An amazing aspect that is part of the Alexander Muss program is the outdoor learning.

An amazing aspect that is part of the Alexander Muss program is the outdoor learning. Almost three times a week, our teachers make the outdoors our classrooms. We learn about the historical concepts of each site while actually standing on them. We do this through classes while on hikes, in parks, and on top of mountains. We also go on tiyulim (field trips) to museums, archaeological sites, and historical sites to have our lessons. It allows us to fully understand the historical concepts of each of the sites we visit, and paints a picture of what we are learning about. Personally, this type of teaching helps my understanding of each concept dramatically. I am a visual learner, meaning that I have to visualize all the concepts we are learning about. This method of teaching does the visualizing for me, therefore I understand it better. Also, it’s so interesting and keeps me on my feet at all times, and I can’t ever fall asleep because we are always scaling mountains and running around. For example, we hiked Masada at four o’clock in the morning to see the sunrise. After we stayed on top of the mountain and had our classes in the ruins of the castle. We learned about the history of Masada while actually being on top of the mountain itself. It was amazing and I was able to internalize the experience. I now feel more connected to my Jewish heritage because I was able to fully understand the historical significance of Masada. So far, that has been one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life.  In the end, the outdoor learning and tiyulim really help my understanding of my Jewish history and I was able to connect to each topic and concept inwardly.