As promised, my first guest blogger, Terri (Office Manager at Pages Inc.)  gives us some insights from her trip to Israel.  I asked her to share some thoughts and a few pictures of parks and child care centers she encountered.  I really appreciate her taking the time to share with us.  Many of you are probably world travelers and we’re always interested in your perspective.

Thanks for reading, Edna

Hi All,

I’m just beginning to process my recent trip to Israel.  I’m sorting through pictures and wish I’d had more time for journaling.  But, it’s been said that pictures are worth a thousand words and I hope you find this to be true.

Obviously, this is a beautiful playground called Legacy Heritage Park of Good Wishes.  You could see how a child’s imagination would be stimulated in such a fantasy environment.  The kids I saw were typical––they love to climb, swing, slide, and explore outdoors, but sometimes their outside time is limited because of the unsettling situation in this region of the world.  What struck me is how quickly (15 seconds) the parents must move the children to safety if a siren is sounded.  Where do the children go?  They go into a round cement structure, sort of like a tunnel that is painted to look like a caterpillar.  You can see in the picture that it is incorporated into the playground.   At this point you’re probably thinking children are the same everywhere–wow what child wouldn’t want to crawl around inside a caterpillar!

I thought it was a great example of being child centered.

I also visited a child care center on a Kibbutz.

This too could have been a center in the United States with children playing happily making lots of noise.  An underground bomb shelter was in close proximity to the play area–another reminder of the unsettling atmosphere the children and caregivers live with.

What I took away from this experience is how innovative and creative concerned adults  can be when they stay focused on the needs of children.  The challenge is to insulate children as much a possible from uncertain and volatile  situations that threaten to take away the joys of being a child.

The food was amazing–the weather was cool at first but cooperated for the most part.  The people I met were very helpful and considering the language barrier I needed all the help I could get!  Does anyone know a good tutor in conversational Hebrew?  If any of you plan on visiting Israel or have visited, shoot me an email — I would love to hear from you and share notes.

Take Care,  Terri