For two challenging years, When the sirens blared across the Galilee and Golan, children dove for cover, enduring the “boomim” that have defined their lives since Oct. 7, 2023. While the intensity of the fighting has shifted, the instability has not disappeared. But when the Wonder Wheels mobile unit arrives, they dive into science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) instead. This is trauma-informed healing through play in action. A small hand grips a lavender-scented calming bag, holding it close. “Now I’ll be able to sleep at night,” the boy tells our staff, reflecting the profound need for stability and hope. We are delivering hands-on learning and building resilience for a generation growing up under conflict in a region that lacks a dedicated children’s museum.
The idea began with a dream. One Yom Kippur, I dreamed I was tasked with building a children’s museum, an interactive space devoted to STEAM where children could explore, create and discover. The task felt enormous, but the voice in my head urged me, “You know you don’t start ‘finished.’ Take baby steps.” When I began, I realized a stark reality that with more than 415,000 children, the Galilee and Golan, an underserved area under constant threat, had no dedicated children’s museums to support curiosity, creativity, and resilience.
Our plan was bold: to build a permanent, world-class museum in the North. But in October 2023, as the region erupted in conflict, the immediate psychological needs of these children became a national emergency. For a three-year-old, this war has shaped most of his life. For a nine-year-old, half of her schooling has been disrupted. Faced with this urgency, our emerging museum pivoted. We launched Wonder Wheels, a mobile outreach unit to bring interactive learning and moments of healing directly into schools and community centers when they needed it most.
With continued stress hanging in the air and the uncertainty of when the next siren might sound, we needed to maximize the therapeutic aspects along with the fun and learning. For that reason, we partnered closely with the Community Stress Prevention Center (CSPC), a leading trauma-focused organization. Their trauma team, led by Dr. Nira Kaplansky, ensures that every activity is designed to help children process trauma, restore a sense of personal control and build psychological resilience. This work addresses the present moment, helping children regain a sense of safety and stability amid ongoing uncertainty.
Wonder Wheels travels to schools and community centers, reaching children ages 3 to 12. Programs are designed to promote social, academic and emotional growth for children of all backgrounds and abilities, fostering true diversity in learning. Offerings include 10-session STEAM series that promote teamwork and creative thinking, along with a dedicated Resilience Program featuring hands-on projects designed to reinforce flexibility, problem-solving and inner strength. We also host pop-up events with playful STEAM tools such as kinetic sand, magnetic tiles and a puzzle-room veterinary clinic.
Since launching, Wonder Wheels has already touched the lives of over 10,000 children from 48 diverse communities across the northern conflict zone, including Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze communities. Teachers have noted that neurodivergent children in their classes also thrive with these activities. Principal Smadar Zanti of the Weizmann School in Acre shared, “Your mobile unit transformed our school into a space of exploration, curiosity, and emotion. Through play and solving challenges, the children learned about compassion, responsibility and teamwork and strengthened their sense of personal and social competence.” Parents echo this feedback, describing how their children still sleep with the calming lavender bags months later.
Meanwhile, architectural plans and the permitting process are underway for my original dream: The Children’s Museum of the Galilee, to be built on nearly five acres in the hills of the Lower Galilee, adjacent to the Kadoorie Educational Complex. Wonder Wheels will remain an essential off-site outreach program even after the permanent museum campus opens. Designed by an award-winning architect and exhibit design team, the sustainable campus is part of a broader effort to rebuild, reimagine, and reinvest in northern Israel. Wonder Wheels continues to respond to today’s crisis and will remain an ongoing mobile offshoot of the museum, while the permanent building will represent a forward-looking investment in the region’s future, creating an educational and cultural anchor that will serve generations to come.
Believe it or not, many children in northern Israel have never been to a museum, ever. As an American-born Israeli who has lived in the region for more than 20 years, I see firsthand how vital it is to create spaces that strengthen communities where needs are greatest. The Children’s Museum of the Galilee will not only fill an educational gap but serve as a beacon of hope, healing and possibility, rooted in the North and built for its future. Through joyful, informal learning, we are building more than a museum. We are building a brighter future for the children who call this region home.
To learn more about the Friends of Children’s Museum of the Galilee, visit www.ChildrensMuseumoftheGalilee.org
Laya Saul, a Los Angeles native and children’s author, founded the Children’s Museum of the Galilee to help build northern Israel and inspire a new generation of young learners.
