Sunday, November 13, 2011
Pop-up seats and swings
Check out Urban Bricolage's coverage of various projects involving pop-up seats and swings for public spaces...(thanks to Playing Out for the link...)
Monday, October 24, 2011
"Keep Playing"
A forward-looking initiative was recently launched by Play Association Tower Hamlets that aims to get children and families to reclaim the spaces outside their homes to create playful spaces, and hopefully to change people's attitudes. They are looking for 'Play Champions' to work with families on estates there...
Many thanks to Playing Out for pointing this our way.
Many thanks to Playing Out for pointing this our way.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Come Out and Play
On Sunday in our street a group of us organised 'Come Out & Play!', an afternoon when we put bunting across the road and neighbours brought out games, toys, food and drink and.. spent some time together.
It was a real pleasure, and great to run something so simple to set up. We didn't officially close the road, just put up signs encouraging people to take another route, and leafleted the cars in advance asking for people to part a few streets away for the afternoon to give us more space. Hattie brought out a few pieces of snug, a local boy arrived with his secret recipe for giant bubble making mixture, others brought a playhouse, pizza, tea, cake, chalk, softballs and musical instruments. A burst of rain ten minutes before the advertised end led to a hurried clearing up followed by a warm glow of satisfaction about an enjoyable event for locals of all ages. Thanks to http://playingout.net/ for inspiration and tips
It was a real pleasure, and great to run something so simple to set up. We didn't officially close the road, just put up signs encouraging people to take another route, and leafleted the cars in advance asking for people to part a few streets away for the afternoon to give us more space. Hattie brought out a few pieces of snug, a local boy arrived with his secret recipe for giant bubble making mixture, others brought a playhouse, pizza, tea, cake, chalk, softballs and musical instruments. A burst of rain ten minutes before the advertised end led to a hurried clearing up followed by a warm glow of satisfaction about an enjoyable event for locals of all ages. Thanks to http://playingout.net/ for inspiration and tips
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Leaping into the Linhope Spout!
Can there be anything more fun than jumping 20' down into a bottomless pool of freezing water? These brave kids in the Cheviot Hills (where I've just spent a blustery week) obviously don't think so...
Snug in luxury Japanese hotel!
Our friend Chi-Chi spotted this poster in the reception of the Korakuen hotel in Atami, advertising their latest attraction - unfortunately she didn't have time to see it in action... if anybody else around the world has photos of Snug, we'd love to see them!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Childs Play in the Sunday Telegraph
New approaches to playgrounds bring imagination (and danger) back to playtime
"...Where does playground design go from here? The future might just lie in the one thing designers have spent the past ten years vilifying: brightly coloured plastic. Not even a concetre lover could claim Gillett Square in Hackney is a lovely place, but every afternoon, something extraordinary happens. From out of two giant dustbins, children take a big loop, a cone, a wave, a curved section of wall, a mound and some long pieces of plastic like noodles. This is a Snug play set, designed by siblings Tim and Hattie Coppard, and its premise is that anywhere can be a playground.
Snugplay's essence is flexibility. Children can do whatever they want with the shapes, but they're designed to be awkward - nothing slots easily into anything else. They have to use their imagination and, because some of the pieces are pretty heavy, work together. Since its launch in 2008, the kits - costing £11,700 each - have been sold all over the world."
- John Preston, Sunday Telegraph STKids magazine, 14th September 2011.
"...Where does playground design go from here? The future might just lie in the one thing designers have spent the past ten years vilifying: brightly coloured plastic. Not even a concetre lover could claim Gillett Square in Hackney is a lovely place, but every afternoon, something extraordinary happens. From out of two giant dustbins, children take a big loop, a cone, a wave, a curved section of wall, a mound and some long pieces of plastic like noodles. This is a Snug play set, designed by siblings Tim and Hattie Coppard, and its premise is that anywhere can be a playground.
Snugplay's essence is flexibility. Children can do whatever they want with the shapes, but they're designed to be awkward - nothing slots easily into anything else. They have to use their imagination and, because some of the pieces are pretty heavy, work together. Since its launch in 2008, the kits - costing £11,700 each - have been sold all over the world."
- John Preston, Sunday Telegraph STKids magazine, 14th September 2011.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Nursery Carnival!
Nursery Carnival held their annual summer playday event in St Marks Park, Ladbroke Grove - this year's theme: "Fishville"!
Sutcliffe Play kindly donated Snug for the day, and it was very enthusiastically played on by the local children, most of whom had presumably never seen it before...
Monday, August 8, 2011
Hot play in Barnet!
Hundreds of families turned out on one of the hottest days this summer for a fabulous Playday in Friary Park, Barnet, north London. Snug proved to be a very popular attraction for kids of all ages...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Snug Play days in August!
Visitors to Play events around the country will be able to try out Snug this month.
All are welcome!
Playdays are being held at:-
Wednesday August 3rd
National Coal Mining Museum
New Road, Overton, Wakefield, WF4 4RH
9am - 4pm
and
Barnet Play Day,
Friary Park Road,
Barnet, N12 9PD
11am - 4pm
Thursday August 4th
National Coal Mining Museum
New Road, Overton, Wakefield, WF4 4RH
9am - 4pm
and
Eastwood Play Day,
Eastwood Comprehensive School, NG16 3DY.
(Parking Hall Park, Mansfield Road)
12 - 4pm
Friday 5th August
Aberford Park
Brook Road,
Boreham Wood, WD6 5HQ
1 - 4pm
Tuesday 9th August
Stapleford Play Day
Ilkeston Road Recreational Play Ground
NG9 8JL
12 - 4pm
Thursday 11th August
Kimberley Play Day,
Kimberley School Playing Field,
NG16 1EX. (Parking Chestnut Drive)
12 - 4pm
Saturday 13th August
Old Newland Primary School,
Jack Kaye Walk, Reynoldson Street,
Newland Avenue. HU5 2BX
11am - 4pm
Friday 19th August
Emsllie Hornimans Park,
Kensal Road,
London W10 5AW
12 - 4.30pm
All are welcome!
Playdays are being held at:-
Wednesday August 3rd
National Coal Mining Museum
New Road, Overton, Wakefield, WF4 4RH
9am - 4pm
and
Barnet Play Day,
Friary Park Road,
Barnet, N12 9PD
11am - 4pm
Thursday August 4th
National Coal Mining Museum
New Road, Overton, Wakefield, WF4 4RH
9am - 4pm
and
Eastwood Play Day,
Eastwood Comprehensive School, NG16 3DY.
(Parking Hall Park, Mansfield Road)
12 - 4pm
Friday 5th August
Aberford Park
Brook Road,
Boreham Wood, WD6 5HQ
1 - 4pm
Tuesday 9th August
Stapleford Play Day
Ilkeston Road Recreational Play Ground
NG9 8JL
12 - 4pm
Thursday 11th August
Kimberley Play Day,
Kimberley School Playing Field,
NG16 1EX. (Parking Chestnut Drive)
12 - 4pm
Saturday 13th August
Old Newland Primary School,
Jack Kaye Walk, Reynoldson Street,
Newland Avenue. HU5 2BX
11am - 4pm
Friday 19th August
Emsllie Hornimans Park,
Kensal Road,
London W10 5AW
12 - 4.30pm
Monday, August 1, 2011
The end of zero risk in childhood?
Tim Gill recently wrote in The Guardian of the positive climate change in attitudes to children's safety:-
"The time is right to move beyond unproductive debates about the “blame culture” and instead to build momentum behind the idea of expanding children’s horizons. What is needed is nothing
less than the wholesale rejection of the philosophy of protection. In its place, what we need to adopt is a philosophy of resilience that truly embraces risk, uncertainty and real challenge – even real danger – as essential ingredients of a rounded childhood."
Read full article here...
"The time is right to move beyond unproductive debates about the “blame culture” and instead to build momentum behind the idea of expanding children’s horizons. What is needed is nothing
less than the wholesale rejection of the philosophy of protection. In its place, what we need to adopt is a philosophy of resilience that truly embraces risk, uncertainty and real challenge – even real danger – as essential ingredients of a rounded childhood."
Read full article here...
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Health and Safety "stifling childhood"
Judith Hackitt, the Chair of the Health & Safety Executive has recently claimed that "jobsworth" bureaucrats are creating joyless playgrounds as a result of overuse of regulations.
She states that: "The creeping culture of risk-aversion and fear of litigation...puts at risk our children's education and preparation for adult life. Playgrounds have become joyless, for fear of a few bruises."
Let us hope that this tide continues to turn!
She states that: "The creeping culture of risk-aversion and fear of litigation...puts at risk our children's education and preparation for adult life. Playgrounds have become joyless, for fear of a few bruises."
Let us hope that this tide continues to turn!
Play is recommended in new physical activity guidelines
The new Physical Activity Guidelines are the first UK-wide
guidelines to be published. The guidelines form part of Start
Active, Stay Active, a report from all four Chief Medical Officers
across the UK. This report describes the evidence behind the
development of the new guidelines and illustrates how
individuals can achieve their physical activity
recommendations.
The guidelines and the report can be downloaded from the
Department of Health website here.
guidelines to be published. The guidelines form part of Start
Active, Stay Active, a report from all four Chief Medical Officers
across the UK. This report describes the evidence behind the
development of the new guidelines and illustrates how
individuals can achieve their physical activity
recommendations.
The guidelines and the report can be downloaded from the
Department of Health website here.
My Playground - Urban Space!
Check out this short film by Kaspar Astrup Schröder that explores the way Parkour and Freerunning is changing the perception of urban space and how that space is changing the traceurs and freerunners.
Mainly set in Copenhagen the film follows the making of the first dedicated parkour park in the world, designed by the danish team, Team JiYo.
"What's fascinating is the way of transforming the city. Because you can't change it physically—you can't go and move the light post or the staircase—but you can change the way you are looking at it and the way you use it. And in that way make it your own." —Signe Højbjerre, freerunner, Team Jiyo
Mainly set in Copenhagen the film follows the making of the first dedicated parkour park in the world, designed by the danish team, Team JiYo.
"What's fascinating is the way of transforming the city. Because you can't change it physically—you can't go and move the light post or the staircase—but you can change the way you are looking at it and the way you use it. And in that way make it your own." —Signe Højbjerre, freerunner, Team Jiyo
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Hattie frolics in Welsh woods!
Hattie spent the weekend in Wales at a 'Playcamp' as a prelude to the IPA conference in Cardiff - it involved some interesting activities such as lugging this 23m tree trunk through fields....!
She hopefully recovers in time to give her presentation at the conference, the title of which is:
'How can we create a playful public realm?'
In case you are at the IPA conference on monday 4th July, make sure to catch her at 2.00pm in room K...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Power from Underground!
Check out this fun video from Mudlevel showing how hands-on ingenuity can harness power from a Tube escalator...
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Tennessee children's hospital finds Snug "therapeutic"
Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga, has put Snug in their rooftop garden and are finding that children of all ages are really enjoying the respite it offers from the sterile hospital environment - see this article...
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