"The Rejected Girl Stood Before Her Classmates, Awed by Her Creations"

Noya (a pseudonym) was a quiet girl, too quiet. She wanted to play with other girls and even invite them to her home, but she didn't know how. In school classes she tried to participate and talk to friends, but her lack of confidence blocked her, and as always she remained alone. Rejected.

Noya had one thing she truly loved. Once a week, coming back from school, she would go into her room, close the door, and watch the digital sculpting class of Gatit Ilay. It was her kingdom. During her private time, she would feel the clay, express herself, press the material, transform it, creating beautiful and moving figures, and for the first time experienced the sweet feeling of success.

"This rejected girl," says Gatit Ilay, "brought the figures she sculpted to class, and with the encouragement of the teacher, displayed them to the girls who gathered around her in awe, explaining to them how she creates with clay. The change she experienced and the confidence she gained were immense."

Noya's story is one of many that accompany Gatit Ilay, a sculpting artist and the director of the Clay School. The meeting of the child with the soft material provides them with therapy time, release, and success. Another story is about a boy diagnosed with ADHD.

"This charming boy couldn't sit in class for a whole lesson, but when he dealt with clay, he would sit focused for hours, quickly creating figures as per my guidance, and did it at a very high level. The same figures I create and sculpt over two weeks, he created in two hours at a level not inferior to an expert sculptor. It excites me to see each time anew how these children who face frustrations in studies finally experience a sense of success and satisfaction."

Sculpting Releases Children from Feelings of Stagnation and Anxiety

Creating with clay provides immediate feedback to children and teaches them to regulate their movements. Throughout the creation process, they must keep balance in the force they apply to the clay. If they press it hard, the creation will be ruined. If they are too gentle, the material won't obey them, making clay a very powerful tool for working with aggressive or insecure children.

"Especially now, in these tense times, I see how sculpting contributes to children. It offers them a distraction from news and difficult reality, directing them to focus on their inner world. They feel their emotions, become attentive to themselves and their imagination. It disconnects them momentarily from the effects of war and offers them a safe space.

"In a reality where we sometimes feel helpless, clay also provides a sense of control. The child is the creator. They press the clay and it takes the shape of their press—they are its designer. The child builds a small world of their own and figures they are responsible for, all providing them a sense of control over their environment."

Gatit talks about another important advantage of creating with clay: "The activity engages the child's body muscles, similar to physical exercise, releasing their mind and prompting them to create and progress. Of course, creating with clay is not a substitute for therapy, but it's a liberating material worth using domestically during these times."

Currently, when some children feel tension, and some have a father or brother in the reserves, clay is a soft and wonderful material that allows them to play and relax from fear and tension.

"Today, Children Live in Boxes"

When Gatit looks at the current situation, with children studying in schools and spending afternoons watching screens, she realizes how important it is to grant them a creative space.

"Unfortunately, today's children live in boxes. They sit in class along with about 30 other children and don't have the opportunity to express themselves and release the creativity inside them. At the end of the school day, they come to their homes, where parents return tired from a long workday, resulting in children sitting in front of screens for long hours, lacking the opportunity to channel their energy, leading to a vicious cycle. The child tries to release themselves negatively, and in response, they receive another suggestion to watch the screen, which still doesn’t help them release creativity and energy positively, resulting in a child who doesn't receive what they need.

"Screen exposure provides children auditory and visual stimulation but creates a crucial lack of sensory stimulation. The digital workshops on the Clay School's website do require screen time, but simultaneously encourage children to engage with clay, providing them the stimulus they need. Instead of the screen numbing the children, it encourages them to create."

I Consult My Children on the Sculpting Program

The Clay School founded by Gatit began as a small idea after having her first pair of twins (out of her nine children—four of the younger ones are two pairs of twins), and later developed into a full school with workshops and sculpting lessons.

The phase in which she brought into the world sweet twins is remembered by Gatit in a blurred way. "I hardly slept," she laughs, "so I barely remember how I functioned at that time. My hands were always occupied. With one hand I pushed a stroller with a baby, and the other I cradled the second baby, and the older kids, who were on vacation, demanded attention."

At the start of her journey, Gatit studied teaching, and after finishing her studies, realized she was interested in another direction in life and turned to art studies.

"I have always sculpted, but the idea to establish a special school for clay started just after the birth of the twins, when I was looking for an activity that would allow me to engage them while my hands were occupied. I suggested they build a zoo out of clay together. They brought a huge cardboard on which I drew with my one hand where to place the cages, and for hours they sat and created the zoo as they imagined. I couldn't believe it, but my children were engaged for two weeks with the growing zoo. They upgraded the game, created special rules, and after feeling they concluded it—they moved on to other projects, like a swimming pool made entirely of clay."

When surprised Gatit saw her children full of satisfaction and creativity, she felt she discovered a secret that many more children could enjoy. She consulted her children, and they together wrote the ideas used later in the clay courses she conducts.

"Topics such as market, Shabbat, synagogue came up. One can say that all the subjects I teach for clay creation are advised by my children, who guide me on what children like and are interested in."

First a Mother, Then an Artist

When I ask Gatit how she founded a business while having a family of nine children, including two sets of twins, she emphasizes that her primary career is being a mother. "My self-fulfillment in life and what is most important to me is being a mother to my children, so challenges and dilemmas related to my business and being a mother just don't meet me, because I always put the children first.

"Twins are a huge gift. However, it's clear that when they were younger, at certain times I felt the challenge was physically hard for me, and that I sometimes needed to go out, refresh, and juggle tasks. Thank Hashem, I have a wonderful and supportive family who willingly helps. For instance, once when I was invited to an interview, my daughter joined me with the little twin, watching over him while my husband stayed home with the other twin."

Hearing Gatit's words is moving. Especially today, as we talk about balancing career and family, and our self-realization as women, I continue to ask how the Clay School was founded, and she replies: "During the time I had to take care of small babies, I couldn't establish the Clay School as online courses. It can be said that this was the pregnancy stage of the business. Women who dream about starting a business ask me how it's possible with small children, and the answer is to understand that there is a time for everything. There are years that we devote to caring for the little ones, and there are years when we are more available.

"I started the online courses when my little twins were two years old, and there are still days, like summer vacation, or during the COVID-19 pandemic or war, when thank Hashem the house is full of noise, and I can't record the courses. In such times my husband takes the children to the park, or I choose to record at night when the house is quieter.

"There were instances where I had a sick child at home who wanted to be with me in the room during the recording, so I offered them to record a few words or wish the students good luck. These are videos my students connect with a lot, especially because they hear a child of their age wishing them success."

When Gatit walks around Beit El, the settlement where she lives, she meets mothers who in their childhood attended her sculpturing classes. "One day a woman in the settlement approached me and said: 'So, when will you teach my kids to make a High Priest out of clay? They play Playmobil with non-Jewish figures, teach them how to make a High Priest and that's who they will play with.'"

This idea led Gatit to a new sculpting course, where children learn to sculpt a High Priest, Levites, and even the offerings—all out of clay.

Additionally, you can find unique courses with her like sculpting the Seven Species, or a course specifically for the Chanukah holiday. Her touch of Judaism in the world of sculpting and the connection between her courses and the Jewish holidays distinguishes her from other artists who also teach the art of clay.

"It's very important to me to provide children with quality and valuable content. This is the line that guides me. Thank Hashem, children from all over the world study with me, including children from Panama, Spain, Siberia, the USA, and even India. I'm happy to continue fostering creativity in children and giving them a time where they fill with positive energy, experience successes—all while maintaining a Jewish and educational atmosphere."

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