We stopped at Laurier Heights Out of School Care to meet our host Sherri. She led us out from the parking lot and into the field behind the school. Loose parts were already stacked there, waiting for play.
There were pallets, cardboard tubes, boxes of tape, rope and stacks of tires. To our delight, we also found a surprise – a large brassy collection of musical instruments. There was a saxophone, a flute and even one enormous tuba.
Turning junk into play
We picked them up and pretended to play. I made the euphonium produce a loud honking noise like a plaintive goose and felt absurdly pleased. Sherri reassured us that these instruments were destined for the trash and would have cost more to repair than replace.
That reassurance turned out to be important. As soon as children arrived, three of them stripped apart a slide trombone and used the pieces to gleefully stab holes in a cardboard sheet. Play had begun.
Play as expression
At the far end of the field, a group of boys alternated between building an enormous den and tearing apart nearby boxes. A teacher, looking a little anxious, asked me quietly, “I think this is okay. Tell me why?”
We talked about play as expression, about the need to explore how materials behave, to value destruction and creation equally. These principles apply not only to children but to all of us in our daily lives.
Moments of connection
Later, I watched Suzanna and a friend play with a child named Emmett. He carefully placed tape on their legs, giggling with each new piece. Soon, I had strips of tape across my knees and pockets. Later still, I heard “EMMETT!” shouted from the den, before he ran out laughing, chased by an older boy covered in tape himself.
These playful moments are what make every Pop-Up unique. As we always say: every session is a little bit the same – forts, smashing, running, taping and a little bit different. At Laurier Heights, we even had a marching band!
Swings, hammocks and knots
We also set up swings from the goal posts. Andy built a tire swing, while I created a tightly spinning hammock. By the end of the day, Andy discovered compound knots tied by children – with flute pieces dangling from some of them.
A lasting impression
At the end of the day, one parent carried her half-asleep child to the car. She told me, “Tomorrow we’re going to rent a trumpet. He was in that fort playing with it the whole time. I’ve never seen him do anything for that long.”
And so, perhaps, a new generation of musicians was born – all thanks to a day of play.
To find out more about our Canadian adventure, check out our Canada tour page. For daily updates, follow us on Facebook and X. You can also explore more stories from our Pop-Ups On Tour.
By Morgan
