Ya'ara Bashan Haham (MSc) is a researcher, consultant, playground planner and author of the parent's guide book "The treasure under the swing".
Ya'ara conducted the first academic research in Israel in the field of playgrounds as part of her master's in industrial design at the Technion, Israel, on the following subject: “Adapting play equipment to the needs and behavior of children”. She discovered that many playgrounds didn't meet the children's very important needs. She conducted the most comprehensive (and the only) survey in Israel (among 700 playgrounds), in order to know which playground equipment was available for the children, and if it provided a balanced "nutritional value" for them. Since 2006 she has been working to promote awareness of the importance of play, its value and its benefits for the development of children, among parents and educators in Israel.
Ya'ara has developed a unique field of knowledge that focuses on playgrounds from a vision of the children's needs. She integrates knowledge in planning with understanding of children's needs and behavior, which helps her to make informed choices when planning playground.
The parent's guide book she wrote, "The treasure under the swing", was written in order to provide parents with tools to develop basic skills in the playground. The book was published on December 2015 in Israel, in Hebrew.
Ya'ara has four grown children, and she lives in Israel.
