NEWS
Welcome Our Newest Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative Partners!
The Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative warmly welcomes the organizations the Foster Grandparent Program & Premier Chess!
Meet Rebecca Maletto-Cornell from Wesley Family Services Foster Grandparent Program.
The Wesley Family Services, Foster Grandparent Program is an AmeriCorps Seniors, Federal stipend intergenerational volunteer program that provides volunteer opportunities to limited income individuals 55 and better to help children be their best selves. Our volunteers act as classroom grandparents who mentor and act as positive role models in local non-profit organizations such as: public and private schools, Head Starts, daycare and child development centers and after-school programs. They help, guide and assist children by developing skills in literacy, language, math, and cognitive development, as well as improving essential social and emotional intelligence.
The Foster Grandparent Program’s focus is to meet children where they are to get to their goals. And it should always be FUN! Grandparents play games, do puzzles, interact with art and music activities and have even been known to be seen on the lawn playing wiffle ball!
To learn more, wfspa.org/service/foster-grandparent-program.
Meet Evan Rabin from Premier Chess.
Premier Chess teaches life lessons to students of all ages in school programs, private lessons, corporate classes and more. To learn more, visit premierchess.com.
Outdoor Play Trends
Pittsburgh has a great deal of interactive greenspaces – approximately 165 parks. But when you think of what’s trendy when it comes to outdoor spaces, what comes to mind?
Children playing on playground equipment during Ultimate Play Day 2022
Pittsburgh has a great deal of interactive greenspaces – approximately 165 parks. But when you think of what’s trendy when it comes to outdoor spaces, what comes to mind? We explored some online conversations, and we made some discoveries. So what’s trending? Inclusive play equipment for people of all abilities, as well as equipment that makes room for playful intergenerational possibilities rank high on the list. Also trending are ziplines, rope based equipment, and towers kids can climb. If you’re interested in exploring the full scope of play equipment trending outdoors right now, check out some of the articles we uncovered.
Current #PlayfulTrends in Playgrounds
Top 5 Playground Trends (Park Planet)
Top Five Park and Playground Trends (Game Time)
Focus on Fun and Playground Safety (Playground Guardian)
Planning Your Back to School Playground (PlayWorks)
Will the McDonald’s PlayPlace Go Away for Good? (The Takeout)
Great Outdoor Places to Play Around Pittsburgh
Activity Sheets for Pittsburgh Parks (Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy)
Explore Parks Tool (Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy)
Liberty Green Park (Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh)
12 Parks and Playgrounds (Kidsburgh)
Best Activities for Kids in Pittsburgh with Mobility Impairments (Pittsburgh Magazine)
Pittsburgh's End of Summer Pool Schedule (TribLive.com)
“Play is Learning” Interview w/ Emily Neff of Trying Together
Trying Together was recently featured on an episode of the Voices for the Voiceless: The Student Experience podcast.
“Play IS learning for young children. It’s the way they authentically learn.”
- Emily Neff, Trying Together
Trying Together was recently featured on an episode of the Voices for the Voiceless: The Student Experience podcast on Spotify. In this episode titled “Play is Learning,” Emily Neff, Director of Public Policy for Trying Together, discusses the achievement gap in early childhood education, resources for teachers, and the importance of play for children today.
Listen to the podcast episode below.
About Voice for the Voiceless: The Student Experience Podcast
Starting in July of 2022, host Jonathan Frame, an educator from Virginia, travels the country speaking with different students, teachers, and nonprofits to listen to the voice and needs of students on topics such as student equality, instructional practices, student rights, extracurricular activities, and more. The host also uses the podcast and its various topics to support the students of their classroom and beyond.
Visit the podcast Facebook page to learn more.
#SummerOfPlay
#SummerOfPlay explores some benifits of play by showcasing an article from Harvard Center
Check out this great, short article from Center on the Developing Child from Harvard University. It gives an easy introduction to understanding executive functioning and self-regulation. If you’re not super keen on reading an article, they also provide a helpful five minute video for you to check out! There’s so many inherent benefits surrounding the act of play. Be sure play gets woven into your day-to-day routine. There’s no better time to play like the present, especially when the sun makes its rare appearance over the usually cloudy skies of the fair city we call home.
#HowDoYouPlay?
This #HowDoYouPlay? resource article dives into specific archetypes of play and their definitions.
There’s plenty of ways to play, and this article will highlight a few classic forms, but the art of playfulness proves rather expansive. If you don’t see how you engage in play on this seemingly limited list, don’t worry! We just wanted to kick off some ideas to get the sharing going.
Nature Play– this kind play typically occurs outside and includes natural objects: sticks, plants, rocks, or insects are just a few examples.
Dramatic Play– this is social play where participants take on different characters, costumes, and roles. This play especially helps develop emotions
Word Play– games that involve writing, word association, or make language playful: Bananagrams, Scrabble, Balderdash
Board Games– imagine classic games like checkers, chess, and shoots and ladders. These games can build relationships and cooperation.
Imagination Play– with this form of play, anything is possible
Art Play– this is a highly creative play that involves self-expression and artistic mediums: painting, water colors, glitter, and canvases, for example
Don’t forget to share how you play with Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative by tagging us on your next playful social media post! You’ll find us on these platforms:
Instagram – @playfulpittsburgh
If you’re fond of surveys, and happen to have a moment to spare, please fill out our Google Form where you can tell the Collaborative how you play! We’d love to share your play tips to our subscribers in a newsletter down the road!
Staying Playful When You’re Not With People
Staying Playful When You're Not With People explores how to instill playfulness and play as not just an activity, but as a way of moving through the world, when you're not with other people.
Play proves an essential part of life for people of all ages. It doesn’t just apply to kids. Sure, kids absolutely benefit from play from the scientific perspective that the act itself helps develop their executive functioning skills, and it does important work when it comes to a skill like self-regulation, but play has a multitude of benefits for adults as well. We’d argue that play is just as advantageous for adults as it is for kids. Check out this TedTalk, where Ted Fischer talks about the importance of play for senior citizens. Although his talk specifically focuses on an older population, there’s plenty of take-aways for young and middle aged adults to garner from his talk.
You might also consider reading this article from The Genius of Play that gives ten helpful tips for remaining playful as an adult. The list is full of helpful hints that will help keep things playful, even if you’re all by yourself. Play is about harnessing the power of connection and building meaningful relationships. It centers around laughing and getting curious about things, people, and spaces around you. The act becomes a practice capable of changing your outlook on life. Give some of these tips a chance, give them a try, and see if you find yourself giggling in greater intervals or singing random songs in line at the grocery store.