Everything Tagged with 'playwork'
Lessons From Playwork
My wonderful friend Morgan Leichter-Saxby recently wrote what I feel is a brilliant summation of the spirit that drives Playwork and adventure playgrounds in the UK. Framed as five basic lessons she learned from her experiences as a playworker, they appear simple enough, at least at first glance – but having spent countless afternoons in adventure playgrounds myself, I can tell you there is a treasure trove of truth here.
Please do go off and read her full post, pip pip, but for now here are Morgan’s five lessons – they’re honestly all you really need, I believe, to help guide you to having rich and wonderful relationships with children:
- Notice everything. Appreciate how the world around you looks, feels and smells. Think about what else you could do with the things that surround you, what else they could become.
- Be brave, in your own time. Different things are hard for different people. It’s okay – you can decide what’s right for you when you’re ready.
- Be good to people. They’ll generally be good back, and when you meet some who aren’t you’re more likely to have friends to help you out!
- Be yourself. Everything’s more fun if you stop worrying about whether you look silly or might get it wrong. It’s too tiring to try and be what you think other people expect, and frankly not worth the effort.
- Be flexible. Stay light on your feet and keep your eyes open. Unexpected and wonderful things happen all the time, and you don’t want to miss a moment.