Schools
Guided tour programs and activities for school groups – educational multidisciplinary biblical experience
Why stay in the classroom when your students can experience the subject matter via their feet, eyes and hands?
At Ancient Shiloh the Bible stories come to life – the Tabernacle, and the books of Joshua, the Judges and Samuel! The Tabernacle and its furnishings have become tangible!
Bar / Bat Mitzva programs acquire deeper meaning and content.
We have developed unique programs suitable for different age groups and adapted to the material taught in the classroom, with age-appropriate experiences for every school grade.
Options include theatrical tours, special workshops, a variety of activities, “discovery” tours guided with riddles and clues, in-depth tours with the Bible in hand, and more.
In addition, we recommend a full-day tour of Shiloh Valley, including hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty, a visit to springs, spectacular observation points, a visit to the uniquely designed Zichron Mishkan Shiloh synagogue, nearby communities and farms, meetings with interesting local residents, visits to various points of its, etc. (all approved by the Ministry of Education).
Phone our office for program options customized especially for you.
We look forward to seeing you at Ancient Shiloh.
Programs for schools
Prayer tours
A tour with a focus on prayer in honor of the students receiving a siddur.
Shiloh is the source of the silent, whispered prayer, and Hannah’s prayer in Shiloh teaches us many aspects of prayer.
During this tour, the students will be invited into the world of prayer, meet with biblical figures (street actors) and participate in a variety of activities.
Target audience: Grades 1 and 2 | Duration of the tour: About 2 hours
Tour highlights
- Meet with biblical characters: a farmer praying for rain, a cohen (priest) from the family that prepares the incense and guards the Tabernacle.
- See the Tabernacle hologram display: a spectacular advanced-technology presentation of the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
- Incense preparation workshop: we will make our own incense and learn about its ingredients and their significance, and their connection to the world of prayer.
- Choshen-crown workshop: we will learn about the meaning behind the choshen (arrangement of stones representing the 12 tribes) and the prayers connected with it. We will make a crown decorated with a miniature replica of the choshen on it, out of faux copper and colored stones.
- Learn about the connection between today’s prayers and Hannah’s prayer. The students will receive a beautiful certificate in the place where Hannah stood and prayed.
What else?
This tour can be upgraded with any of the following activities:
- Book ceremony – each child is called up to receive a siddur / chumash. This ceremony can be held in the grassy area beside the visitors center or in the adjacent Kedem House, at the end of tour and the activities.
- Guided tour of Zichron Mishkan Shiloh synagogue, built with many motifs of the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
I will build a Tabernacle in my heart
A day of activities all about the Tabernacle
The Tabernacle was built by the Israelites in the desert, and traveled with them on their 40-year journey. After they crossed the Jordan river and entered Land of Israel, Joshua Ben Nun established the people’s spiritual center in Gilgal, where the Tabernacle stood for 14 years. After that, Joshua brought the Tabernacle to Shiloh, where it stood for 369 years.
Throughout the day the children will enjoy unique interactive experiences and learn about the Tabernacle and its furnishings, how the Tabernacle was built, and all the places it stood, until its furnishings were brought into the Temple King Solomon built in Jerusalem.
Target audience: Grades 3 to 6 | Duration of the tour: 3-5 hours
Tour highlights
- Walking tour of Ancient Shiloh, including fascinating explanations of the antiquities and entrance to the Tabernacle hologram display: a spectacular advanced-technology presentation of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Watch the Tabernacle being dismantled and reassembled, and see 3D models of the menora and the altar hovering in the air.
- Visit to the Zichron Mishkan Shiloh synagogue, designed and built with many motifs of the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
The children will be invited to discover them.
In search of the lost Tabernacle
Tour with interactive tasks, following the journey of the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
While completing the tasks and activities of this tour, the students stop at different points of interest in Ancient Shiloh, and learn about the special story of Shiloh and the Tabernacle, the twelve tribes, Elkana and Hannah.
Target audience: Grades 3 to 6 | Duration of the tour: 2-4 hours
Tour highlights
- Biblical style costumes
- Young archaeologist experience – deciphering ancient Hebrew script.
- The Tabernacle hologram display: a spectacular advanced-technology presentation of the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
- HaRoeh Observation Tower presentation – spectacular innovative multi-media show that tells the story of the biblical events that happened in Shiloh.
- Search for the site of the Tabernacle at Tel Shiloh.
- End at the site of the Tabernacle
What else?
This tour can be upgraded with any of the following activities:
- Incense preparation workshop: we will make our own incense and learn about its ingredients and their significance.
- Pottery reconstruction workshop: we will learn about the special collar rim jars found at Tel Shiloh and will try our hand at the fascinating work of pottery reconstruction – each child will receive a broken jug and will try to glue it back together, and can even decorate it.
With Bible in hand
Connecting the Bible with the antiquities we see.
A guided tour with a focus on the books of Joshua, Judges and Samuel, and the events from the Israelites’ entry into Land of Israel until the building of the First Temple.
The Bible will be our guide, and we will follow where it leads us.
Target audience: Grades 7 to 12 | Duration of the tour: 2 hours
Tour highlights
- A tour of the site with Bible in hand. The students will follow the trails around the site, and feel the wonderful connection between the biblical verses and the remains that we can see today.
- HaRoeh Observation Tower presentation – spectacular innovative multi-media show that tells the story of the biblical events that happened in Shiloh.
- Tabernacle hologram display: a spectacular advanced-technology presentation of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Watch the Tabernacle being dismantled and reassembled, and see 3D models of the menora and the altar hovering in the air.
- Shiloh Chronicles Museum: An exhibit of the findings and multi-media explanations of the history of Shiloh. Enormous storage jars, ancient coins and other artifacts, plus actors who come alive on touch screens.
What else?
This tour can be upgraded with any of the following activities:
- Prayer and activity at the site of the Tabernacle
- Integrated into the high school matriculation requirements for Land of Israel studies, field trip to a Jewish heritage site in Israel, or Tanach proficiency studies.
- Integrated into a one- or two-day tour of the Binyamin Region, with visits to other nearby biblical, historical, heritage farm, settlement, nature, landscape and human development sites.
Selichot tour
Sunset and evening tours during the Hebrew months of Elul and Tishrei (August-September).
“My heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is raised up…because I rejoice in your salvation.” (1 Samuel, 2:1)
Hannah’s prayer, which was answered on Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year), is the inspiration for these evening tours, which are held in the month preceding Rosh Hashana and during the Ten Days of Penitence, until Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
Target audience: Grades 9-12 and teaching staff | Duration of the tour: 2-3 hours
Tour highlights
- A Selichot tour (along a fully lit path) in the footsteps of the pilgrims who came to Shiloh during the hundreds of years that the Tabernacle was standing here.
- HaRoeh Observation Tower presentation – spectacular innovative multi-media show that tells the story of the biblical events that happened in Shiloh.
- The Tabernacle hologram display: a spectacular advanced-technology presentation of the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
Watch the Tabernacle being dismantled and reassembled, and see 3D models of the menora and the altar hovering in the air.
- Time for prayer and meditation during the tour.
What else?
This tour can be upgraded with any of the following activities:
- Musical experience at the site of the Tabernacle – moving and uplifting experience concerning prayer from the past with our prayers in the present.
- Independent activities that you can hold at the site – in the grassy area beside the visitors center or in the adjacent Kedem House.
- The cost of the Selichot tours varies depending on the timing and duration.
Tours for educational staff
Interactive, content-rich tours in Ancient Shiloh.
An opportunity for a refreshing, bonding experience of a tour through the stunning landscape, combined with content and values, unique presentations and a good meal.
Target audience: Teachers and educators | Duration of the tour: 2-3 hours
Tour highlights
- Enchanting stroll among the antiquities, the biblical verses and the landscape.
- HaRoeh Observation Tower presentation – spectacular innovative multi-media show that tells the story of the biblical events that happened in Shiloh.
- The Tabernacle hologram display: a spectacular advanced-technology presentation of the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
What else?
This tour can be upgraded with any of the following activities:
- Coffee, tea, and delicious baked goods in the wooded picnic area beside the visitors center.
- Musical experience at the site of the Tabernacle – moving and uplifting experience concerning prayer from the past with our prayers in the present.
- Street actor to accompany the tour.
- “Raise a toast” – a wine-tasting tour of one of the boutique wineries near Ancient Shiloh.
- The tour and activities at Ancient Shiloh can be integrated into a back-to-school preparation day, bonding day, end-of-year day, etc.