Consume Less, Play More for Earth Day 2018 - What you'll find in this toolkit - Earth Day Canada
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Consume Less, Play More for Earth Day 2018 What you’ll find in this toolkit What is EarthPLAY and why play matters How to Consume Less, Play More for Earth Day: • Host an afternoon of Adventure Play in your local park List of loose parts and how to collect them How to supervise creative, challenging play Playing outside in all weather Tips for engaging your community
What is EarthPLAY Why play matters
EarthPLAY is Earth Day Canada’s new PLAY fosters a meaningful connection
program to bring outdoor, unstructured to the environment. The more time chil-
free play back into children’s lives across dren and youth spend playing outdoors
Canada – in schools, parks, streets and in nature, even if that nature is limited to
other public spaces – with the aim of open sky and a patch of grass, the more
supporting their connection to nature, as likely they are to grow into adults who are
well as their health, well-being, ingenuity inspired by it, motivated to protect it and
and social inclusion. able to take action.
We believe that children need to experience PLAY promotes health and well-being.
the outdoor world through self-directed The 2015 ParticipACTION Report Card on
play in order to care about nature, learn Physical Activity for Children and Youth calls
about it, and develop the agency they will for “an increased investment in natural play
need to take action as environmental leaders spaces in all neighbourhoods” and explicitly
down the road. asks federal and provincial governments to
find ways to improve children’s access to risky
Our play program for parks is active play in nature and the outdoors.
called ParkPLAY PLAY is a child’s right. The UN Convention
ParkPLAY supports the introduction of on the Rights of the Child, ratified by
adventure playgrounds in cities across Canada in 1991, affirms children’s right to
Canada. As a first step, our team hosts self-directed play and unstructured leisure
regular POP-UP Adventure Playgrounds time. It also highlights data showing our
across the Greater Toronto Area, which children are suffering from a deficit of
focus on play with natural and upcycled outdoor activity and play.
“loose parts”. This is an effective and
affordable method of bringing enriched
play opportunities to local parks and other
shared green spaces.
Our play program for schools
is called OPAL
Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) is a
training program to empower schools to
explicitly value outdoor play and to provide
play environments that are accessible,
equitable and engaging. Read more
about our Earth Day campaign for schools
on our website.
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How to Consume Less, Play More for Earth Day
Host an afternoon of Adventure Play in your local park!
What is an Adventure Play Day?
Adventure Play is an opportunity for kids to connect to their inner and outer nature
through self-directed outdoor play. With a variety of natural and recycled materials,
commonly referred to as “loose parts”, children transform their environment into vibrant
play spaces where all sorts of neat and unexpected things can be created, constructed and
organized. Loose parts provide children enriched opportunities for many types of imaginative play
and naturally promote higher levels of activity, creativity and collaboration.
Loose parts: What are they?
Loose parts are a wonderful addition to your child’s play. They
should be low-value items, cheap or donated, that can be ripped,
bent or modified in the process of creating something new.
Clean-up is part of the play: the children should be asked to
pick up 4 to 6 pieces each, and everyone should do their part to
tidy the area!
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How to host an afternoon of Adventure
Play in your park
1. Set up a Play Team for your event 3. Start a loose parts collection.
Recruit a team of 4-6 volunteers to help As long as there is enough stuff,
coordinate your Adventure Play event. there shouldn’t be any conflict on the
Choose the right location*, date and playground. We suggest about 4 loose
time for your event, and assign tasks parts per child as a guarantee that you
such as coordinating with your local park will have enough. Loose parts should
staff, collecting loose parts, and reaching be easy-to-source, free, or reusable
out to your neighbourhood community. materials that can ideally be recycled
after the event. One of the first things
*Most city parks do not require a permit most children will do, given the chance
for community gatherings of less than to play freely, is build a fort. Next they
25 people, however we recommend will furnish it, and then they will want
contacting your local park/recreation their grub. Just like the rest of us,
staff to let them know about your event. right? So organize your loose parts
collection into broad categories such
2. Announce the Day! as Fort-Building Stuff, Odds ‘n’ Ends
Let your community know what you are (for interior furnishings), and
planning. Use materials from our website Kitchen Equipment.
to explain and promote your event.
4
Further ideas, if you do follow for tire swings, sand/mud for digging,
these categories, are below: and gradual slopes or hills for rolling.
Identify the perimeter of the play
Fort-building: area with rope or pylons, and decide
Items such as cardboard boxes, cardboard where the loose parts will be placed
tubes, spools, buckets, tarp or sheer (i.e. a cardboard tube placed near a
fabric all make for great adventure play, sandpit will often become a tool for
and especially fort building. Reach out to digging and exploration).
local furniture stores, bicycle shops, garden
centres, grocery and hardware stores for
6. On the big day, consider how you
packaging materials and other clean scrap.
String, rope, various kinds of clips and will lay out the loose parts.
clothes pegs and the ever-faithful duct tape You don’t want to create obvious play
will help to join things up. Go for volume stations but you do want to spread out
if you can. Loose parts provide compound the loose parts and create some hints
flexibility so the more you provide of one as to how they might be used. Not all
thing, the more ideas the children will get. of the loose parts need be laid out on
the site right away. You may release new
Home-making and potions: parts as some things become too worn
Children love to dig into the earth, look
for play.
for its secrets, add water and mix potions.
Hopefully your local park has a sand pit,
a pond or just a lot of snow! See if you 7. Supervising play on your big day.
can get parents to lend or donate garden When given the freedom to play with
shovels and trowels. loose parts, children will surprise you with
new and creative ways to play. This can
Kitchen Equipment: be a challenge to supervise, and requires
Collect muffin tins, egg-beaters, bowls, that you balance the opportunity for
pots, pans and spoons of all kinds. You children to direct their own play with
may be able to get a donation from a local the rules of the playground and risk of
thrift shop. Carpet samples, washed tires,
injury. Rather than over-policing how
old strollers (children love wheels), baskets,
discarded keyboards. Fax machines and
children are playing, try to focus on three
telephones are also good. simple rules; stay within the boundaries,
everyone helps clean up, and have fun!
4. Plan for enough time to play and Please see supporting resources for more
keep adults happy! helpful tips on supervising creative and
Play should not be rushed. Allow for 2-4 challenging play.
hours of play during your event. Think
of creative ways to keep adults occu- 8. Tidy Up.
pied while children play; this could be Make sure to include a bit of tidy-up
a bonfire, pot luck, or just an area with time in your schedule and ask the
blankets and camp chairs, so adults can children to help clean up too! Make sure
sit back and relax! you leave the park space just as you
found it and properly recycle or dispose
5. Assess the space you will use for of any worn out loose parts.
this event.
We have found it helpful to designate
a section of the park for adventure
play. Look for an area that includes a
few key features like mature trees fit 5
Loose parts: What to collect!
For fort-building
• Cardboard boxes and tubes, all sizes
• Milk crates, buckets, spools
• Rope, duct tape, clips and clothes pegs
• Straw bales, if you can
• Tires, washed and rinsed at a local car wash
• Large fabric: tarps, netting, mesh fabric, old curtains
• Hoses and piping
For home and potion making
• Shells, sand, chalk, pine cones
• Kitchen stuff: pots and pans, lids, pitchers, bowls, whisks, spoons, spatulas, etc.
• Serving platters and baking trays
• Dress-up clothing
• Watering can, spades, shovels and trowels
• Consider bringing in sand and/or clean soil for sand and mud play
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How to supervise creative, challenging play
We encourage play Instead of saying NO – try these…
supervisors to:
When children are play fighting
• WATCH: get a good understanding with loose parts:
of what is going on, and if children • “Are you still having fun? …if not maybe you
are managing risk independently.
should play with something/someone else.”
• WAIT: check-in with yourself, weigh • “Did you check in with your partner? – is
your fear against actual risk. she/ he still having fun?”
• “What would happen if you hit each other’s
• MOVE CLOSER: get another face /head/ eyes?”
perspective; see if your presence
• “Are you aiming below the shoulders?”
cues children to manage the
situation differently.
When children are climbing/
• INTERVENE without SHUTTING managing heights:
DOWN THE PLAY: inform children • “Do you feel safe?” “What would happen
about the risks and give guidelines if…?” “What’s your next step?”
for them to manage those risks.
• “Do you think that’s stable? How can we
make that work?”
• “Look around - did you check to see if anyone
near you could get hurt?”
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Playing outside in all weather
• Promote proper attire for outdoor play.
• Be prepared to supplement! Anticipate that some kids may not have items necessary for
outdoor play; with this in mind, consider having extra essential items to provide other
children with for the Adventure Play Day.
• Find the fun in every season! Model enthusiasm for rainy or winter weather play and kids
will get excited about it too.
• When playing in winter or rainy weather, make sure children have a dry change of
clothing to wear after play. Remind everyone coming to your event to bring extra clothing
and appropriate clothing for the weather.
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Tips for engaging your community
• Inform your friends, family and • Provide clear guidance on how to
neighbours about your event participate by providing all of the
through email, social media (your own details anyone might need in order
newsfeed, as well as local Facebook to attend your event. If you have
groups), and community message volunteers, assign clear tasks.
boards.
• Celebrate! Recognize and celebrate
• Share your goals with the people you your success! Share photos afterward
hope to engage. How is your event on social media, take time to highlight
contributing to Earth Day Canada’s specific individuals or groups that
goal of Consume Less, Play More for helped to make the event work.
Earth Day?
• Seek out community partners such
as local businesses or environmental
organizations that might help to
provide you with loose parts and
increase support.
9Share your story
Take a picture or video of your Adventure Play event.
Use the hashtags #EarthDay2018, #ConsumeLess and
#EarthPLAY to share via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
@EarthDayCanada
EarthDayCanada
@earthdaycan
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