Ultimate Play Day 2022 Recap

We are thrilled to report that Ultimate Play Day at Liberty Green Park this year was an outstanding success! With over 200 people in attendance, Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, along with other organizations, engaged kids, their families, and the community in playful and interactive activities. The weather was picturesque, and everything went off without a hitch. We would like to extend GIGANTIC thank yous to the organizations who helped make the day full of fun: CitiParks, Remake Learning Days, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, COTRAIC EHS & Greater Hazelwood Family Center, Zero Fossil, Venture Outdoors, Trying Together, Temple Ohav Shalom Center for Early Learning, Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library & Playspace, and SLB Radio. Thank you so much for joining us on our day of play, and if you couldn’t join us this year, we’re looking forward to having even more playful vendors and activities next year! Stay tuned. 

Feel free to check out the video of Ultimate Play Day to either get a quick visual review or to relive the magic. Don’t forget to share with your friends. If you want to be kept up-to-date on events, emails, and all things play, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Sign Up To Volunteer At Ultimate Play Day

Do you want to be a part of Ultimate Play Day 2022, but are unable to facilitate a playful activity?

Consider signing up for a volunteer role at the event! Volunteers should provide their name, organization, contact number, and email, and select the role they would like to have. For questions or concerns, please reach out to playfulpgh@tryingtohether.org.

There's a wide variety of committees to choose from for this event, so there’s bound to be something for everyone. Would you prefer to ensure the success of the event by helping set up or take down tents and signs? Or do you see yourself more as a steward of the earth? If so, you might consider taking a lead role when it comes to compost and recycling. Maybe communication is more your style. In that case, you might be a photographer’s shadow. No matter your passion or interest, there’s something for you!

Sign Up To Be A Playful Vendor

Do you have an interest in facilitating an interactive and playful activity during Ultimate Play Day? We are looking for organizations and individuals with creative flair and a connection to the community. If this description fits you and your organization, don’t hesitate to join us! Simply fill out this survey with your playful idea to become part of Ultimate Play Day. 

We are asking for an interactive activity that fits into one of our highlighted modes of play:

• Nature Play (play that occurs with natural objects);

• Dramatic Play (play where participants take on different characters, costumes, and roles);

• Word Play (games that involve writing, word association, or making language playful);

• Board Games (classic games like checkers, chess, and shoots and ladders);

• Imagination Play (anything is possible with this form of play); and

• Art Play (creative play that involves self-expression and artistic mediums). 

To sign up, please complete this form. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out at playfulpgh@tryingtogether.org. We’d be more than happy to assist, brainstorm together, or answer any questions you might have! 

Thanks for being part of the Ultimate Play Day in an impactful way!

Ultimate Play Day Coming May 15

In partnership with CitiParks and Trying Together, the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative’s Ultimate Play Day is just around the corner! Make sure to save the date for Sunday, May 15, 2022, from 1- 4 p.m. The big event will take place at Liberty Green Park, located at 100 Larimer Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Join us for this Remake Learning Days event with fun for all ages and explore the possibilities of play in partnership with other organizations around Pittsburgh. There’s bound to be something for everyone to enjoy with games, activities, art projects, live entertainment, and more! 

There’s no need to pre-register for this free event. Upon arrival, attendees should visit the registration table to pick up some Ultimate Play Day SWAG while supplies last. There will be a water station set up in the park where the water bottles can be filled and you can take on the day in a fully hydrated state of mind. 

Those who are interested can volunteer, or even provide a playful activity. To sign up, visit the Volunteer Sign Up Sheet and the Playful Vendor Form. 

For questions or concerns about the event, please feel free to reach out to Adam James at playfulpgh@tryingtogether.org. Learn more at playfulpittsburgh.org/ultimate-play-day.  

KaBOOM! Announces Let's Play Everywhere Challenge Winners

KaBOOM! recently announced the winners of the Let’s Play Everywhere Challenge. As part of the Challenge, 10 grantees in Allegheny County were selected to receive a combined total of $200,000 in prize funds. Trying Together is pleased to announce that the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative was a awarded one of these grants for The Neighborhood Play Stop Project. Learn more about it and the other grantees below.

 Challenge Winners

The Let’s Play Everywhere Challenge selected nine organizations as winners, with a total of ten ideas:

1. Trying Together (Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative)

   • The Neighborhood Play Stop Project

2. Glassport Community Outreach, Inc.

   • Families Will Go Gaga to Play GaGa

3. Pittsburgh Fulton PTO

   • From Pittsburgh to Paris and Beyond!

4. Garfield Jubilee Association, Inc.

   • James Sensory Park

5. Grounded Strategies

   • MACS Discovery Walk

   • Race Me! Pitcairn Green Playce

6. Community Forge

   • Number Mountain

7. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

   • Ping Pong in the Plaza

8. UniversalWit

   • Play! to End Blight

9. Focus on Renewal

   • POW! (Place of Wonder)

The Neighborhood Play Stop Project

The Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative’s initiative, The Neighborhood Play Stop Project, will reimagine existing spaces within Hazelwood by using play stops to encourage community engagement and playful interaction. These play stops may be featured in public spaces near businesses and civic locations such as grocery stores, green spaces,  fire stations, and more. Conversations are underway to identify the finalized play stop locations.

By placing play stops in spaces that are not typically associated with play, this project will prompt community members of all ages to rethink their daily routines. For children, it’s an opportunity for imaginative play. For adults, it may be a space where they can take a mental break and play chess or engage in a calming playful activity. Similar to the Little Free Library movement, these play stops will be stewarded by various entities (the businesses where they are located, Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative member organizations, interested community members, etc.).

A CLOSER LOOK

Each stop will be based upon the common concept of play and will have playful interactive parts that relate to the location and the party stewarding the installation. For example, a stop outside a grocery store may include play items such as plastic fruits and vegetables to “purchase,” paper and pencils to create grocery lists, and laminated sheets of information about grocery store products.  However, if a stop is located outside of a fire department, their play items may include play items such as firefighter helmets, a mini fire drill tower, and fire safety facts.

Each stop will include a chalkboard with permanently affixed prompts for participants to write their thoughts. Prompts may include statement starters such as “When I play outside I like to…” or “At the grocery store I can find these colors…”

About the Challenge

The Let’s Play Everywhere Challenge is a design competition that took place in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania—presented by Keurig Dr. Pepper and KaBOOM!—to develop innovative ideas for making play easy and available for kids and families. This challenge is about creating opportunities for free, unstructured, unplanned play to ensure that all kids, no matter where they come from or where they live, get the active play they need to thrive.

Learn More

To learn more about the challenge winners and their ideas, read KaBOOM’s post.

Pop-Up Playtime in Allegheny Commons Brings People Together

Playful Tuesdays at Gus and Yiayia’s started as a way to drive business to Allegheny Commons West Park despite the West Ohio Street bridge closure. It became a way to educate people of all ages on the importance of play.