How quickly can you solve different challenges to find the launch code and send SpaceIL’s lunar spacecraft to the moon?
That’s the question The iCenter for Israel Education is asking groups around the country in a different kind of escape room experience. As the clock counts down, participants learn about Israeli history, arts and culture, Jewish mysticism, STEM—and how to work as a team.
Over the past year, the room has traveled across North America, welcoming groups as young as 13, in addition to educators, administrators and lay leaders.
“Escape rooms spark creativity, develop teamwork skills, and engage learners in new and different ways,” says Dan Tatar, who runs escape rooms for the iCenter. “These immersive experiences activate problem-solving skills, tap into curiosity and are really fun!”
The iCenter, which serves as the North American educational partner for SpaceIL, has experimented with this approach to education for years. The SpaceIL escape room has been used with all types of audiences, including Jewish summer-camp directors, educators and leaders at day schools, congregational schools, rabbinic programs, teens and college students.
Participants describe the escape room as entertaining, challenging, team-building and collaborative.
“Israel’s mission to the moon captured the attention and inspired so many people,” says Tatar. “The escape room taps into that excitement and builds on it to create a really unique Israel experience.”
