There are growing calls this morning for governments and local authorities to urgently look at steps to allow more children to use their local streets for outside play. A new paper by Prof. Alison Stenning and Dr. Wendy Russell explores the issues around children's access to space during government restrictions, within the context of the … Continue reading Academics highlight children’s need for street play during lockdown
Wales’ adventure playgrounds take playwork to their communities in lockdown
Playworker Sîon Edwards describes how the adventure playgrounds in Wales are responding to the Covid-19 crisis with their customary playfulness and innovation. All four playgrounds in Wales are in the northeast, with three in Wrexham and one in Rhyl. Fortunately, this close proximity means I’m able to give a bit of an update on the … Continue reading Wales’ adventure playgrounds take playwork to their communities in lockdown
Conference goes online
Meynell Games offers two new opportunities for the playwork community to stay connected Meynell Games, organiser of the annual National Playwork Conference, has launched two new projects designed to take aspects of the playwork discourse on-line. Meynell TV This is a short (approximately 15-minute) TV talk show available from 9:00 every Monday on YouTube. 8 … Continue reading Conference goes online
Birmingham adventure playgrounds featured in oral history project
Meriden Adventure Playground is one of those featured in the Let Us Play archive exhibition General Public's Oral Histories has launched part one of it's Let Us Play project, an investigation of the ‘state of play’ today. Initially this involves the collation of an archive of material to capture the Birmingham adventure playground movement of … Continue reading Birmingham adventure playgrounds featured in oral history project
Screen Playing
Penny Wilson tells the story of how her innovative public space play project in London's famous Kings Cross development has moved on-line ... without losing any of its 'crazy flavour' Playkx was designed as a play offer in the Kings Cross development area that was not a built play environment. Instead of timber or steel … Continue reading Screen Playing
Rising to the Covid challenge
Julia Sexton, a trustee of Pitsmoor Adventure Playground, describes how the physical space of the playground is giving way, during lockdown, to the relational space of the project's integral links with its community Adventure playgrounds are more than just physical spaces. They are relational spaces (Lester, Fitzpatrick and Russell, 2014); each unique and individual, created … Continue reading Rising to the Covid challenge
Serving our community in lockdown
Before the lockdown... Ali Wood, a trustee of Meriden Adventure Playground in the West Midlands, describes how the lockdown has affected the service, and how the playground has become part of the wider community response. Meriden Adventure Playground is currently closed, as are other adventure playgrounds. We have furloughed most of our staff and been … Continue reading Serving our community in lockdown
Foundation seminars remember Sturrock and Else
Early this year The Playwork Foundation launched a new series of seminars around the UK, about the Play Cycle, taken from Gordon Sturrock and Perry Else's now-famous Colorado Paper – The playground as Therapeutic Space: Playwork as Healing.The Play Cycle helps us better understand children’s playing and the ways in which they communicate and behave … Continue reading Foundation seminars remember Sturrock and Else
Welsh playwork training delivered in England
A collaboration between Play Wales and the Playwork Foundation, has seen the ADDaPT course now been delivered for the first time to a group of playwork trainers in England. The Welsh ‘Award in Delivering Dynamic Play Training’ (ADDaPT), forms part of Play Wales’ quality assurance for playwork qualifications, and only those trainers who can demonstrate … Continue reading Welsh playwork training delivered in England
Annual General Meeting 29 May 2020
The Playwork Foundation will hold its Annual General Meeting, via Zoom, on Friday 29th May 2020 at 10 am. Playwork Foundation members are most welcome to attend, to catch up on all we have been doing, and help form our plans going forward. If you are a member and would like to attend, please email the Playwork Foundation … Continue reading Annual General Meeting 29 May 2020