We were thrilled to announce agreements with Sesame Workshop and Beaches Resorts. We supported child-directed play and learning at their Luxury Included Resorts in Jamaica and Turks and Caicos.
Temperatures dropped quickly in Boston, but my balcony at Beaches Resort in Negril, Jamaica was pleasantly warm. It was surrounded by a symphony of sounds: ocean breezes, paddle ball tapping, laughter, and music from a nearby water park.
I was there for work, but it was play too. Pop-Up Adventure Play had signed agreements with Sesame Workshop and Beaches Resorts to enhance Caribbean Adventures with Sesame Street activities, focusing on child-directed experiences for children attending Sesame Camp and Youth Programming.
Beaches Resorts ran weekly Pop-Up Adventure Playgrounds at their Luxury Included Caribbean resorts: Turks and Caicos, Negril, and Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Downtime was essential for child-directed play. At Beaches, children on vacation had the perfect opportunity.
Leaving behind school, sports, and homework, children explored water and sand, the best loose parts. Their freedom was evident in laughter as they ran, splashed, and wandered. My friend, Peter van Roden, contacted me to train camp and youth programming staff.
Peter and the Sesame Street Education team supported child-directed play and had been instrumental in providing materials. At Beaches Resorts training, my colleague Morgan Leichter-Saxby and I adapted our Pop-Up Adventure Play Training Model for the Beaches context.
We engaged adults in self-directed play and built essential practices to support child-directed play. This agreement combined Beaches’ natural playgrounds, Sesame’s fun and learning, and Pop-Up Adventure Play’s expertise.
We were excited, and there was more to come. Stay tuned for info and photos of our work in the Caribbean.
Press release at Beaches.com website; Beaches Resorts Celebrating 10 Years with Sesame Workshops.
By Anna