricks and times visit www.mediatheque.org.il , www.dmh.org.il and www.cartoon.org.il
Hanukkah at the Holon Theatre: If you’ve had enough of family workshops and dynamic outings visit the Holon Theatre and reunite with childhood’s most endearing stories. Recommended productions include The Wizard of Oz and the Jungle Book, but check out their website for a more detailed schedule.
If you live up north, wear your pajamas on December 20th to the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra’s Children’s Pajama Concert in Tirat Carmel, celebrating music from Mozart to Shalom Hanoch. The show will highlight the beauty of music for all ages with an emphasis on classical Israeli, and children are encouraged to arrive with pillows and P.J’s. For details call 04-857-3554
The Herzylia Center for Performing Arts also has a great lineup of shows for the entire family: ‘The Wizard of Oz’, Yuval Hamebulbal’s musical ‘The Heroes of the Light’ and ‘School for Musical Musicians’ will be presented, among others. They’re website www.hoh-herzylia.co.il will give you all the dates and details.
Holiday activities in the Yaffa Old City: To experience the Old City’s 4000-year-old history, take a walking tour along Israel’s first port and stop off at the Old City Yaffa Museum to experience the display of “Winter Lights” and see through art how three of the world’s oldest religions celebrate their respective holidays. For more art exhibitions and walking tours you can visit the Ilana Goor Museum website or the Ben Zion Museum of Jewish Yemenite Art website.
Yaffo’s many intimate theatres will also be showing numerous productions, including (my personal favourite) Simta Theatre and the Arab Hebrew Theatre . Nalaga’at Theater’s holiday program for children includes the play Prince Indik, a sculpture workshop, Hannukah songs in sign language, candle lighting and a light meal. Performances of Prince Indik will take place from December 25 – 28, 2011 at 12:00 and 16:00, with activities all day from 10:00 – 18:00. For additional information call: 03-6330808.
Three Days of the Environment and Dance Vertigo Dance Company’s Eco-Art Village: Grab your leg warmers, tea canisters and dancing feet and head out to Kibbutz Nativ Halamed Hei for a holiday course focusing on the unique Vertigo dance technique combining modern dance, ecology and philosophy: the perfect way to burn off Hanukkah’s irresistible jelly-filled doughnuts while clearing your head in nature. The course is an enriching, inspirational experience of the body and its connection to its origin, the earth. Hiking and workshops on environmental awareness and activity will be intergraded into the course and students will be presenting their new moves at the end of the three-days accompanied by the Vertigo dance company. Sign up via e-mail to office@vertigo.org.il
