I. Map Games

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I.2. Line Up

The leader passes out a card with the name of a place in Israel to each participant.
The group has 30 seconds to line up from north to south.
The leader then calls out the names in order to see if the line is right.

Variation:
Use first names and line up alphabetically, ages, etc.

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I.3. Pin Jerusalem on the Map

The game is the same as “pin the tail on the donkey,” but in this variation, participants locate the city of Jerusalem on the map of Israel.

Variations:
Pin Israel on a map of the world, or locate a different city within Israel.

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I.4. Map Puzzle

Cut up fairly large maps of Israel into puzzle-shaped pieces. For each map create one group and see how quickly each group can put its puzzle together.

Variation:
Each group must put the map/puzzle together nonverbally.

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I.5. Place the City

This game is to be played without consultation between participants, even if not in total silence.

The leader prepares the outline of the borders of Israel on the floor of a large room with masking (duck) tape. The map should be about the size of half the room.
Participants are each given one or more picture postcards (or simply a card) with the name of a place in Israel, and a short time together to walk around the map and place their postcard(s) on the appropriate spot non-verbally.
After all the postcards are placed, participants stand and look at the map for a minute without talking. Then they have another minute to return to the map and still without talking, move any postcards they think were misplaced.
Following this, the leader hangs up a large map of Israel and points out the different places, while each chanich puts his/her postcards in the proper place.

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I.6. My Map

This activity may be done on a weekly basis, or once at the end of the trip to recall places and experiences. In class or community, this is a useful review exercise.

Participants are given a worksheet showing the borders of Israel, with nothing else indicated. They should draw or write on the map their recollections and feelings about the different places they have studied or visited.
This map or maps become a running record of the participants' feedback, or experiences.

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I.7. Talking Postcards

A creative review activity.

Toward the end of the trip or educational program, the leader gives out a picture postcard to each participant of a place in Israel they have studied or visited.
All the participants have a couple of minutes to write an advertisement for that place on the back. Why is that site unique? (Participants can write about experiences that happened to the group, historical facts, the place's religious importance, impressions, etc.)
The leader collects up the cards and distributes them again in random order. Each person now reads one to group.
A fun idea is then to “auction” the postcards/places off, according to the descriptions.

Variation:
Read the “advertisement” while the postcard is resting on a table and see if the group
can guess which site is described.
The winner is the group member whose card stumped the group.

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I.8. Israeli Postman

A variation of fruit bowl and other place exchange games.

For this game, the group should be sitting on chairs in a circle.
Each of the participants chooses the name of an Israeli city. The cities selected are written on the blackboard or on poster paper.
One person is chosen to be in the middle and s/he removes his/her chair from the circle. The person in the middle is the “postman.”
The postman then announces the arrival of a letter from city X to city Y.
The two players using those cities’ names must exchange seats without letting the postman sit down on one of their chairs.
The player left without a seat becomes the new postman and the game continues.

Variation:
To add a little extra excitement, allow the postman to announce a “special delivery”;
all the players must exchange seats at once.
Instead of using just the names of cities in Israel, you can use: moshavim, kibbutzim,
geographical regions (e.g., the Negev, Galil, etc.), mountains, etc….
http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/100/PLACES/index.html

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I.9. Geography

The leader starts by naming a city, state, country, river or lake beginning with the letter A (Afula). http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/100/PLACES/places.html
The first player must name a city…. etc., beginning with the last letter of the previously named word (Acre).
The second player must then name a city…. etc. beginning with the last letter of the last named place (i.e., Eilat).
The game continues in this fashion. Any player unable to give a name is eliminated.
The last players remaining “in” are the winners.

Variation:
Instead of all places, use only places in Israel or use things associated with Chagim.