Pop Up Adventure Play is coming to Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse to offer a workshop for parents, teachers, childcare professionals, or anyone interested in exploring the value of play in children's development.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Play
This workshop focuses on expanding participants’ current understanding of play by providing context from years delivering staffed play provision in diverse global settings. Although children have all the instincts they need to play, adults can provide essential support, permission and encouragement, as well as help create rich and engaging environments. In the UK and elsewhere, the adventure playground movement which began during the Second World War has developed a field of play support, called playwork. We introduce refine key concepts and essential methods from playwork, including risk/benefit analysis and dynamic assessments.
This workshop is designed with the expectation that audience members already believe in the importance of play, and are seeking concrete methods to continue building momentum. We also include time to play!
This workshop includes:
● Unstructured’ and 'self-structured’ -- defining key terms
● An invitation to play, followed by group reflection
● Welcome to playwork -- theory and approach
● The power of ‘yes’ -- tools for rethinking risk
● Taking play home -- the basics of a playwork approach made applicable to any setting
PQAS (The Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System) credits are available for attending this event.
*New! Special Guest Erin Davis will share her experiences filming the Play Free Movie about The Land, an adventure playground in Wales. Read her interview with The Atlantic.
Light refreshments will be provided. This workshop is just for adults. Kids can come on Saturday, April 12th for loose parts play with Pop-Up Adventure Play!