Come out to Play 2 February 2013 Part of Re:Play’s aim is to create local networking and CPD opportunities across the south east. Working in partnership with Guildford Borough Council and Surrey Playing Fields, who supported the network financially, Re:Play’s fourth Come Out to Play networking event in Ash, Surrey, proved particularly popular with fifty delegates booked on.
Furnished with goody bags filled with useful information and fun gizmos, not to mention a delicious chocolate egg, the delegates settled down to the first part of the morning, dedicated to an update on Guildford’s plans for play, the play picture across the whole of Surrey, and then an update on the national picture, a format that gives our delegates important information on what is happening in their county, and for those out of the region, food for thought for their own areas. Leisure Development Manager Jo James talked about the play scene in Guildford, which includes the FISH scheme for older children and activities in the parks for local children. Lynne Hargreaves-McCallum, the manager of the Playwork Advisory Team at Surrey Early Years and Child Care service, was sadly unable to attend due to illness, so Jo updated on her behalf. Surrey is lucky to have two such organisations working for play. The national round-up included information about SkillsActive, Play England and Ip Dip, the weekly email all about play. The delegates then took part in two workshops, first the Creative Arts Toolbox run by Jenny Cave-Jones, where delegates made wonderful animals from pipe cleaners and egg boxes and created imaginative stories, and received a useful Resource Pack: "I’m not a creative person but I had so much fun making things, very inspiring" "Really good workshop, laid back and fun, good creative ideas to use in setting" Read a detailed account of the workshop here. This was followed by a Whittling Workshop, run by Guildford Play Rangers Amanda Pick and Ali Stubbs - whittling is a primitive form of woodworking and everyone turned into stone age people and went out in the cold to make some wonderful wooden articles - a butter knife, a recorder and a fierce dagger amongst them. This workshop was supported with an information pack. "Really fun, therapeutic and engaging. A great thing to do with young people and children" "Fantastic. Covered all age groups. Use of potato peelers – amazing! Ideas of things to make – great!" "Great workshop, really well presented and safety precautions given to enable the benefits of using knives in playwork" You can find more information of what happened in the whittling workshop here. In between the two workshops was a refreshment break where the delegates could meet and chat with each other, as well as visit our exhibition stands. There was a stall publicising Time Aside, which provides Sensory Art workshops for children of all ages to explore art in a non-directive way. Information was available about the new SkillsActive professional register for playworkers to be launched in the autumn and their activepassport scheme, which is free to join. There was also information about Surrey Wildlife Trust’s Forest Schools which offer children, young people and adults regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self esteem through hands-on learning in a woodland environment. Milton Keynes Play Association brought all manner of interesting and creative bits and bobs from their Scrap Store to sell, including big wooden discs, cardboard cones and bags of furry material, and as usual did a roaring trade. Re:Play is planning two more networks this year, one in Brighton in June and one in Kent in the autumn – no firm dates yet but as soon as they are fixed the information will be available via our website. Delegate feedback on Come out to Play: "I had no preconceptions and enjoyed all aspects of the day" "Really good workshops, laid back but informative - would recommend" "Good to reconnect with regional activities. Trainers/workshop leaders all really nice" "Never been on a Come out to Play before, really enjoyed it and would def go on more" "The staff were great teaching us different things through the day. The speakers gave me great information" |