Activities for children are a key part of Halevav's ecology program. Nine
groups, including over 100 children were organized and meet regularly
throughout the 2008-2009 school year. Participating kids range in age from
3-13 years old. The groups meet at community gardening sites in three Tzfat
neighborhoods: Me'or Chaim, Cana'an and in the Old City. At each of the
garden sites, rainwater collection tanks have been set up for summer
irrigation and to teach children and their parents about water
conservation.
These activity groups ('hugim' in Hebrew) are organized through existing
after-school programs offered by the Department of Human Services; a
school for special needs children; an after-school program for children
from troubled homes; the Sekter community center; and independent
neighborhood projects offered through Halevav.
The children help to plant organic gardens, clean up litter, collect
recyclables, make educational signs for the gardens, and do
ecology-related art projects to take home or to beautify the garden sites.
Older children and pre-teens helped prune fruit trees, build garden beds,
made recycling cages from re-used materials, and harvested olives. The
youngest children are generally accompanied by mothers, who also learn
about organic gardening and ecology.
