IPA PlayRights Magazine (April/May 2020)

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The Role of DESIGN in Play

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Adventure Playgrounds 101

IPA Play in Crisis: Support for Parents & Carers Loose Parts Play Illustrated 1   P L AY R I G H T S

ISSUE 1:20 APRIL 2020

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OFFICERS

President Robyn Monro-Miller

Australia

Vice President Kathy Wong Kin-ho

Hong Kong

Membership Tam Baillie

Scotland

Development Sudeshna Chatterjee India

Communications Cynthia Gentry

USA

Treasurer Mike Greenaway

Wales U N R E P R E S E N TAT I V E Roger Hart

I PA C O U N C I L M E M Argentina Australia Canada England/Wales Germany Hong Kong India Israel Japan New Zealand Nigeria Northern Ireland Portugal Scotland Sweden Taiwan USA

BERS (APRIL 2020) Beatriz Caba Barbara Champion Pierre Harrison Meynell Walter Gerhardt Knecht Maggie Koong Sruthi Atmakur-Javdekar, PhD Sheana Briazblatt Hitoshi Shimamura Jill Rice Abimola Nwozuru Jacqueline O’Loughlin Frederico Duarte Lopes Anne-Marie Mackin Nik Dee Hahlström Shih-Tsung Chang Deb Lawrence

E D I TO R :

Cynthia Gentry (USA)

Magazine feedback: We welcome your comments and suggestions at communications@ipaworld.org.

All inquiries regarding the reproduction of any material which appears in PlayRights for any purpose whatsoever should be directed in writing to the editor.

The views expressed in articles within PlayRights are those of the authors and not necessarily those of IPA. The publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. © 2020 IPA Cover Photo: © Rael San Fratello

What the International Play Association is and how you can join IPA is a dynamic international organisation with members in five continents and more than 40 countries. It has active groups throughout the world and enthusiastically welcomes new members and new energy!

IPA is an interdisciplinary organisation bringing together people from all professions working for and with children. For over fifty years national groups have initiated a wide variety of projects that promote the child’s right to play.

IPA’s purpose is to protect, preserve and promote the child’s right to play as a fundamental human right. The organisation was instrumental in establishing “play” (article 31) in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and in developing the general comment (General Comment No. 17) on article 31 for the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

IPA’s worldwide network promotes the importance of play in child development, provides a vehicle for interdisciplinary exchange and action and brings a child’s perspective to policy development throughout the world.

IPA recognises that the well-being of children is a global issue, and that opportunity for play is an important element of well-being.

Play is children’s natural behaviour and their healthy development is dependent upon sufficient time and opportunity to play.

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IPA welcomes you, or your organisation, to join its international network and participate in its campaign to promote the value of play around the world.

You can contact IPA through your national representative listed on our website. Visit ipaworld.org, or email the IPA Membership Officer at membership@ipaworld.org. You can join IPA through the website at IPAworld. org/join.

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

The importance of playing during a crisis 6 12 16

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Playing helps children stay physically and mental well. It is an everyday part of a healthy and happy childhood. Play is just as important during a crisis like the current coronavirus pandemic. It helps your child manage their emotions and maintain a sense that everything is and can be ok.

During a crisis, playing is your child’s way to:

• stay emotionally healthy • stay physically active, getting some exercise 34 36 40 • relax and forget about worries • make sense of any new experiences and changes in their world with feelings that are difficult or frightening.

4• cope PRESIDENT’S LETTER 34 A BORDERWALL IN PINK

Playing at home 5 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

36 40 50 51

THE YARD ON GOVERNORS ISLAND

A great way for you to support the health, happiness and development of your child during the current crisis is to find ways they can play at home. Making time to play and have fun together is good for your PLAY THINGS: WHAT ROLE DESIGN HAVE INown PLAY? relationship with DOES your child and for your mental wellbeing.

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LOOSE PARTS IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD

Playing can also protect your child from some of the negative impacts this crisis could have.

ADVENTURE PLAYGROUNDS: IPA ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS For example:

A GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

and problem solving.

• Playing is strongly linked to creativity – it involves imaginationARTICLE 31 FOR CHILDREN, IN PORTUGUESE 16• Playing DESTINATION PLAYGROUNGS WITH by MAGIC helps young children develop doing and talking. It is also how they learn to think. may involve your child acting and repeating events – this is one way for them to understand 21• Playing IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: what is happening.

SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

• Acting their feelings helps your child come to terms with them and feel more in control. allows your child to express anger and frustration safely without harming other people, • Playing or without getting harmed themselves.

• Playing allows your child to develop their own strengths and ability to cope.

Being at home for long periods of time and being physically separated from friends, families, routines and cherished places is a new situation for most of us. Playing is a natural and active process that can help us.

STAY EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY

STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

RELAX AND FORGET ABOUT WORRIES

MAKE SENSE OF NEW EXPERIENCES AND CHANGES IN THE WORLD

COPE WITH FEELINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT OR FRIGHTENING

The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and Play yourKx Photos Courtesy of Instagram: child keep playing through the coronavirus pandemic.

APRIL 2020

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Letter

from the president

2020 will long be remembered for the challenges it has brought to every one of us. Wherever we are in the world we have felt the impact of Covid-19.

The International Play Association (IPA) has long known that children’s right to play can easily be neglected in crisis responses and overshadowed by other needs for survival. It is at times like these that the strength of an organisation and it’s mission are tested. Our mission – to protect, preserve and promote play – is as essential as ever.

Children are currently experiencing massive changes to their lives and environments. They are faced with disrupted routines, loss of access to favourite play spaces, loss of closeness to loved ones, all while living in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

Supporting children’s play at this time is pivotal in managing a child-friendly response to Covid-19.

In this edition of PlayRights Magazine we have featured IPA’s response to Covid-19 with the inclusion of the IPA Play in Crisis: support for parents and carers resource. This set of information sheets (also available to download from our website provides simple explanations on how children’s play might look different at times of crisis and how parents and careers can support their children’s play during the restrictions of the times.

At the time of writing over 150,000 people have accessed the resource via social media and translations being prepared by members in Mandarin, Japanese, Turkish, Portuguese, and Italian.

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This edition of the magazine introduces the landmark action of moving distribution online with the potential for “Print on Demand” capacity. In doing so, we are contributing to global sustainability and decreasing our environmental footprint. It is a small, but measurable, achievement that we hope our members will appreciate and support.

Whilst we praise the efforts of health care workers and essential service providers at this time, it is important to acknowledge the resilience of the youngest members of our global community. Children are also superheroes in this pandemic and indeed have proven themselves the real champions for play. Our children have been confronted by restrictions on a scale unprecedented in many of our lifetimes and yet we see elements of play everywhere from chalk games on a sidewalk, to drawings in a window or a TikTok dance on social media.

As the world recalibrates we hope that this period of time will also mark a new appreciation for the power of play and childhood experience that not only supports but enriches the play environments for all children across the world.

We hope you enjoy this edition of PlayRights and share it widely to spread the message about the importance of play for all children.

Robyn Monro-Miller IPA President

letter

from the editor Photo Courtesy Lynne McIntosh

This issue of PlayRights Magazine is called “The Design Issue.” Over the past few decades “design” has changed greatly. It has grown from a basic process to make things more beautiful or functional into a powerful tool utilized to create or change systems for the benefit of humankind. Today we don’t just design a logo or a house or a playground (although we surely still do those things), we also design processes that – for example, in this current day – help parents and carers create opportunities and places for children in lockdown to play. We design plans for children to reclaim the streets of their cities once they can go outside again. We design programs that take play to children who live in cities but are not near a good playground. We design rich places of nature and beauty in a destination playground. We design bright pink teeter totters to draw international attention to cruel violations of children’s rights.

We design campaigns to promote the child’s right to play.

I guess design is making things beautiful after all.

This is also our very first issue of the magazine in the new digital format. Long considered a “benefit of membership” in IPA, the magazine will now be more readily shareable. This brings to my mind the old expression about “do not hide your light under a bushel.” Why hide the information we gather and the stories we tell and the campaigns we mount? I see PlayRights Magazine now as the gift that members can give to others. It is how we can share more about play and promoting the child’s right to play. This is after all the very reason that the International Play Association exists.

We so sincerely hope that you wonderful keepers of the flame of childhood are coping, surviving, and even flourishing in this profound time. All around I see adults falling in love with the children whom they are now seeing and playing with more than ever before. The health and financial consequences of this pandemic are undoubtedly difficult, but perhaps, just perhaps, we will find a silver lining to this situation. Perhaps one positive outcome of the novel corona virus pandemic will be a deeper appreciation for and understanding of children and children’s play than we have ever had before.

Peace and PlayCynthia Gentry IPA Communications Officer

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Sculptural playground – Schulberg, Germany – Annabrau Architektur und Landschaft Berlin

What role does design have in children’s play?

by Elizabeth Cummins and Katherine Masiulanis Play is a necessary obsession, largely practiced by children.

Design is a powerful tool, largely practiced by adults. Bringing them together harmoniously is a task which takes care and study.

To examine design and its role in children’s play we must first understand two things: how play works for children, and how children’s environments are impacted by adults’ decisions.

Design exists to improve our lives: functionally, aesthetically, and logically. However, adult designed playspaces are populated by children. Are the spaces perceived differently by this audience than by their creators? How can these environments best support ‘free play’?

This article will seek to uncover what is fundamental to play and the ways design can interact with it. Through a deeper understanding of the fundamentals, it is possible to use design as a useful springboard for children’s play?

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The universal values of children’s play “What is a playspace? Well, it’s a space where children play, isn’t it? Or perhaps where they can, or should, play. Does this mean children don’t play anywhere else? Of course not. Experience tells us that children play anywhere, with anything and everything, sometimes to the annoyance of adults, often in ways that adults may not even notice.” (Russell 2017 Page 221).

Over the years academics, educators, psychologists and designers have tried to disseminate and pin-down the nature and meaning of play. Most conclude that it is complex and indefinable, yet there is a universality to play. At least eight commonalities or ‘values’ can be found in all play: · · · ·

Freedom Curiosity Fun Spontaneity

· · · ·

Imagination Ritual Challenge Time

Bwenda Primary School – Jija, Uganda 2014 – Emily Ward & East Africa Playgrounds As ‘values’ these don’t define or even explain play, but they do always present during good play. So, I begin this discussion with these values, as I believe they should always be foremost in our minds when we think about play. Without them, play is lacking and limited.

To understand better the context and emergence of design in this field, we start with a historical review.

A brief history of design in playspaces “Children’s play has existed across every human culture and time period. However, the history of play spaces specifically designed for children is relatively short.” (Pascoe 2017 Page 13).

Playspaces as we know them were born out of the moral reform of the European Industrial Era in the late 19th Century. Concern for children’s safety and moral wellbeing when playing on the streets of developing cities, blossomed into ‘sand gardens’ and outdoor gymnasium equipment the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s.

Then, as now, public parks and playgrounds were designed for minimal maintenance and “…the space dictated the type of games possible.” (Pascoe 2017 Page 16).

Against the backdrop of World War 2 arose the ‘junk’ or ‘adventure playground’ invented by Danish landscape architect, Carl Theodore Sorenson. Sorenson had observed “…that children gravitated towards construction sites, garbage dumps and derelict places to build their playspaces and hideouts.” (Pascoe

2017 Page 16). His concept included trained playworkers and the idea spread across Europe and beyond. Sadly, by the 1980’s many of these were disbanded owing to fears of litigation, but some still exist today.

The 1950’s and 60’s saw the emergence of the more formally designed ‘novelty playground’. Artists, architects and landscape architects “…were looking for more engaging ways to join pieces of equipment together to create seamless play experiences.” (Pascoe 2017 Page 17). Artists such as Isamu Noguchi, designed a series of innovative ‘sculptural’ playspaces, exploring the connections between sculpture and play. The scene was set for design to take a central role in children’s playspaces.

By the 1980’s, fears around children’s safety resulted in the introduction of design standards and, in turn, impact attenuating undersurfacing for playspaces. This has been a doubleedged sword, on one hand reducing the volume and severity of playground injuries (in particular head injuries), whilst on the other hand often leading to standardised, limited experiences and environments for children.

The new millennium however has seen a quiet revolution in the form of nature play and playspaces springing up from forest schools and bush kinders. Playspaces started to include plants, logs, rocks, water, sand and dirt. Sometimes these elements are integrated with standard equipment, sometimes they stand alone, or sometimes they are discovered play environments.

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Children playing hide and seek amongst the agapanthus – Australia – Mary Jeavons

How does design shape play?

The limitations of adult intervention

Design can shape play in the following ways:

We know most playspaces are designed or programmed at some level by adults, so what does this mean to children’s play? Is there sometimes a mismatch between what is needed by children and what is provided by adults?

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by providing a logical and physical scaffold for play to occur by providing a sequence for play activity / games by changing the nature of play through physical and spatial boundaries by inspiring imagination and creativity by sometimes providing a fixed environment where play ritual can be practised regularly by enabling participation by all children regardless of ability

How does play shape design?

Play can shape design in the following way:

• by utilizing and appropriating features and elements in ways not anticipated by the designer • by changing the nature of flexible and fixed elements over time through use (i.e. wear and tear, or adding loose materials) • by applying a level of fluid imagination to elements that allows them to be abstracted and to morph in meaning over time

We know that on occasion, adult ideas of ‘fun’ are misplaced.

On others, they have not studied the ergonomics of children and designed to a suitable level of developmental challenge.

There is also an issue when it comes to the perception of risk.

Contemporary childhood is perceived to have an expanded period of vulnerability than at other periods of history. In turn, adults (i.e. parents, educators, carers and play providers) are increasingly under scrutiny and therefore hold greater responsibility.

“Much is made of the need to nurture in our children qualities of resilience. An irony perhaps given the seeming trend to shield or ‘protect’ our offspring from the possibility of almost any harm.

Resilience is an empty term if one has nothing to be resilient about.”(Spiegel 2017 Page 276).

Some children’s play needs to involve risk and that often makes adults feel nervous. However, truly magical playspaces are risky on many different levels. Children can only learn from experience when they are given the opportunity to challenge themselves and their ideas about the world.

“Committing to support child-directed play means relinquishing control and managing your own feelings of discomfort. At its core

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Embedded marbles in paving provide inspiration for traditional games and sensory interest – Castlemaine Botanic Gardens, Australia 2012 – Katherine Masiulanis

RUS Lima Autoparque de Diversiones Publico: Canoas – Lima, Peru 2010 – Basurama (basurama.orgCCBY-NC-SA 4.0)

is an act of deep respect for the child and their experience.” (Masiulanis 2017 Page 51).

inclusion of artwork, consideration of scale and careful choice of seasonal planting.” (Masiulanis 2017 Page 52).

Respect for children and their experience is paramount here when we design or program playspaces.

Taking a more thoughtful approach to design a broader context provides the opportunity to make our cities, towns and suburbs more child-friendly and interesting for everyone. They can be responsive to children’s time, scale and sense of wonder, with an engaging level of sensory detail to provide interesting opportunities for play in the everyday.

The benefits of design Design can have a huge impact on children’s participation in play, with inclusion, inspiration and creativity all enhancing its physical theatre.

Most of us carry memories of exciting, exhilarating and fun experiences of our childhood playspaces throughout our lives, the giant slide, the treehouse cubby, the fairy garden or the local rocket ship climber. No one would deny the importance of these experiences inspired by the creative adults who conceived them. The question, however, is one of intent. What does the designer intend with this playspace? This is much more complex to consider.

“Adults create abstract justifications and satisfactions to a place: whereas children are more grounded in the significance of a place, and what they can do there. It is becoming widely recognised that children learn by doing, not just by observing.”(Masiulanis 2017 Page 50).

Having a structure or framework upon which to employ and explore ideas in play is a valuable one. But structure alone is not enough to support good play. Complexity, delight, surprise and change are all “…assisted by the clever use of materials,

The following three sections propose ways designers can seek to understand children and play better and align their designs for playspaces to those values we described at the beginning of this article.

The natural environment and loose materials Natural environments carry with them a quality of change that cannot be applied to fixed equipment, structures and elements. Being outdoors enables children to explore and experience firsthand the changing climate, seasons, and other living beings, such as the plants, birds and insects that are part of their eco-system.

“When designing or working with outdoor areas for children it is important to consider the innate curiosity and desire children have to explore and use natural materials to play and build with.

“We should not demystify everything but instead allow children the freedom to have their own imaginary worlds. When children play in natural playspaces with boulders, terrain, vegetation and

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Copenhagen School Gardens, Denmark – Helle Nebelong

water, it is their own imagination they use to be creative. In nature they are also challenged physically, mentally and socially, whilst they develop a relationship with nature. This relationship helps them to understand and respect nature.” (Nebelong 2017 Page 112) The other reason natural environments are valuable for children’s play is that they produce multitudes of loose materials that form a kind of currency for play. These flexible objects either large (such as branches or rock boulders), or small (such as flowers, leafs, nuts, berries, seedpods and cones, pebbles and sticks) embellish the imagination and creativity of play.

Natural environments are not prescriptive in their use and allow for continual re-invention as play shifts and changes over time. Above all else they somewhat liberate children from the need for adult involvement in the design of playspaces and empower them to invent, design and direct play themselves.

Appropriation and affordances Allowing children to design or shape their playspaces is significant because it moves them a step closer to the spaces which work for them. Sometimes children are keen observers and understand innately the dimensions of what they require for a particular type of play. At other times an element, space or structure may inspire a specific game.

Play isn’t simply a singular, implied action (i.e. slide = climbing up a ladder and sliding down); it’s a web of interactions,

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dimensions, ergonomics, relationships, location and context that all afford and encourage different types of play.

“Play, by its very nature is a participative process: children empower themselves through playing much more than through any formal consultation process. By observing children’s play, responding to children’s play cues, and reflecting on this experience with our peers we can learn a lot about the value of our play environment.” (Cummins 2017 Page 323) Observing children play and involving children in planning Seeking a deeper understanding of audience for any design project requires observation, and never is this more relevant than when designing for play. Allow observations of interactions in similar (or even different) environments to become your guide.

Take the beach as an example of loose materials play. What can we learn from observing children in this environment? We learn that the deeper the sand the more children can do with the material, and the importance of water as a complementary element to shape and form the sand. In addition, we learn that additional loose materials such as shells, stones and sticks afford imaginative license as tools for creating patterns, or as sand adornments, or to give sculptures life and embellish the play. We also learn that both children of all ages and adults cooperate and collaborate with this material and that sand goes everywhere – even home in the car at the end of the day.

Children playing in the road – London, UK 2015 – Katrina Campbell Photography & London Play

“Keeping children at the centre of your thinking when designing requires the observation of children playing - a delightful obsession. Where are the nooks and crannies that attract them?

Why are they doggedly digging away at a “child resistant” bit of hard landscape? What is it about a broken-down garage that is so attractive? And what is it that pulls children to stay on beaches and woodlands for hours?” (Legg 2017 Page 231) For example, too often a visit to an early years centre presents tiny, square spaces (sometimes to match the architecture of the building), with shallow sand depth, a raised concrete edge, and sand spilling out everywhere. Invariably these spaces don’t have trees, shrubs or water close by either. It is clear in these circumstances that observations from the beach have not been transferred by the designer, as the intent of the play hasn’t changed between the two contexts, just the setting.

Another valuable method for seeking to understand children’s play is to ask them. This is not always simple, as the questioning needs to encourage children to respond of their own accord, not say what they think adults wish to hear. Seeking parents or educator’s knowledge of the children involved may help. Art/building, games, interviews, testing and tours are all valid ways to involve children in contributing to the design process for playspaces.

A new model for the future?

Designers can seek to better understand the role of design and its impact on children’s play through careful observation of children at play in different contexts: thinking about the appropriation that their designs afford; providing for loose materials and flexible environments where possible; and by genuinely involving children in the design process.

Return to the eight values we started with at the beginning of this article. If we keep these in mind when designing we are bound to begin to think more like a child and in turn create meaningful places and spaces to play for all children.

“If we trust ourselves by trusting our children a little more, their play will become richer and our society will be better for it in the long run.” (Cummins 2017 Page 26) l References Masiulanis, K & Cummins, E (Contributing Editors) ‘How to Grow a Playspace; Design and Development’. Routledge Taylor Francis UK April 2017 ISBN 9781138907065 How to Grow a Playspace can be purchased online as a hardback, paperback and e-book at www.routledge.com/Howto-Grow-a-Playspace-Development-and-Design/MasiulanisCummins/p/book/9781138906549.

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Adventure Playgrounds A Personal Guide for Beginners

by Jess Milne, Play Trainer, Play Builder and Old Play Worker Photos by Cynthia Gentry

When I was asked to write this piece on starting an Adventure Playground I was of the opinion that after 43 years my experience would aid me in polishing off the written work quickly and effectively.

That has not happened!

Adventure Playgrounds are massively complicated and yet very simple, and a well-started, well-run Adventure Playground is unique. To do them justice this piece is also complicated and simple.

Where I make reference to Play I welcome you to read the mentioned works, because this is not an article on Play, but on how to best facilitate children’s play that is freely chosen, personally directed, and motivated from within. Most, if not all, children’s play is more pleasurable, effective and creative for the child or young person if no adults are present. If adults are present, their presence will be benign if they understand and support play.¹ My contention is that it’s just as hard to start and run an Adventure Playground as it is to start and run a school or a health centre, or a restaurant. All these things have goals, need welltrained staff, a co-operative outlook, and the support of the community. To be successful all will have five elements: Values and Ethics, Communication and Involvement, Teamwork, Recognition, and Accountability.

days things have changed dramatically and not always for the better.

Too many Adventure Playgrounds have been subverted into fixed equipment playsites, ‘No-Adventure’ Playgrounds where staff or physical equipment offer little or nothing to children, certainly no real play. Community involvement, a cornerstone of the Adventure Playground, has become mainly non-existent.

The name ‘Adventure Playground’ is becoming tired and misused, however there are some amazing Adventure Playgrounds still in existence even though the money is really tight.

Bob Hughes’ The Play Curriculum3 contains enough information to help understand the complexity of sustaining a “compensatory environment” which is what an Adventure Playground is.

Further study into theories of play should include the biological approach right through to the socio-cultural approach and how the Adventure Playground fits in.4 Let’s start with where should an Adventure Playground be?

The answer is anywhere, but hopefully where there is a large group of children and young people. Children will play anywhere, play is one of their driving forces, witness children playing in war zones, refugee camps, dangerous streets, etc.5 Adventure Playgrounds have been started in very unlikely places, but the key element is support from the community surrounding the area, and understanding from the off that this is a children’s place and although adults can and should support, they do not interfere with the play on the site. Here is where the most important point must be made… it is the Playworker who is the key.

Traditionally Adventure Playgrounds in Britain were started post-war mainly on bomb sites and waste ground.2 Since those

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No amount of money (or lack of it), no fixed equipment, no wonderful buildings, no sports equipment, no theories, no rules, no qualifications… nothing at all can replace the Playworker. Unless the playworker is armed with the five elements mentioned earlier it won’t be an Adventure Playground.

Argue with me all you like, tell me it can be the children who run it, the adults in the community or other things. But, in my experience it is the playworker who shapes the play space and they can only do this with the children’s backing.

Do not under any circumstances believe that ‘not interfering in children’s Play’ is an easy task, nor is it standing around drinking tea!⁶ It takes courage, training and real restraint to watch a child or children doing what may be considered risky while trusting them to come out not too badly hurt and usually clamouring for more. One of my real tests was a gang of kids putting one of their group into a sofa bed and then closing the bed part. Laughing and cackling they would leave him for a few minutes then open the bed part with one of their number rolling out yelling. They had somehow worked out that there was a pocket in the back… but it looked dreadful – all metal and springs and screaming. I had to walk away. They got bored and in the end the sofa bed was burnt – without a child in it.

I had checked.

It’s not risk alone that is the attraction of an Adventure Playground. Once children trust the space, trust the worker, and can play freely, they will include the most under rated play quiet time.

There are countless other tests that occur for the worker and other adults. Swearing, fighting, teasing, loving/hating and confiding in the playworker [sometimes all in the same day], wanting constant attention, not wanting anything at all, bullying, fire play, water play, paint play, sex play, and all the other play stuff happens. This has an effect on the adult worker that can at times be detrimental or in conflict to adult culture.7

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Perhaps Playwork is a combination of a mutually beneficial relationship between Children and Adults. It creates a balanced environment and a positive ecosystem, and is really hard to achieve. But, the rewards are massive. There are many stories of grownup children stopping a Playworker in the street and thanking them for making their lives better, their childhood more fulfilling, or rescuing them from harm. A personal example was two young people from one of my sites who went to university to study Art. They were from an area where normally no young person would make it to university. They were encouraged because I imported artists to be on the Adventure for two months because of a great gang of children who wanted to decorate a massive stage they had built and were asking for ‘some wankers that could draw and paint!’

There is no substitute when starting an Adventure Playground to walking and talking, door knocking, perhaps with an honest leaflet that explains play well. This is for the adults. The children and young people get the idea pretty quickly. In starting one site once I just sat in a space provided by the council. It was in a run-down, back-to-back housing area in the north of England.

All I did was spread huge drawing sheets of paper in front of me and pretended to draw. Slowly more and more children of all ages came up and demanded to know what I was doing. I said that I was supposed to start a place for children and young people, but I did not know where to start. After some fairly robust names had been thrown at me the children started to create a space for play on paper, in the mud and with bits of twig.

It became a massively successful Adventure Playground.

There are three staple ingredients to a working Adventure Playground: the Playworker, loose parts, and food.

Large structures with death defying slides or swings are not part of any template for a site. They may be asked for, they may be appropriate, but they should not become a silhouette that indicates an Adventure Playground. Large structures should

be organic – a bit like what they originally represented, which was trees. Urban areas where Adventures were allowed tended not to have much in the way of a natural habitat, so to build a tree house, swing or walkway it had to be built from poles or whatever was around. Like most things on the site they should change at least yearly or as the users demand!

Loose parts may mean junk, but it does not mean filth. Adventure Playgrounds, if working well, tend to be scruffy. The old term was “Junk playgrounds,” they have an exciting, but not particularly ordered, look. One of the Playworkers many jobs is to make sure that what’s lying about on the site, or in the cupboards is play relevant, useful, and not hazardous.

Even in today’s technological world children love to use tools for building and destroying, decorating, and in play that involves dens and self-built areas.

I have been asked many times concerning my opinion on a fence around the site and I always say it depends on the area but in the main I would prefer for a fence to be solid as the Adventure Playground is not a zoo. Children’s play has a far greater range of play types if the children feel secure. On one of my sites the children built the fence with the builders [it was part of the contract], and they included a few secret doors!

Children and young people are hungry most of the time, some, due to circumstance, very hungry all the time. The giving and taking of food is one of the oldest and most respected universal ways of showing welcome and trust. Adventure Playgrounds that work have all manner of cooking, creating food and eating. They teach children to cook and vice versa, they feed hungry school children, and even cook on open fires.

All this and more has to be done in a safe manner with the safety element, in the main, unnoticed by the children. Not having fires, not having water play, not allowing children out in the rain or snow, not allowing tool use, not allowing free speech, not allowing risk and all the other “nots” mean that you are denying children their ability to learn about and avoid hazards, and to learn about balance and their environment.

Trained Playworkers know the importance of the Senses, Identities, Concepts and Elements and how play is the process of developing these areas.

Loose parts (what Lady Allen called lots of “bit and pieces”) is a term coined by Simon Nicholson8 as an essential ingredient of a play space, he cites the beach as the best example with its ambiance, live and dead things, and its easily manipulated areas, etc. Lots of Adventure Playgrounds have with a varying degree of success created beaches on the site.

That’s it for this article, I am aware I have just scraped the surface as stories are part of Adventure Playground culture. l

1

Mick Conway, ‘The Playwork Principles’ ‘ Taking the Playwork Curriculum Further’ IP.DIP Magazine

2

Lady Allen of Hurtwood, ‘Planning for Play’

3

Bob Hughes, ‘The Play Curriculum’

4

Perry Else/Gordon Sturrock, ‘Therapeutic Playwork Reader’

5

International Play Association, Children in Crisis’

6

Play Wales, ‘First Claim’

7

Bob Hughes, ‘Play Types’ and ‘Evolutionary Playwork and Reflective Analytical Practice’

8

Simon Nicholson, ‘The Theory of Loose Parts’

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Designing for Play

CreatingChild-Friendly

Environments for Public Use

by Jennette Emery-Wallis BA Hons DipLA CMLI, Director of Landscape Architecture, LUC www.landuse.co.uk Much has changed from the standard ‘KFC’ (kit, fence, carpet) playgrounds that had been the norm for most UK playgrounds for a number of years. Their homogenised collection of poorly selected catalogue-based play elements, set in wet pour safety surfacing within a railing enclosure offered little to no play value for children. Today the Natural Play movement is well established and the use of landscape design and natural materials to create playful settings with more abstract and less directed play forms is becoming more commonplace. Most significantly, these spaces include risk - not outright danger, but a series of layered challenges to develop children’s ability to assess and build skill.

Play and health specialists commonly agree that playgrounds, be they in public parks or school settings, are one of the key places where children can freely explore and challenge their physical and mental abilities, gain social skills, and develop self-belief within a stimulating and safe environment. Children must take risks to learn how to assess risk, and respond to them appropriately. Our children can’t live bubble-wrapped lives.

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However, it is easy to forget this sense of freedom when client or stakeholder concerns over child safety or fears of liability can tip the ‘play value’ balance. If compromised or at worst omitted, it can lead to over-simplified and sanitised schemes which do little to engage the range of play typologies needed to wet a child’s appetite for adventure, and ultimately limits their personal growth and capacity for learning. So we must learn to stand firm.

Over the last 10-15 years, a new breed of UK play safety specialists has emerged who support the use of a ‘risk versus play benefit’ analysis tool (initiated and spearheaded by Play England), which has enabled landscape architects and designers to maximise their creativeness and deliver high play-value schemes which include a healthy dose of risk.

Case Study Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial playground, Kensington Gardens, London At the vanguard of this movement was the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial playground, in Kensington Gardens – the subject of my first case study – a scheme designed by LUC for The Royal Parks, nearly 20 years ago which pioneered the use of a landscape-based play approach, rich in creativity and high in risk.

In 1999, we won an international competition to design a new playground to act as a fitting tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales. The project brief was to reflect her keen interest in children particularly those with disabilities and the environment. Today, the scheme is acknowledged by Tim Gill, one of the UK’s leading thinkers on childhood as ‘being revolutionary’. ‘LUCs scheme encouraged empathy with the landscape and gave children a place where they could initiate their own play away from parental control, and it proved a huge success’.

Our multi-awarding winning scheme became a worldwide benchmark for play design and still attracts over a million plus visitors a year.

play pieces by handpicked artists and craftsmen were used alongside a number of catalogue-based play pieces by German play manufacturer Richter Spielgerate. This ensures the play space caters for a wide variety of play opportunities for 0-12 age group, with a particular emphasis on group-based rather than solitary play, to encourage positive interaction. We maximised the use of sand and water to create areas of huge play value by exploiting these energy-giving elements at every opportunity. By using a simple palette of natural materials of grass, bark mulch, sand to provide play safety surfacing (deliberating avoiding brightly coloured synthetic alternatives) along with a rich and diverse planting palette, children are directly connected to nature and its seasons, developing their senses as well as building resilience.

So what can we learn from the design approach?

Fundamentally, we wanted to create a holistic play environment which would stimulate and encourage a child’s sense of imagination and inventiveness. In acknowledging the park’s history, English Heritage, the UK government heritage agency, was keen the design be based on the Gardens’ long association with local resident, JM Barrie, author of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, so we used the rich text as our starting point to inspire the thematic design layout and language for each space.

Spaces were created through use of topography and broad bands of planting, into which a mix of specially commissioned

These include the Beach Cove where a fully rigged, 10m long galleon has been deserted by its crew of marauding pirates.

With the ship left stranded, children can climb on and below deck, ascend the main mast to the crow’s nest and survey the coast for pirates. On board there are a variety of elements to investigate, children can try to re-float the ship by transporting the sand from the hull along the sand transporters, ring the ship’s bell to warn of pirate sightings, or steer the ship from crashing against the rocks.

Beyond this a seascape path of graded pebbles, lined by weathered beach groynes echo of distant waves, screeching seagulls and leads to a freshwater rivulet where a halfsubmerged crocodile lies asleep. For those brave enough to cross his slippery back he offers a shortcut to the galleon, but beware to those who wake him, he spurts water from his snout! Nearby, water can be heard trickling from a conch shell into a reflective pool and series of rills. These channels can be dammed, released

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and re-directed by children lifting the bronze plugholes in the pool, while others can beach comb the shoreline discovering starfish, worm casts and pieces of driftwood left by the retreating tide.

A little way north a tree house encampment is set below the bows of three mature plane trees, where a series of platforms and interconnecting walkways allow access for all. A living willow fence, by artist Jim Buchanan, encloses the earth bank and provides a den-like secrecy; whilst nearby a flock of handcarved sheep provide informal play opportunities and informal seats. Beyond this a textured cobble path leads the explorer through highly scented herbaceous planting into a movement and music garden, where children can create tunes on a variety of interactive instruments, from wooden xylophones to metal dance chimes, or swivel and spin on turning discs and saucers.

Eager to ensure the scheme appealed to the child rather than reflect an adults’ perspective on play, we worked with a child psychologist to develop some key design principles, as well as glean some interesting observations. For example, studies show that children tend to navigate through space using visual nodes, so by creating one main path with smaller secondary paths, children use these clues to explore and retrace their steps.

Another is that children find it difficult to adjust to different scales and are naturally drawn to texture and detail, so we played with simple paving patterns to denote different path hierarchies and used landform to create different heights and vantage points. We also discovered that blind and partially sighted children respond well to the touch and warmth of wood, so we chose timber as the basis for the large majority of play elements and commissioned textured sculptural pieces (such as the handcarved sheep) to help reflect this.

Designing for children is a life-long learning and observational process, and in the intervening years there are a number of design adaptations I would consider making. These include removing the railing boundary and instead extending play out into wider parkland giving the subliminal message that ‘play is ok’. I would also blur the boundaries between agespecific play areas by ‘layering’ 18 P L AY R I G H T S

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risk across the piece ensuring no child feels excluded and avoids ‘this area is too babyish’. Utilising the technical knowledge, we have since gained I would remove the underground plant room and its costly monthly maintenance and instead – perhaps counterintuitively – rely on mains water which is then collected as grey water to irrigate plant beds. Lastly protect more vulnerable areas of herbaceous plantings with an outer layer of tough and robust shrubs or low temporary willow fencing, and include more cross-routes than you think you need through planted areas to avoid new desire lines decimating plant beds (as I learnt the hard way on opening day).

I’m delighted to say The Royal Parks has recently re-commissioned LUC to undertake a full refurbishment of the play space and we will have the opportunity to consider some of these adaptations in what still is a hugely popular and muchloved space.

Case Study Tumbling Bay, Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, London My second case study is Tumbling Bay play in the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, Stratford. LUC and erect architecture joined forces to win an international competition to create a new community cafe and play space for the London Legacy Development Corporation(LLDC). The scheme was to form the new community focus of the North Parklands, with its planned new housing quarter and school academy. During Games-time the site was a vast expanse of tarmac, funnelling visitors to and

from the Basketball and Velodrome venues. Today the site is transformed into a fun-filled space full of children, teenagers and adults enjoying the many ‘legacy projects’ that have been implemented since the London 2012 Games.

For inspiration the team this time was stimulated by the newly created parkland by US landscape architect George Hargreaves, with its strong sculptural landforms, reintroduced river terraces of the newly de-canalised River Lea and its lush riverside habitats. Enthused by the setting we used an ecological narrative of plant life cycles to inform our design approach for both architecture and landscape.

The long linear site, riddled with underground utilities, was organised around a single looping path with the café acting as the new social core, where emerging communities can meet and access an undulating and textured landscape full of challenging play opportunities.

A young ‘pioneer’ hazel copse encloses the café and large events lawn. The copse is planted with an understorey of groundcovers, bulbs and ferns. Informal bark paths weave through the trees where a series of willow dens by artist Jim Buchanan can be discovered. Their shape are inspired by the form of germinating willow seeds, continuing our life cycle theme, and the hazel itself is coppiced and used by children to make their own self-build dens.

Just north of the café nestled between two planted landforms, sits a large sand and water play area designed to be a key focus of play and caters for a wide range of ages and abilities.

Inspired by the history of the local area and the River Lea which winds through the heart of Olympic Park and East London, the area tells the story of how the river became industrialised and then rejuvenated.

The top section of the ‘river valley’ describes the natural river and is formed using blocks of sandstone to create a series of tributaries mimicking the river’s morphology, which flow into splash pools and sand pits. Mains water is sourced via a number of hand pumps and is released via a series of sluice gates and dams, encouraging children to work collaboratively re-directing its flow. A hand laid concrete surface is inlaid with layers of fine gravels, shot blast to reveal textured bandings to give wet feet some grip and provide visual texture. The area is enclosed by steep valley sides (to give vantage), criss-crossed by steps, paths and ramps (to avoid new desire lines forming), and is densely planted with sand dune inspired plant groups to provide robust protection.

As the water channels migrate south, their natural form gives way to a series of industrial-inspired waterways, with sandstone replaced by concrete, imprinted with timber planks, or scarred with patterns and nails reminiscent of factory floors. Gabions filled with concrete rubble retain the slopes and provide informal bands of seating topped with cumuru timber – both materials recycled from the Games-time food outlets. Further water pumps and sluice gates circulate water down through the site to the edge of the cafe, and a sunken bowl collects water essential for sandcastle making activities. Wheelchair access is carefully considered with crossing points over water channels and plinth dimensions designed so they can be easily operated from a seated position. A series of timber pulleys, sifts, shovels and brick-making play equipment continues the industrial feel and interconnect with a series of steps and slides along the valley slopes. The surface water is finally collected at the southernmost point of the play area and sifted via a series of sand trap drains to be re-directed through a network of bio swales, before entering the River Lea. Alongside the sand and water play, the main arterial path is edged by a long and colourful border of herbaceous planting, continuing the life-cycle narrative, criss-crossed by paths A P R I L 2 0 2 0 19

which invite children to explore the scales and varying forms of the different plant communities. The path leads you to the far north of the site where ‘climax’ oak and pine woodland tells the final stage in our ecological narrative, and where risk taking and challenge also reach their peak. The play opportunities here are based on high level climbing and narrow platform walkways, using tree trunks in their natural state to form nest like enclosures high up amongst the tree canopy. These are physically challenging play elements, mainly attracting the 8-12+ age group, and for those brave enough to climb they are rewarded by spectacular views of the River Lea, Olympic Park and London in its wide-sweeping glory.

Opened on the first anniversary of the London 2012 Games, Jessica Gavaghan, LLDC Project Sponsor claimed ‘a new jewel has been added to the Olympic Park crown’.

Respected American play blogger, Paige Johnson of Playscapes.com said: ‘beautifully executed this play space ticks a lot of boxes for me: multi-generational, multiple paths and moveable paths, really great planting schemes, local context, sand and water, no fences, playgrounds-shouldnot-be-flat, feel-risky-play-safe, and slides should be wide!

Very, very well done, this sets a new standard for playgrounds to match’.

The project has gone on to win a number of prestigious awards including Civic Trust, Selwyn Goldsmith award for Universal Access, Landscape Institute, and NLA London Mayor’s Best Public Space amongst others.

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So in my summing up, I hope from this article readers will agree that landscape-led play design can be engaging, has the power to shape the psyche, and if done well can produce richly layered environments that allow our children the freedom to explore and interact, learn independence and harness positive life affirming skills that will stay with them throughout adult life. So our message must be ‘get out there, explore and take risks’ and by doing so our future neighbourhoods and cities will be shaped and conditioned for the maximum health and wellbeing of its citizens. l

IPA Play in Crisis: support for parents and carers

Words by Theresa Casey. Design by Votepedro.

© IPA April, 2020

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IPA Play in Crisis: support for parents and carers STAY EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY

STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

RELAX AND FORGET WORRIES

T

he world is coping with an unprecedented crisis. As we face the challenge of a world

pandemic, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on health and the economy.

The coronavirus pandemic itself and governments’ responses have had a significant impact on children around the world. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) identifies the fundamental needs of children, and these include their right to play.

There is a need to support children’s right to play at this time, so we have developed the IPA Play in Crisis: support for parents and carers resources.

MAKE SENSE OF NEW EXPERIENCES AND CHANGES IN THE WORLD

COPE WITH FEELINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT OR FRIGHTENING

The International Play Association recognises playing as a basic and vital part of the pleasure of childhood. We also see it as an essential part of all aspects of children’s development. During crisis, play has a significant therapeutic role, helping children recover a sense of normality and joy.

The mission of the IPA is to protect, preserve and promote the child’s right to play as a fundamental human right. We hope this resource will help fulfil that mission, and we encourage you to share it widely throughout your networks.

Together, we can ensure our children have the opportunities to play that are essential for them to thrive.

Each page provides parents and carers with information and ideas so they can support their child’s play. We’ve included topics such as the importance of playing in crisis, and how to respond to children’s play needs, through to issues that parents may be concerned about, like children playing with difficult themes of loss, death and loneliness.

Robyn Monro Miller President, IPA April 2020 Words by Theresa Casey, Project Management by Play Wales Design by VotePedro © IPA April, 2020 To download this resource in English and other languages, visit IPAworld.org/resources/

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ipaworld.org

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

The importance of playing during a crisis Playing helps children stay physically and mental well. It is an everyday part of a healthy and happy childhood. Play is just as important during a crisis like the current coronavirus pandemic. It helps your child manage their emotions and maintain a sense that everything is and can be ok.

During a crisis, playing is your child’s way to:

• stay emotionally healthy • stay physically active, getting some exercise • relax and forget about worries • make sense of any new experiences and changes in their world • cope with feelings that are difficult or frightening.

Playing at home A great way for you to support the health, happiness and development of your child during the current crisis is to find ways they can play at home. Making time to play and have fun together is good for your relationship with your child and for your own mental wellbeing.

Playing can also protect your child from some of the negative impacts this crisis could have.

For example:

• Playing is strongly linked to creativity – it involves imagination and problem solving.

• Playing helps young children develop by doing and talking. It is also how they learn to think. may involve your child acting and repeating events – this is one way for them to understand • Playing what is happening.

• Acting their feelings helps your child come to terms with them and feel more in control. allows your child to express anger and frustration safely without harming other people, • Playing or without getting harmed themselves.

• Playing allows your child to develop their own strengths and ability to cope.

Being at home for long periods of time and being physically separated from friends, families, routines and cherished places is a new situation for most of us. Playing is a natural and active process that can help us.

STAY EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY

STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

RELAX AND FORGET ABOUT WORRIES

MAKE SENSE OF NEW EXPERIENCES AND CHANGES IN THE WORLD

COPE WITH FEELINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT OR FRIGHTENING

The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your child keep playing through the coronavirus pandemic.

© IPA April, 2020

APRIL 2020 23

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Supporting your child’s play during a crisis Children play naturally. Usually the most important things you can do to support this are giving your child enough space and time to play every day and having an understanding attitude. If your child sees that you are happy they’re playing, they tend to enjoy it more.

During this coronavirus pandemic, your child is expected to be at home for long periods of time. They may be physically separated from friends, family, routines and places that are important to them. It is a new situation for them – and for most of us.

You might see your child playing in a different way. They may return to play they enjoyed when they were younger. They may play games that are linked to illness, loss or even death. Their play might show feelings such as frustration, boredom or confusion.

Responding to your child’s play Playing is one way children deal with stress and cope with the situation they’re in. When children play, they are working out what they think and how to respond.

Unless your child seems distressed or stuck in their play, you can usually be reassured that it’s part of how they are coping.

However, your child might rely on you more than usual to make sure they have things to play with and space and time for them to play every day. Sometimes they might need extra attention to feel safe and cared for.

Examples of how you can support your child’s play, without leading or taking over. to be invited to play. If your child is happily your children develop skills at their own pace.

• Wait • Let playing, it’s fine to leave them to it.

It’s tempting to step in to help your child when they find something difficult but that’s how protect your child’s play from interruptions.

• Help they learn.

If your child is absorbed in playing, avoid switching on the TV or games console, asking questions children choose the themes of their games.

• Let or asking them to stop for other activities.

Even if the themes seem difficult or upsetting, it’s their play. your child explore and make mistakes.

• Let Let your child use trial and error and their own ideas without feeling foolish or judged.

These are general tips for supporting your child’s play. Trust your own judgement.

Your child might like you to play with them or simply be nearby, so they feel safe and cared for. They may also like some privacy while they play – for example, if they’re not used to spending so much time indoors with you.

STAY 2 4 P L A EMOTIONALLY YRIGHTS • HEALTHY

STAY I P A W OPHYSICALLY RLD.ORG ACTIVE

RELAX AND FORGET ABOUT WORRIES

MAKE SENSE OF NEW EXPERIENCES AND CHANGES IN THE WORLD

COPE WITH FEELINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT OR FRIGHTENING

The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Thinking about your child’s play Being at home with your child for longer amounts of time than usual gives you a chance to understand how they play. You can get into a routine that works for you both. It’s also a chance for you to enjoy being playful – and for you to benefit from playing, too.

When children play it isn’t always the same. Sometimes your child might like to play alone. Sometimes they might want to play with others. They might like to play online, with other people in your house, or with a pet, doll or teddy bear as their companion.

Your child might sometimes enjoy active, energetic play. At other times they might choose something quieter or creative. These are all natural ways of playing.

Having a chance to pay attention to how your child plays can be a lovely part of spending time together.

It helps you:

• get to know your child better get ideas about other things they might • enjoy doing

• recognise clues about how they’re feeling into a routine of being together that • get is relaxed and enjoyable for you both.

Some tips for responding to play whether to act. After you’ve paused, • Pause before you get involved in your child’s play. • Decide looked, listened and thought, you’ll have a better Look and listen to what is happening.

• What is your child doing? idea of whether your child would like you to join in.

Reflect. Afterwards, you could think about how Think about how they are playing. What would • your • happen involvement changed your child’s playing. if you suddenly joined in? If your child is safe, do you need to join in?

For example, did it stop them playing?

Did it add more fun? Did it reassure them?

Children usually seem to know when another child wants to play or be left alone. Adults might need to remember how to work this out. One way of knowing when you’ve got it right is to tell your child they can ask you to go away!

Your child might have different ways of showing you they’d like you to come and play with them – not just by saying it. For example, your child might: a funny face at you • make tap you on the shoulder and run away • cuddle into you •

about near you • hang do something to get your attention • bring toys overannoying to show you.

•

There are different ways you can join in. It could mean playing with your child, but it might also mean: a place to play, which could be as small as • singing a song, playing some music or telling a story • amaking cardboard box or a space on the sofa nding some things to play with – for example, • fisome sheets to make a den, or some pots and tuning in to the emotion in your child’s play and • helping them work it out with simple playthings pans for a pretend cafe. from around the house STAY EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY

© IPA April, 2020

STAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE

RELAX AND FORGET ABOUT WORRIES

MAKE SENSE OF NEW EXPERIENCES AND CHANGES IN THE WORLD

COPE AWITH P R I L FEELINGS 2020 25 THAT ARE DIFFICULT OR FRIGHTENING

The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Playing that involves difficult themes such as loss, illness and death Children get lots of good things from play – like fun, relaxation, excitement and companionship. Play is also an important way for children to develop their ability to cope when things are difficult, scary or confusing.

Adults sometimes find it painful to see or hear children playing when it involves themes like loss, death, illness and loneliness. You might find it brings difficult emotions to the surface for you. Or you might feel it’s disrespectful.

It is natural to want to distract and protect your child if their play involves difficult themes. It might help to remember that children still need and want to play during this coronavirus pandemic.

This kind of play can help your child to:

to terms with a difficult situation • come manage emotions • feel that their things are under control •

any questions they may have • ask build up their ability to cope with other • challenging things they’ll face in life.

Examples of playing at home that involves difficult themes

out scenes your child has seen or heard at make-believe characters representing • Acting • Creating home, on TV or the internet – for example, hospital things like the virus, scientists or death. wards, funerals, people in distress, people helping what is happening to a teddy bear, • Explaining each other, politicians making announcements. doll or sibling, or telling them off for not following new rules. events and changing the outcome • Re-enacting – for example, playing that someone starts to out their feelings – such as anger, fear • Acting recover from an illness. or loneliness – and making it funny, exaggerated or exciting. at finding solutions to big problems – • Playing for example, involving superheroes with names Acting the death or funeral of a loved one to make • it feel real. linked to the virus.

Playing helps your child let feelings out – instead of holding them inside Although these types of play may feel upsetting, it may help to remember why your child is playing this way. These types of play create opportunities for you to:

more about how your child is feeling with them rituals and traditions from your • understand • share and coping background, faith or heritage. These might relate to things like caring for people, funeral rites, if they have misunderstood anything – • spot celebration of life for example how the virus is spread, how long the pandemic will last give age-appropriate information to help • themthem understand better. provide lots of reassurance • Our feelings can influence how we respond to children’s play. Your child’s play might make you feel uncomfortable, but it can be important for them to play like this.

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The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your child keep playing through the coronavirus pandemic.

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Managing play at home that feels noisy or destructive

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Children sometimes use play to:

• work through difficult emotions • test how you will respond • get a sense of satisfaction or control.

Your child is living through a very new experience which is confusing and frightening for adults, too.

Playing is a very important way for your child to understand – and come to terms with – what they are hearing, seeing and feeling. It can be hard to feel like choices have been taken away, or to have little way of knowing how long this situation is going to continue.

What might play look like when children have scary, confusing feelings?

Playing is one of the ways children adapt to change. The way they play may change – it may be loud and destructive, or quiet and calm. Here are some examples of playing that you might see: very noisy – for example, needing to shout, • Being sing loudly, bash on drums, or hit things noisily. frustration out on toys or objects – for example, • Taking punching pillows or throwing a teddy around.

Destroying something they have made – for example, • tearing up a picture or knocking down towers.

into a small space – for example, • Withdrawing a cardboard box, a space under the bed, a den made from sheets and pillows. ghting and ‘rough and tumble’ play with you • orPlay-fi their siblings.

Older children and teenagers may play like this, too. It is important that we remember that older children still need time and space to play.

How can I manage this kind of play at home?

It can help simply to know that this is your child learning to cope with a new situation. However, when you are cooped up at home it can also be difficult to handle. to your neighbours if you are worried about • Speak how the sound of this kind of play affects them.

Some people get a lot of joy when they hear children playing, but others may feel it disturbs their sleep or other activities. Some compromise and consideration might be needed on both sides.

•

Find things for your child to play with that you don’t mind getting torn or messed up – for example, old sheets, cardboard boxes and cushions.

some play dough or other modelling clay for • Get pummelling, squeezing and poking. If you have some spare flour and oil, you could make your own play dough.

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your child is old enough, talk with them about • Ifwhen it’s ok to make lots of noise and when they need to be quieter. your child something to make a lot of noise with • Give – for example, dustbin lids, drumsticks or pots and pans. Let them make as much noise as they want for a set period of time – as much as you and neighbours can cope with – explaining that when the time is up they should pack things away. your child know that you understand they need • toLetplay.

Tell them you want to help them play without causing unnecessary damage harm to themselves, your home and other people.

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IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Messy play at home Playing at all ages can be messy and fun. But when you and your child are at home together for a while, it might be more difficult to cope with.

Being messy is a natural part of playing. It involves: all your senses to explore what things look, feeling satisfaction from squishing things together, • using • taking feel, smell and sound like them apart, and making a mess just for the sake of it • being creative and imaginative about what things do – for example, • having fun splashing, giggling and tickling.

• learning what happens when colours mix or how water trickles or how bubbles float

Messy play about the coronavirus During the current situation, your child might use messy play to: their feelings about germs, viruses and • explore how these are passed from one place or person to another

models or images of what they think • create a virus looks like or how it acts, maybe giving it a personality.

If your child is doing this, you can help by: them to play freely, so they can work their play as a starting point for • allowing • using things out in a way that helps them come to terms conversations about the virus and its effects. with what’s happening

Tips for dealing with messy play at home It can be harder to deal with mess around the house – or to wash and dry clothes – when you are having to stay at home so much. And children may worry about adding stress to the family, too.

The important thing is to try to find a balance that works for your family. Here are some suggestions: your child know you don’t mind them getting the floor or table with old cloths • Let • Cover wet or a bit messy when they play. or newspaper. some old clothes that you’re happy for your with your child where it’s ok to be messy • Keep • Discuss child to wear when they get messy. in your home and where it isn’t. your child when you’re cleaning up and • Involve sorting out messy clothes and toys.

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that bathrooms are usually perfect • Remember for messy and wet play.

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The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your child keep playing through the coronavirus pandemic.

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Things to play with around your home There are lots of things around most people’s homes that can be played with. Although you might think play means games and toys, children can play with lots of things that encourage their imagination and ingenuity. For example, things like cardboard boxes or old sheets can be played with in different ways.

Getting ready

sure things are properly plastic bags and the official hygiene • Make • Avoid • Remember washed and dried before your wrapping because of the risk of advice and help your child

•

child plays with them.

Use your judgement about fragile things. Think about whether you’d mind if they got torn, messed up or broken.

suffocation, especially if there are small children around.

small things such as • Avoid bottle lids or shells that young

•

to do the same.

Check for sharp edges.

children could choke on.

Here are some ideas of things you can find around the house for your child play with...

Packaging and recycling You can offer your child some of the things that are often thrown away or recycled:

boxes – for example, cereal boxes, • Silver foil, aluminium food trays, cellophane wrapping • Cardboard eggboxes, toilet roll tubes or packing cases.

Plastic bottles and containers •

Household items Many things you use at home every day can be great for playing:

Sheets, duvets, pillows, old clothes • Pots, pans, wooden spoons • Chairs, tables, cardboard boxes • • Papers, chalk, balloons, paint

elastic bands, • String, pegs, paper clips.

Activities

models, puppets, shields and • Set up pretend shops, schools, at dressing up, put • Make • Play musical instruments. kitchens, banks, post offices, on shows, make up soap beauty salons, hospitals and cafes. operas and dramas. out frustration by squashing • Take pillows or stamping cardboard and sort things to play a small indoor garden, • Collect • Make boxes until they are flat. with in water. planting seeds and watching them grow. pictures on card and Make dens, shelters and • Draw • cut them into jigsaw puzzles. cubby holes.

• Invent new board games.

Items from nature Natural things such as seed pods, shells, plants, twigs, sticks, pebbles and stones have always been used for play. You may already be able to find some around the house or you might be able to collect some and bring them inside to play with. collect small amounts damage plants, trees, • Only • Don’t of items from nature outdoors. habitats, nests etc.

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you can, return items to nature • Ifafter you have played with them.

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COPE WITH FEELINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT APRIL 2020 29 OR FRIGHTENING

The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Make the most of your time outside Going outdoors is good for our mental and physical health. It can relieve family pressures caused by spending so much time indoors together, too.

Take care You may be allowed to go out to exercise for a short time each day. Guidance varies from country to country and may change as the coronavirus pandemic goes on. Always follow the official guidance where you are. you go out, stay two metres (six feet) away • Iffrom other people at all times.

not meet up with people you don’t live with – • Do even friends and other family members.

• Wash your hands as soon as you get home.

exercising in busy places where you can’t • Avoid keep two metres away from other people.

Make the most of being outdoors Whether your time outside is on city streets, in a park or in the countryside, nature is all around you. some time to pause, look around and talk • Take with your child about what you see and feel.

Learn about the things you can eat that • Forage. grow wild in your local environment.

a tree, stand up on a rock, find weeds in • Hug cracks in the pavement.

one place to visit regularly – for example, • Choose a tree, a bush, a stream, a canal – and watch

the names of the plants, trees and birds you • Learn find in your area. How many can you spot when you are out? some weather watching and forecasting – can • Do you guess what the weather will be like later in the day, tomorrow or next week? How about keeping a weather diary with drawings and notes?

how it changes day by day. Are leaves and buds unfurling? Are insects coming to live there? out at different times of day if you are allowed • Go to by local regulations – early morning, sunrise, noon, dusk, night-time. What do you and your child notice about the sun and the moon, shadows and light effects?

• Take photos, do drawings, write poems, tell stories.

Simple games to play while you are out your child plays at school or nursery – • Games like ‘I spy with my little eye’ • Games you can ask them to teach you • Treasure hunts Jumping on the spot, hopping, walking backwards, • Taking small playthings from home – for example, • doing toy animals or cars you can play with outdoors handstands, trying a cartwheel, jumping in puddles, chasing shadows Balancing games – for example, on kerbs or lines • on the pavement • Storytelling, playing imaginative and fantasy games Collecting things like pebbles, sticks, and leaves • Drawing with chalk on pavements or sidewalks • that you can take home and play with.

• Badminton and games with bats, balls and hoops

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The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Internet and screenbased activities and play... finding a balance Most families want to find a reasonable balance between time spent on screens and time for other types of play and activities, including family time.

If you have access to screens at home during the coronavirus pandemic, they can be a way for your child to: in touch with friends, social groups and family • get absorbed in a game that takes their full attention • keep share concerns and ideas part in creative activities • have aexperiences, • take laugh and enjoy themselves access information, news and advice.

• • It’s understandable to relax some of the usual rules in the current crisis. But spending all day on screens can have negative effects, as well as providing your child with important opportunities and experiences.

For example, your child may find it difficult to get to sleep, or they may miss out on other activities.

Some ways to help your child find a healthy balance you understand and are interested. Let them to avoid screens before bedtime. This will make • Show • Try know you understand that playing on screens isn’t it easier to fall asleep, and to get up in the morning. all good or bad. You could try playing some of their Plan together. Discuss with your child how long games, or get them to teach you about apps they like. • they feel it’s ok to use screens each day. Get them to make a plan, and ask what would help them moving. Encourage your child to take regular • Keep stick to it. breaks, rather than sitting still or lying down for too long. They can walk around, and do star jumps to avoid repeatedly checking updates on the • Try or press-ups to increase their heart rate. coronavirus pandemic. Try making a conscious decision to turn off or mute notifications. And try outside. If possible, encourage them to get • Get only checking the news a couple of times a day. some outside exercise.

Look out of the window. It’s good for your child’s • Remember. Older children might enjoy doing • eyes to change focus by looking at the horizon things they did when they were younger or playing or distant buildings. keeping your mealtimes screen-free. You’ll • Try have time to talk and appreciate your food.

with favourite old toys. This can give them a sense of reassurance and security.

Babies and very young children Babies can be attracted to screens. This is especially true if people around them are using screens.

But the most important things babies and very young children need for their development don’t come from screens. They are about human contact – for example: things with their hands, feet, mouths • being held, cuddled, tickled and stroked • touching and bodies gazing around, focusing their eyes on different • shapes, faces and distances talking to them using baby talk, rhymes • people and lullabies.

• people making eye contact with them and smiling STAY EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY © IPA April, 2020

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The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your child keep playing through the coronavirus pandemic.

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Playing when you cannot go outside your home The coronavirus pandemic has created unusual and difficult experiences for children and families.

One of these is not being able to go outside.

This can be especially difficult if you feel your home is crowded, or don’t have much privacy from neighbours.

Feeling stressed or upset is completely understandable. It’s important to look after yourself and to find ways to relax.

Here are some suggestions that might help. your child doesn’t need you to be the you play with your child, try to forget about • Remember • When perfect parent. They need to know you love and other concerns. Concentrate on enjoying playing care for them.

with them.

your child is playing happily it’s fine to let them ok to say you’ve played enough, that you need • Ifplay • It’s while you rest and have some downtime. a rest, or have to do something else. ok for your child to be bored sometimes.

• It’s They don’t need you to entertain them all the time.

Playing is a way of being connected to the world. Here are some suggestions of things you can play at home.

Games to play looking out of the window the number of cars or cats or people you • Count can see. up stories about what you see. For example, • Make what is the cat planning to do? What’s their name? What would the world look like if you were the cat?

you see the streetlights going on in the • Can evening and off in the morning? Can you hear the moment the birds start to sing in the morning and settle down for the night? night-time, look for stars and the moon, • At reflections and shadows, birds, bats and other wildlife moving around.

Always be very careful of your child’s safety when they’re near windows.

Bring some nature into your home Look around your home for things to play with • made from natural materials – wooden spoons, wicker baskets, cotton, silk, pebbles or feathers. growing a small indoor garden in pots near • Try a window. You could grow herbs to smell and taste, or seedlings for flowers.

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making an arty garden on a tray making • Try trees, plants and birds from scrap materials like wrapping paper, tissue paper, sweet wrappers and cardboard. to identify birds and insects using a book • Learn or looking online.

IPA PLAY IN CRISIS: SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND CARERS

Try to stay active It can be hard to keep physically active at home, but there are lots of benefits to using up energy – for example, improving your mood (and your child’s) and sleeping better. on some music and dance – try funny dancing, • Rough and tumble play – play wrestling creates • Put slow motion, follow my leader or freestyle. a burst of energy and fun. You can make things safer by moving breakable objects, or you can put a duvet on the floor.

– turn your room into a gym. Try some • Exercises sit-ups, running on the spot or balancing on one leg. Ask your child to show you exercises they do at school.

Making space Sometimes your child might need to play alone or prefer some privacy when they play. Equally, there will be times when you need some space too. some items to make a den or a tent. It can be • Change the mood in a room by switching the • Find as simple as putting a bed sheet over a table with main light off and playing in the dark, or just with the fabric hanging down the sides so your child can play in underneath. cardboard box is a perfect plaything • Aforlarge children.

the light from the street. Try making shadows with torches or a small lamp. to your child and explain that you sometimes • Talk need a little bit of quiet and time on your own just like they do. Even if you can’t be in different rooms, you can help your child learn that there are times when they should try to play quietly.

a cosy corner or a squashy circle with a pile • Make of pillows and cushions.

Other pages in the IPA series offer guidance and ideas for playing at home during the coronavirus pandemic. They include: dealing with difficulty themes • play (death, loss and loneliness etc.)

STAY EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY

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• coping with noisy and messy plan • ideas for play around your home.

RELAX AND FORGET ABOUT WORRIES

MAKE SENSE OF NEW EXPERIENCES AND CHANGES IN THE WORLD

COPE WITH FEELINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT OR FRIGHTENING

The IPA play in crisis series is designed to offer straightforward advice and suggestions to help you and your child keep playing through the coronavirus pandemic.

ipaworld.org ipa_world internationalplay Words by Theresa Casey. Design by Votepedro. © IPA April, 2020

© IPA April, 2020

APRIL 2020 33

Playing with a Message

by Cynthia Gentry, Editor All images courtesy of Rael San Fratello

In the summer of 2019 social media erupted with photographs of children playing on bright pink teeter-totters threaded between the slats of a tall steel wall along the border between the United States and its neighbor to the south, Mexico.

The joy on the children’s faces was palpable and the images appeared everywhere. The project was recognized world-wide with nearly 2 million impressions on the architect’s Instagram feed alone (and over 7 million views of tweets posted by famous musicians).

Upon closer examination one could see that something beyond children’s play was going on.

The Teeter-Totter Wall idea had been on the minds of Ronald Rael, Chair of Architecture at the University of California Berkeley, and Virginia San Fratello, associate professor of architecture at San José State University for a decade. Drawings appeared in Rael’s Borderwall As Architecture: A Manifesto for the U.S.-Mexico Boundary (University of California Press, 2017). In the book, the architect said his intention was to demonstrate the “mutually dependent relationship between the United States and Mexico… People on both sides could directly experience the interdependency between the two countries by enacting the mutual give-and-take required of the two nations whose economic success literally hinges upon their relationship with each other. The borderwall and the cities it divides would be a symbolic and literal fulcrum for U.S.-Mexico relations.”

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The book provided a number of potential ways to design the wall with function or humanity or satire as a design element.

Some ideas included a Wastewater Treatment Wall, a Bicycle and Pedestrian Wall, a Cactus Wall, a Burrito Wall, a Theater Wall and so on. But, in the end, it was the Teeter-Totter Wall that was realized.

“Many of the conceptual drawings that we did for the book communicate the idea of play. And play is, in many ways, a form of resistance. It’s often seen as a resistance to authority, and it’s done in a very innocent way. The work is an act of protest, but we were not out there with picket signs. We were not out there stating particular messages of resistance. We were demonstrating how the act of play, the act of engaging that place, was our act of resistance to say that, “This is our place,” and we can dismantle the meaning of the wall and its violence.”

In an interview with Joshua Barajas, arts editor for the PBS NewsHour, Rael was asked if his critique or message had changed in the face of the Trump Administration’s escalating rhetoric of separation. He responded, “Yes, in fact, I think it has, because what happens in Trump’s immigration policy is the separation of families and the separation of children from their parents. And I think that gives much more impact to the nature of that particular work, because we now see children playing at the border and we understand the humanity of those children. I think that’s what’s been largely absent in the acknowledgement of the consequences of separating children from their family: the enormous psychological and emotional damage that is being placed upon these children.”

The stark juxtaposition of the universality of children’s play with the blatant violation of children’s rights appeared to be in large part what triggered the installation to “go viral” on social media worldwide.

To help understand the architect’s intent we asked in a recent online interview with PlayRights Magazine what was the message Rael hoped to convey by using play as the medium of dissent? He responded, “Dissent is not the best description of our intent. In fact, the gathering was meant to be intimate. I believe that art allows for multiple meanings to be conveyed, and the message of connectedness, fairness, equality, separation, were some of the readings of the work. Others had very different readings.”

PR: Why do you think this installation resonated with people?

Rael: “Many called it an important moment of release from the tensions fueled by continued media coverage of family separation at the border, as well as the never-ending quest by the Trump administration to acquire funds for more wall construction. For us, the work also demonstrated that there is another borderland when viewed outside of the white gaze. It’s something that we do not often hear or see about when communicating the realities of the borderlands—that they are not simply a barren desert landscape comprised of “bad hombres”, but rather, an ecologically rich, socially diverse set of communities, filled with intelligent and caring families who live with their children in communities, where they laugh, play and take pictures with their cell phones despite the hardships of poverty, xenophobia, and the oppression reflected in the construction of walls.”

The bright pink teeter-totters no longer adorn the steel fence along the U.S.-Mexican border, but they will “continue to spread the message of togetherness at museums around the world.” They are to be included in a delayed exhibit “The Wall/ El Muro: What is a Border Wall?” at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

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In the heart of New York Harbor is a 172-acre island accessible only by ferry. A mile or so across the water to the West is the Statue of Liberty. Manhattan is a 10-minute ferry ride to the North; Brooklyn is a bit closer to the East. On that special piece of beautiful land, Governors Island, is found something quite rare in the USA: a real Adventure Playground known as The Yard.

PlayRights Magazine interviewed Yoni Kallai of play:groundNYC to find out how The Yard at Governors Island came to be, what it’s like, and, of course, if it’s messy.

How did you all find each other and come up with the idea of a different kind of playground?

Eve and Alex (Eve Mosher, a community engagement artist and Alex Khost, a youth rights advocate) were friends and had both learned about the concept of adventure playgrounds and got talking. Each said, “I would like to make a place like this.” They did one pop-up in November of 2014. I myself read the article “The Overprotected Kid” in The Atlantic (by Hanna Rosen, April 2014) 1 and felt immediately that this was something I wanted to be involved in.

I am a circus performer and teacher. My emphasis is on partner acrobatics. We had moved our circus to a new space with a big backyard. I reached out to Alex, told her I was interested in helping, and might be able to offer the backyard of the circus for the Adventure playground. Then a few others joined (Reilly Bergin Wilson, a researcher, Robin Meyer, a playground designer, Jackie Katz, an arts educator, Anne Morosini, a former NGO project manager, and Philipp Klaus, a democratic educator). We were working on putting this together and all the time doing pop-ups when Governors Island reached out to us to do a pop-up there. We did and that led to the thought that maybe we could have something more permanent. So, we ended up operating out of there rather than at the circus.

What was it about the article in The Atlantic that captured you?

I was in a place myself where I was looking for a way to work with kids in a playful way and with a lot of freedom. I was also working at a school here in NY. I remember the sense of this freedom they mentioned in the article—of trusting the kids, of giving them a lot of freedom. I come from Israel where we are more relaxed about taking some risks and improvising things than what is common here in America. So, it just very much resonated with me. As well as the idea of the playworkers being there. The movie The Land wasn’t out yet, but I had seen some clips when I found the article and that really resonated with me even more The first pop-up at Governors Island was enough to show you that that needed to be the spot.

The Yard at Governors Island

One of the things that pops into a lot of people’s minds when considering any kind of playground, especially in the United States, is the fear of being sued.

Out of the eight initial board members, we each had our own level of what we are comfortable with. I, myself, it was not something I was concerned with. We’re always dealing with waivers.

An interview with Yoni Kallai of play:groundNYC

by PlayRights Editor Cynthia Gentry

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We are insured at least on paper. But we haven’t had to test it yet. It comes from an understanding that, yes, there are risks involved, but they’re not as big as people think. We might have a higher rate of scrapes than normal playgrounds, but actually adventure playgrounds have been found to have lower rates of injuries such as broken arms and worse situations. It actually happens less. A big part of it is that the kids see the risks themselves. They don’t want to get hurt so they manage their own risks. And, we as playworkers are constantly there monitoring, doing dynamic risk assessment, altering things when and where needed. They have the option of taking risks that they choose. They are not met with hazards – things they are not expecting.

How many children are typically there? What is a full house? How many playworkers are there?

On the weekends, we have four playworkers – one being at the front desk, making sure that the play releases are signed. We don’t let the parents into the main area. So, you have essentially three who are roaming around the playground itself. We don’t have a fixed number of kids that are allowed. It’s more getting a feel of things – it depends on the energy of the kids that day, it depends on the conditions of the site – are there a lot of tall structures, that we need to be careful of people dropping hammers or is it more in the beginning of the season when the structures aren’t that big? The most children we’ve had in one day is 350, but that’s not all at one time. That’s kids circulating through. We’ve got some that stay for five minutes and others that are there for four hours.

Do you find there are some kids who come back more often or is it a one-time thing?

We definitely have kids who are regulars who really love the place and whose parents have figured out how to bring them there more often. It is a challenge because we are a destination, not in a neighborhood. It’s not the most convenient place. Nobody lives on Governors Island. We do have some regulars, but not that many. There are kids who will come a several times a season. We get lots of one- or two-time visitors. People who come because they’ve heard of us. We have people come from out of state and we’ve had people drive down from Canada just to visit. But then others are just out for a day on Governors Island and they stumble upon us.

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Is there an entrance fee?

The weekends are free. We welcome donations, but we tend to not make enough donations. Our main funding comes from the summer camp we run. This summer we are doing 11 weeks of summer camp with 25 kids a week. That is our main source of revenue.

(Editor’s Note: this interview took place long before the Covid-19 pandemic so at this writing Governors Island is closed.)

How is camp structured?

We meet the children at the Ferry building in Manhattan and take them across the Harbor. We spend most of the time at the playground, but the island is without cars and beautiful so sometimes we go exploring other places on the island. They have a choice to stay on the playground or go somewhere else. We had the World Cup one summer and a lot of kids were into it so we had a lot of kids playing soccer in a big field nearby.

Do you have any stories of the kind of freedom at The Yard having an impact on kids?

There’s a lot. We’ve definitely had kids who ask if we have a school because they’d rather go to us. Kids regularly will say that they love the playground the most, that it’s the best place ever. I totally attribute this to the fact that we are giving them freedom, that we are trusting them to make their own decisions. It’s not so much that they have a hammer or a saw. People tend to be very fixated on the fact that we have tools. The truth is that on weekends you see a good bit of tool use, but at camp you usually only see a good bit of tool use the first two days maybe. Then they kind of lose interest in this novel thing and they’re more interested in interacting with each other and doing other things. The tools are useful as tools, but that’s all they are. There’s so much you can do with each other.

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PlayThings Loose Parts Play in Good Times and Bad Text and Illustrations by Penny Wilson The Play Things come from PlayKx play sessions running in the Kings Cross Development area in London. The sessions use only loose parts and Playworkers and families who come along to play. We ensure that the unadulterated play of the child is at the heart of each session. We are ‘instead of a playground’ with a richer offer, that allows flexibility of space and a variety of affordances.

PlayKx is managed by Assemble Studio.

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For Every Child We have pulled together a sample list of Play Things which we know work because we use them in our practice at PlayKx play sessions running in the Kings Cross Development area in London. This list is intended purely as a way of sparking ideas and possibilities.

We have looked for Play Things that are free or cheap, have as light an environmental footprint as possible, are domestic or bizarre, and are stunningly beautiful or slightly ominous.

These Play Things can be used alone, with other play equipment, and in spaces where the combination of possibilities become deep and rich and umami. You can use them in any situation at all where you want play to take root. Play Things are suggestions to get you thinking for yourself, that encourage you to be informed by your observations of children playing, looking in Charity shops, scrounging about, and, most of all, spending as little as possible so that you can provide a rich playing environment for Every Child.

Dressing Up Dressing Up gets overlooked and undervalued in play settings. It can be adventurous, creative, risky, hilarious, and beautiful. It allows children to explore who they are and how they look.

Choose clothes and accessories of many different sizes, including grown-up stuff of variable uses (skirts can be capes, dresses, or hats). Look for varieties of colour, texture, and style. Find shiny things and dark things, bags and shoes, lengths of luscious fabric. Shop in charity shops for best results, though donations from school and am-dram societies are always a cornucopia of possibilities.

Accessorizing We watch hours and hours of play each week. Sometimes we understand the narrative in a child’s playing; sometimes it is a complete mystery to us. That’s absolutely fine, of course. It’s not our job to analyse or interpret what we see.

We see objects and dressing up accessories used in loads of different ways. We don’t always understand that either – why does that toddler always search until they find the deconstructed party pom pom?

Why does the golden sequined vest cause such separation anxiety at home time?

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Objets Trouvés Many of our most belove d obje cts have been things we have unexpectedly found: strings of Christmas beads wriggle beautifully, ribbon can be used for lots of things, eyeliner can be used to draw on the skin. We have noticed that some objects have an archetypal weight that means they keep getting used to recreate fairy stories, ancient or contemporary myths.

Mirrors are vital. We try to get hold of as many acrylic mirrors as possible.

It’s great for all of us to see ourselves dressed up or doing poses or actions. Without mirrors, the only way that a child can see how they look is via an adult-posed photograph (“smile please”). Mirrors give children the chance to see themselves through their own eyes, front and back, and into infinity.

Friends Play is a great way to be a sociable creature. Left on their own, children playing together don’t seem to be aware of their differences. There is just a broader range of possibilities that comes along with each new player.

Sometimes children need inanimate friends. Since we introduced odd, soft toy creatures to our collection of Play Things, we have found that strong friendships have grown between children and the objects. The children will rush to the chicken with open arms. They will search with infinite care until that have found all four of the badgers. The animals become part of play narratives, role play, fantasy, socio-dramatic play, and all sorts of other things we don’t fully understand because they are private. Sometimes they turn a different sort of object into something to have a conversation with, to care for, or to be cared for by.

Sometimes children just need something for a comedy gold moment - those moments of helpless laughter from a child who has made other children – or even an adult – laugh. Whatever it is that these creatures are doing, we like it.

As one beautiful child told me about her creatures, “We talk together. They help me to work things out.”

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Oddities We were surprised to find that the children are drawn to (and reinvent each play day) a big old tangle of wool. Perhaps because it is in neutral colours and has one long strand sticking out. It is almost always a pullalong object – most often it is a dog to be walked.

Pom-poms are a delightfully funny way to throw things at people. We had lovely white ones over the winter, of course they were often snowballs. Wheels are also important. So are axles. Watching things turn and move can be fascinating. It’s quite fun to have offcentre options for the holes housing the axle.

May Be Useful Old style wooden dolly pegs: good for attaching things to other things, and also turning into other beings.

Wooden picture frames: great prop for playing with self-image, and for the child to ‘frame’ the adult.

Wooden spoons: can be a tool for storing and carrying, a conductors baton, a drum stick…

Sticks: while they seem to strike terror into the hearts of adults, children invariably use them safely if you show them how (just as with ropes, scissors, knives, water, and climbing). Sticks are great. They can help wave a fabric flag twirling high in the air, they can be a wand, a hurdle, a fishing rod, and all the other things.

Cozy During the cold weather we bought blankets to wrap up in.

We bought pillows for pillow fights.

Almost always we found that these had been snuggled up into little dens to make bedrooms. These were used by children and objects to take real or pretend naps or just make an excuse for comfy restful times.

Quiet options are always massively important options in play settings. The contrast between high energy play and sweetly soft times is important. And every child has different play preferences at different times.

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Construction A gripe with outdoor fixed-play of bent metals is that they are nothing more than a kiddie gym and don’t have affordances for the sorts of brilliant playing we see happening when Play Things are available. The same can be said for some large scale ‘loose parts.’

Used in isolation they are an amazing offer. Used with Play Things a whole new world of stuff becomes possible.

We could work with cardboard boxes, butter knives, and tape all the time. These things never fail.

Deliberately Sourced Stuff Here are a few of our favourite things: Coffee sacks: we play with them and use them for storage.

Cable spools: because of wheels and balancing and vases, etc.

Rope and string: two very different things, both absolutely wonderful.

Plastic plant pots: you can put things in them, including your bums or your heads. Mostly they are worn as ‘hearing hats’ because they look silly and change the sound of everything around you.

Keep Your Eyes Open for: Lengths of drainpipe: for rolling things down, making bridges, supporting beams, or water if there is some nearby.

Buckets: they are great to collect things in and carry around. Adult-sized buckets are a little bit unwieldy and heavy for a child, which is a positive thing. It makes them more appealing. Also, you may want to find some washing line to tie to the handle so that it can be dragged along.

Robust wind-up torches (flashlights): for exploring dens and light through fabric.

Building blocks: made with up-cycled containers, filled to a satisfying – but not crushing – weight with sand (or whatever) and sealed with duct tape.

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Making the Sea In the park where we play there is a constant breeze.

This is one of the very best Play Things that we have access to.

Sometimes we tie a huge tarpaulin between two sturdy trees. (We protect the bark of the trees from damage from the rope.) Depending on how we tie it the tarpaulin can be a rippling pool or a surf wave that you can lean into. It can also be a big den or tent shared by families or big groups of children. The noise it makes is amazing.

Be aware that if the winds get strong, the tarp can pick little people up and send them flying, or whip them with flapping edges. An adult nearby is the best way to support this.

Catching the Breeze Purchasing a pre-used parachute is a good investment. They are designed to do spectacular and powerful things. Again, children will need to have an adult around while they use this.

Children seem to be very used to parachutes, but the ones they have at schools are single thickness and circular. The children and adults will stand around and flap them up and down.

By comparison a heavier parachute is a wild and untamed Beastie when there is a breeze. It is the inside of the belly of a whale, a wall of water, the sky falling in, then rising again.

It teases and rages and dances and shelters. It makes small people laugh and stare in awe.

Scaffolding Net This is the netting that is draped over the outside of buildings when work is being carried out. It comes in many different colours, in huge long rolls. It is strong and delicately translucent and, it is cheap.

When we pack the net away we daisy chain it, like a crochet chain, so that it is fun to pull apart at the next session. The children watch with incredulity as the net expands and expands and becomes a giant filling the space beyond anything they had expected.

It can be used to make hammocks, mazes, paths, or a giant thing that follows you or that you can be pulled along on top of.

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Strong Stretchy Stuff In the days when we worked on an adventure playground, we were always looking for cheap ways to adapt what we had into what we needed. We started to use Lycra to make swings and hammocks that held onto children who couldn’t hold on to the swings. Tied between trees (higher up than you would expect) it is an adventure to get into and out of. It bounces and swings and holds you close. It is restful and exciting. We have never stopped using Lycra. It is great fun in large quantities.

Textures I have seen children playing with plastic objects on plastic ground.

Often the plastic is designed to look like someth ing from the natural world. Fake wood Wendy houses, f a ke grown-up dress-up clothes and hats, fake grass. Why do we think it’s ok to lie so blatantly to children, and why do we find it so hard to notice that this lie is being perpetrated?

Find as many textures as you can. We use fake fur out of preference but have had real fur donated to us and some children love the touch of it. Velvet is a luxury with a weighty lavish feeling. Silks and satins are a sensual delight as they slip like water around you. Linens and cottons are cool and refreshing. Use as much variety as possible.

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Breathtaking Beauty To many children a strong element in play is an aesthetic one. I can’t justify this with any formal research, but it was true for me, for many adults I have spoken to, and is evident in what I see in playing children. It is so frequently overlooked in play settings.

Somehow mess and scrappiness are given priority over the beautiful and breathtaking.

We have a blue piece of sequined fabric that sends out shards of light. It is a royal cloak, a merperson tail, an ice dress. It is something that children search out upon their arrival, remembering it from last time.

It helps adults warm to the Play Things when they are beautiful, but it is the children who absorb that beauty into their playing.

Something Like Sweet Wrappers Colour. Vivid, undiluted, dense or translucent colour.

A way to colour with light.

A thing to give shape to the wind as it flies and twirls. I grew up playing with sheets drying on a washing line in the back garden. Since children seldom get to do that now how do they see what the wind does? How do they feel that?

How does it feel to grab a long length of organza and wrap it around you, or tie it to a long stick and twirl it in the sky? Drape the frame of a den with overlapping colours. Make jellyfish colour bubbles over hot air vents.

How does it feel to run your whole body into a long wisp of fabric as it flies to meet you?

It’s the perfect illustration of qualia. “I can feel the red.” l

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Continued from Page 39 They might play war. They might be busy playing in our mud pit – we have epic mud fights. There’s a small hill next to the playground where there’s a common game of just rolling tires down the hill. Water fights on the grass. I brought a number of mannequin heads with hair and a few girls made a barber shop, combing them, cutting their hair. Then one of the playworkers had the idea of taking the hair and gluing it on ball pit balls and making faces on them. So that became a project that a lot of kids were involved with. You can still find balls around with pieces of hair on them.

Where do you get all of the materials for The Yard?

I’m always looking at trash as I pass by. When there is something interesting and I have the option of collecting it I do. My wife doesn’t love it, but… And we get donations from people. We have one family who will go to garage sales and if they see tools, they will get some for us. But our main source of materials is a wonderful non-profit called Materials for the Arts. They give free access to non-profits like us. You set an appointment, go to their warehouse and whatever you want you can take. I’ve literally rented a 26’ box truck and filled it up with things to take to the playground. When the season is over, we pack it all up on site.

Do you teach the kids anything about tool use?

We don’t teach them. If they ask for help we’ll offer some thoughts. Sometimes if I see a child having a problem… if it feels right, I might say, “It might work better…”

It seems that playwork is a much of an art as a skill.

It’s definitely not a science. There’s no manual that tells you what to do. It’s all different. It develops over time and we spend time every day reflecting. Where is one particular child stuck. Where are we stuck as a playworker? Maybe there’s a child that very much is pulled to be with a certain playworker and that playworker is getting annoyed rather than enjoying the fact that someone likes them… that kind of thing.

Do you train playworkers?

We always have playworkers who are new for any given season. Some years we open up our training for outside people who are interested. The thing is, we are constantly working on developing. The four-day training gives you a foundation, but you don’t come out as a playworker. You have some of the basics, some of the theories, but working consistently on site with the kids is the best way you develop.

Is that how you learned – as you went along?

What we did is read. For our first two seasons we brought in head playworkers from other places. Morgan Leichter-Saxby from PopUp Adventure Play was our head playworker for our first season. And, then we brought in Luke Sutton from The Land in Wales who was our head playworker for our second year. And then since then I have been the head playworker. It has been a combination of reading, practicing, and hearing and learning from more experienced playworkers.

Editor’s Note: As we go “to press’ the pandemic rages worldwide. We have received this update from The Yard Board: “Although we are currently closed, we remain hopeful we will be able to hold some version of our summer camps. We are exploring how to provide opportunities for play for our city’s youth in some capacity.”

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Do you see The Yard as a permanent installation?

What are everyone’s hopes for it?

I would say that our hope is to get to the place where there are neighborhood adventure playgrounds everywhere rather than the existing playgrounds. There was a report that was put out by the NYC Comptroller about New York City playgrounds. He said that NYC has a low number of playgrounds per capita. If you ever walk by one of the NYCHA playgrounds 99% of the time they are empty—no one is playing there.

The situation is pretty bad. There are playgrounds that get more active. But you’ll see that certain kids at a certain age phase out of going or start doing things they aren’t supposed to be doing in playgrounds. That is sometimes the cause of injuries there.

Building a playground like that is millions of dollars whereas you could put that money into the neighborhood. Training playworkers who live in that neighborhood. So, they could get money instead of it going to companies. It’s more sustainable, uses greener and repurposed materials, and the kids are more engaged.

Given that hope for more, what advice would you give to people that are thinking about starting an Adventure Playground? Is it possible there would be guidance in the future from you all?

A lot of people reach out to us. We say, “Yes, please, open up more playgrounds”. Our first advice is to try to make a community where people want to do this with and start doing pop-ups and get interest around pop-ups. Pop-ups are much simpler in the sense that you don’t need tools. You can start with much softer materials like cardboard and fabric. That’s an important thing. If you don’t have funding to do something you need people who are dedicated. As far as courses, I can say that there are all kinds of things out there and slowly more and more are being developed. We have a limited ability to do extensive training, but for example there is a summer camp that is starting an adventure playground and I will be training their staff and supporting them. We are hoping to reach more and more, be it through school or through parks, but the truth is the government is very slow to change on things and accept ideas.

So, we focus more on the grassroots direction.

Are Adventure Playgrounds catching on in the US? Yes, it used to be that actually there were many. The first one in the US opened in the 50s, I believe. NYC used to have five adventure playgrounds in the 70s. They all closed. I think it was easier to pay one big chunk of money to the manufacturing company that will build the playground and then be done with it than to pay smaller amounts of money but have ongoing expense that comes with running an Adventure Playground.

Have you experienced any injuries?

Scrapes, nicks. I think we’ve had two broken bones in our four years of operations. It’s close to 25,000 children have come through our gates. First year maybe 3,000. Then next 7-8,000.

Are you finding a need for more space?

It’s good what we have on the island, but we want to be in neighborhoods, in communities where we have relationships with the children rather than just a one-off experience.

References: https://www.play-ground.nyc/the-yard The Overprotected Kid, by Hanna Rosin The Atlantic April 2014 https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/ Children’s Risky Play from an Evolutionary Perspective: The Anti-Phobic Effects of Thrilling Experiences https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/147470491100900212 The Decline of Play and the Rise of Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/1195/ajp-decline-play-published.pdf

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IPA ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS IPA Constitution Further to the decision of the General Meeting in Calgary we are continuing to work our way through the process of becoming a registered charity in England and Wales. The process is quite complex. We have engaged Geldards, leading Charity Solicitors in Wales, who are guiding us through the process.

We hope that we will have gained charitable status within the next few months.

We are then faced with the challenge of making the formal transition from the present constitution to the new one. Our present constitution requires that this may only done at a General Meeting, in person, by the membership. Obviously given the present crisis this will not be possible. We are exploring our options for an alternative arrangement with the solicitors and hope to be in a position to make a proposal to members by the time the constitution has been approved by the England and Wales Charity Commission.

– Mike Greenaway, IPA Treasurer Triennial Conference In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, Action for Children’s Environments (ACE) and IPA India, in close consultation with IPA World, have decided to postpone the International Play Association Conference 2020. Our priority is to guarantee the health of everyone involved and ensure a high level of attendance from our members and other stakeholders from around the world.

The conference will now be re-scheduled for October/November 2021 subject to the World Health Organization declaring the COVID-19 global pandemic contained, and borders reopened for unrestricted travel.

The planning of the conference was well underway, with more than 200 papers received and sessions scheduled to take place over the course of four days. ACE and IPA India will work towards ensuring the same programme with an even greater level of participation in 2021.

The organisers will continue to review the papers and make contact with presenters in regard to the change of dates.

ACE, IPA India and IPA World invite all partners to continue their engagement with this event and we will continue to provide updates on the conference preparation and planning.

We look forward to seeing you in Jaipur in 2021 and thank you for your patience and understanding.

– Sudeshna Chatterjee, IPA Development Officer IPA Right to Play Award To align with the postponement of the Triennial World Conference in Jaipur India to 2021, the submission deadline for “IPA Right to Play Award” Programme will be postponed to 31 March 2021. Please stay tuned for further updates in upcoming PlayNotes.

– Kathy Wong Kin-ho, IPA Vice President Membership Update One of the most encouraging recent developments has been the willingness of national branches to manage some aspect of their own membership through the Wild Apricot software system. This has been actively supported by IPA World with appropriate access safeguards and permissions around the use of the Wild Apricot database. In this Covid-19 era, the increased use of remote meetings between World and National representatives has provided the opportunity for virtual meetings as everyone becomes more confident and competent in this approach. The meetings have facilitated a better understanding of the Wild Apricot software and led to new communication arrangements which will allow national branches to chase up membership issues minimising the loss of members at national level. Remote meetings have been held involving Canada, New Zealand and Australia and it is expected that others will be held in the coming months.

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– Tam Baillie, IPA Membership Officer

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Artwork: Les Evans, Translated into Portuguese by IPA Portugal

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IPA’S Triennial World Conference has been postponed, but that gives us more time to make it incredible.

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