Blenheim, ON has a population of 4,563. Between the pop-up adventure playground and workshop afterwards, we saw about 200 – a significant proportion of the local residents. They welcomed us into the Growing Together Family Resource Centre and talked about efforts over recent years to move towards an emergent, more child-led curriculum.
The space they’d opened for the pop-up was really large and generous-feeling, a vast green expanse of grass with a spectacular tree just waiting for hammocks. The people we met, educators and local families, were new to playwork but familiar to one another. In the workshop we had a sense of the crowd as nervous but excited and ready to learn more about supporting children’s play.
We displayed some pictures, cracked a few jokes, and began sharing stories. These stories shed light on crucial playwork concepts like cues, frames, and adulteration. Utilising examples from both the pop-up and our personal experiences, we illustrated how adults can inadvertently disrupt or take over children’s play. Together we laughed at ourselves, at the times we’ve got it wrong. We reminded one another that play support, like play itself, is a process.
Afterwards they gave us each a gift bag, fully stocked with Canadian snacks. With the car filled up with ketchup potato chips, coffee crisps other delights, we set off again for Vaughan ON and the open road. Thank you Blenheim, ON!
For more on our Canadian adventure, check out the blogposts from Halifax NS, Montreal QC and London ON. More coming soon!
By Morgan