Sep 17, 2017 | adventures, Canada, loose parts, play, play conference, playwork, playworkers, presentations, tour
By AndyCrawling down back roads looking out for house numbers and community centres has become somewhat the norm for us, especially now as we start the descent towards the end of our grand Canadian tour after 7 weeks on the road.Today we were heading for the Play...
Sep 9, 2017 | adults, box, Canada, children, dens, loose parts, photos, play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, tour
By AndyMidway through our tour we received an email from Jade from a local Chinese Immigrant family group based in Richmond, on the outskirts of Vancouver. This confirmed our fourth stop in Vancouver, which would be sandwiched between a first time community Pop-Up at...
Sep 8, 2017 | box, Canada, children, family, loose parts, moments, photos, play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, tour
By MorganAt pop-up adventure playgrounds, we get to meet children in public space. Nowadays, that means meeting them within the circle of their parents and caregivers. When we’re supporting play, we sometimes get a peek into a child’s world, or the world of...
Aug 31, 2017 | Canada, children, loose parts, Morgan, photos, play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, swings, tape, tour, video
By MorganWe stopped at Laurier Heights Out of School Care to meet with our host Sherri, who led us out from the parking lot and into the field behind the school. Loose parts were stacked out there already, waiting.“I can bring out more,” she said but we assured her...
Aug 20, 2017 | adults, Canada, children, loose parts, Morgan, play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, risk, teenagers, tour
By MorganWe were told to park at the Rec Center opposite Safeway supermarket, and wait for the boat to come.The Lake in the Woods – aka Kenora ON – is a vast aquatic wilderness of densely wooded islands, navigated by small boats with outboard motors,...
Aug 14, 2017 | Canada, film, loose parts, Morgan, play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, The Land Documentary, tour, workshop
By MorganWe drove along a paved path that curved up through the Kortright Centre for Conservation. We parked and walked in, past a grove of tall slender trees. Boxes and saucepans had been set up between them, a length of string and squares of fabric. There was enough...
Apr 9, 2017 | adventure play, adventure playground, campference, guest writer, loose parts, play, playwork, playworkers, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, reflections
By Mischelle BrownMischelle reached out to us in 2016, telling us of her passions for play and in 2017, we met her at the Playwork Campference! It was wonderful to hear her perspective and learn of her passion. She has big plans for her community, and some big...
Apr 2, 2017 | adventure playground, energy, junk, Junkyard, loose parts, musical, playworker, Zan
By ZanSitting in my seat next to Andy, I felt really excited. I hadn’t thought about the set for Junkyard the Musical and now that I was looking at the silhouette of it on the stage before the show. It had real pallets, and barrels, and planks and...
Dec 5, 2016 | children, guest writer, loose parts, moments, play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds
By Julia KroekerJulia is one of our independent organisers who got in touch with us in October 2016 wanting to organise her own Pop-Up Adventure Playground. We sent her our free information pack for hosting her own event and 2 months later, we were able to enjoy her...
Nov 22, 2016 | adventures, loose parts, moments, play, playworker, Playworking Auntie
By Pop-Ups ZanShe noticed the fallen leaves on the ground and crunched over them as we walked along. Then suddenly she stopped dead and picked one up by the stem. She studied it briefly before picking up a second by the stem with the other hand. Waving them about like...
Sep 19, 2016 | children, experience, guest writer, loose parts, photo, play, play cycle, playday, Playworker Development Course, Pop-Up Adventure Play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, Zan
By David StonehouseDavid is one of Pop-Up Adventure Play’s wonderful Playworker Development Course tutors. First as Pop-Ups Zan’s PhD friend and now as a colleague, David has been working hard to take playwork into hospitals using his specialism as a...
Aug 15, 2016 | children, guest writer, independent organisers, loose parts, photos, play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, Singapore, weather, Zan
By Chapter ZeroThe ladies at Chapter Zero warmly welcomed Pop-Ups Zan to Singapore when she visited in June 2016. They have since joined the Playworker Development Course and are trying their hand at putting theory into practice. Here is an account of their first ever...