Temple Emanuel Preschool Brings Eilat, Israel to Newton, Massachusetts

The weather outside may have been in the lower 30’s, but at Temple Emanuel Preschool, the air was warm and filled with excitement. Children participated in the much anticipated “Eilat Day;” a fun filled day introducing the preschool students to life in Israel’s southernmost city.

Eilat is a busy port and popular resort located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba. With its desert climate, low humidity, average of 360 sunny days a year and proximity to a warm sea, it is the ideal place to visit for Northeasterners in the winter. Eilat Day gave children a chance to use imaginary play to experience life in a city much different than their own.

Students took part in a variety of activities, inspired by science, art, nature, imagination and Judaism. Arriving in bathing suits, they immediately dove into fun science experiments with water using tubes and funnels. The children practiced pouring into the funnels, while learning about gravity and how the water traveled from one place to another.

From there, kids explored an underwater sea observatory at the Red Sea. Each child made a rare exotic fish of their own to hang in the observatory for all to view. As Eilat is one of the most popular diving destinations in the world with relatively pristine coral reef and fish galore, there was a lot to discover. They also had a chance to go fishing in the Red Sea and observe those fish close up.

The Bedouin village in the Judean desert was the next stop on their journey. Under a tented canopy, children were welcomed in and drank imaginary Turkish coffee out of tiny authentic coffee cups. They then took a pretend camel ride as their ancestors have done for centuries and took in desert life from a camel’s view point.

No day trip to Eilat is complete without getting your hands in the sand. Art projects made with sand and glue allowed children an interesting tactile experience. Sea goo was also made for the students to explore with their hands and observe the colors of the sea.

“There’s nothing better than a day at the beach. Eilat Day gives us a chance to show our children life in a city different than their own using art, science, nature and imagination” explained Carol Mersky, Preschool Director.

Temple Emanuel Preschool is a warm and engaging preschool offering children (toddlers through pre-K) a nurturing environment that builds social skills and emotional intelligence, encourages learning through exploration and discovery, and prepares children for future academic and social success. For more information, please visit www.templeemanuel.com/TENS.

Photo Credit: Shay Zandman