Nature Accessible to All Nature field trip center

Nature Accessible to All Nature field trip center for people with special needs Ecological Field Classroom to be built in the Shalom Valley Farm

Time spent outdoors often acts as a therapeutic and care-giving process, wrote Dr. G. W. Burns in “Nature-Guided Therapy” (1998), calling such time one of the most enriching and spectacular experiences the soul can have and stressing that the dialog between people and nature can strengthen their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Lotem is a non-profit association that operates a unique field trip center that gives people with special needs access and activities in nature. Its clients include anyone who needs assistance for guided outdoor nature activities -- people with varying degrees of developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and other needs. Lotem, which was founded in 1993, serves 6, 000 people annually.

The touring center’s activities include field trips, workshops and nature clubs, which empower the guided group members and allow them to get acquainted with materials and processes that nature invites us to see. At Lotem’s special pedagogic center, unique interpretive and teaching materials including those than can be touched and felt, to help participants both learn and enjoy their trips in nature. Communication board

10 % of the population According to the 2009 report of Israel’s Commission for Equal Rights for People with Disabilities, there are some 1. 5 million people with disabilities living in Israel; 700, 000 of them have serious disabilities.

Peace Valley Farm An ecological farm where Lotem holds its learning workshops about the ancient material culture in the Land of Israel, such as olive-oil production, grape-treading and more.

יקנעם Peace Valley Farm צ

נחל סנין Upper Yokne’am im ay hn as l. H ha Na N Ha’emek Spring Peace Valley Farm, in the Nahal Hashofet basin Peace Valley fe o h t as H l ha a N Ramat Menahse Forest

Ecological classroom

Harnessing wind power Ecological classroom Solar-powered oven Solar panels Solar-powered cooking • A shaded and accessible field classroom. • Models of alternative energy producers will be displayed in the classroom: a solar oven, a photoelectric system to produce electricity; a windmill, etc. • Participants will enjoy learning and experiencing the comparison of different ways of producing energy and discovering their environmental “results. ”

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