Possibilities of Play beyond Covid19!
So pre lockdown we were working across the borough with lots of children on a “Play Sufficiency Assessment” in essence a research project to identify how satisfied children in Sandwell were with their possibilities for play and we weren’t surprised that these guys know their stuff !!!!!
Unfortunately, we are on a pause with this piece of work however it’s given us some insightful beginnings when we look at Sandwell from a playable perspective and how our children feel about their lived experiences and the environments in which they live.
We know that…
Sandwell’s children have a rich knowledge about the process of play “they are the experts!” and children across the borough use the same language to describe play but their levels of satisfaction differ from area to area.
Sandwell children who have positive experiences and freedoms for play outside of school rate school as their favourite place to play but on the flip side those children who do not have any opportunity to play freely outside of school see school as an unplayful place.
Sandwell’s children want the space, time and permission to be able to play locally within their community or on their street and play out with friends.
And there lies the big question???
Rather than designing our children and young people out of their environments, how do we design them into it ?
By choosing to focus on the possibilities of play in Sandwell we unearth how children feel about living here and their lived experiences for it is through play that children come to know and understand their role; their expectations; their rights and their significance in the wider realm.
Covid has identified many obstacles and difficulties but it has also given us a golden opportunity to be creative and examine how we change our environments to become more human and examine the relationship between life and space.
So we thought that we would start with looking at connectivity and not in its purest sense in relation to connecting one place to another but in the wider realm.
For more information about Go Play Sandwell’s “Play Sufficiency Assessment”
Please visit https://ludicology.com/store-room/sandwell-play-sufficiency-assessment/
#PlaySufficiencyAssessment #ProudToPlayInSandwell #playtheory #playmatters #letthemplay
Samantha Harman
Play Service Manager - SMBC Go Play Sandwell
