The Holy Land Playroom

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  Take a journey through Mini Israel, following a group of children as they explore and play. Click through to see more detailed photos and descriptions of the key activities and design elements that Cloudberry Studio uses to create enjoyable, interactive, safe environments for children to play, learn, and share. The journey begins at the Entrance, the portal to the Holy Land. Upon entering, visitors discover an immersive environment, with multiple spaces for different kinds of activity. Immediately past the Entrance is the Town Square, where a round bench encircles an authentic, preserved Date Palm — the central focal point of the experience. Teachers can use this space for informal classes, and visitors can sit comfortably while watching their children play. Faux stone walls surround the space, with archways leading off into different areas to explore.

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  To the left of the Palm is a recreation of a vibrant Souk marketplace, with numerous stalls featuring the food, products, and culture of Israel. This is an immersive play area, where children can explore, role play, and experience for themselves the look, feel, smell, and sound of an authentic Souk.

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  The Clothing Shop is the perfect first stop on a trip to the Souk. Children can explore the colors, fabrics, and different designs of authentic Middle Eastern clothes, including hats, scarves, and jewelry.

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  The Clothing Shop encourages role play, by inviting children to dress up before wandering through the rest of the market.

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  The Produce Shop features a display of the Seven Species, as well as bins full of a variety of wooden fruits and vegetables. Children can select produce, weigh it, and then put it in their basket.

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  At the Spice Shop , children experience the colors, smells, and textures of a variety of spices — both familiar and unfamiliar. The area also engages young learners with a matching activity and spice cone puzzle.

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  The Pita Shop invites children to do multiple role play activities — they can stack and slice shawarma, assemble pitas, and “sell” them to market customers.

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  At the Sweet Shop, children can explore many kinds of Middle Eastern desserts. Some desserts double as physical puzzles, which challenge young learners to sort and stack different shapes and colors.

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  In the Music Shop, children can try out authentic musical instruments from the Middle East, including stringed instruments, drums, and tambourines of all shapes and sizes.

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  Children can explore classic souvenirs from the actual Souk in Jerusalem, including symbols and icons from different religions practiced in the Middle East. A traditional cart, like those in Jerusalem, displays a variety of bread for children to play with.

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  A dollhouse presents traditional scenes from Jewish life, as well as dolls and props for children to create their own scenes.

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  To the right of the Palm is an inspiring ancient ruin, like those found throughout Israel. With faux stone walls, climbing structures, slides, a well, and even a camel, children can explore Israel’s past and present through active play, storytelling, and even by pretending to be an archaeologist digging for relics. Two slides add to the excitement of active play among the Ancient Ruins.

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  The camel and well area provides the perfect setting for telling and acting out stories from the past. And the camel is great to climb on!

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  Past the Palm, through the large stone archways, visitors discover a re-creation of part of the Western Wall, where they can learn about the traditions related to this site and participate in them themselves.

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  Visitors can learn about the traditions of the Western wall, say a prayer, and slip messages into cracks in the wall.

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  A live web cam feed shows the actual Western Wall in Jerusalem, in real time!

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  A puppet theater invites children to reenact stories of Noah, Moses, and even David and Goliath!

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  The final area is the Café Alley, where visitors can eat or host parties. The space recalls a modern city alley filled with restaurants, complete with awnings, signs, and props — a central Pizza Shop features a large counter, for setting up birthday cakes or buffets, while two smaller cafes line one wall. An expansive mural with an Israeli cityscape adds to the immersive feeling.