Have you started seeing encouraging notes, pictures or jokes on your sidewalks? Social distancing is keeping us apart, but we can still encourage our neighbors and bring a smile to their faces by leaving our mark!

We're joining Chambanamoms, Urbana Arts & Culture Program and Museum of the Grand Prairie to bring you Chalk Your Walk Chambana events every Friday! Don't worry, you can do it any day you feel like it too! 
Hear Kelse...

I'm writing about my current thoughts and hopes for summer 2020. With the unprecedented changes happening to prevent the spread of Covid-19, so many things are up in the air and if/when things change, I will keep updating this post. Please bear with me and know that my #1 goal is to provide meaningful play opportunities for children and that I'm doing my best to make that happen despite circumstances completely beyond my contr...

We're joining together with Chambanamoms, Urbana Public Arts & Museum of the Grand Prairie to bring another fun community play initiative: a teddy bear scavenger hunt on World Bear Day!

All you do is put your teddy bear in the window (or a drawing!) and then, while practicing safe social distancing, walk around your neighborhood trying to spot as many bears as possible!

Full event here!

My most recent PechaKucha talk is all about play which, as I've come to know it, is transformative for us all.  PK's are a unique presentation tool used all around the globe to tell stories and share projects or ideas using 20 slides and only 20 seconds per slide.

As we navigate this unprecedented time amid a global pandemic, play might feel too simple to pursue. It might feel like cleaning the closet, suddenly being taske...

Last spring, when our community saw tornadoes, we saw children playing out that theme inside our sandbox, creating their version of swirling chaos and squashing constructed homes before starting over to do it again.

Recently, as our University of Illinois basketball team was on a roll, we saw children playing out that theme by having multiple basketball games happening at once that included more kids suddenly int...

KOOP is looking for a special, magical person interested in working with children using a particular philosophy called playwork this spring, summer and beyond. We'll train you in playwork, don't worry! For now, scroll through KOOP Adventure Play's Facebook of Instagram to get a peek at what we're doing here!

Here's a job description, a day in the life series of photos and at the very end, instructions on how to apply. We're a s...

KOOP's Board of Directors, Executive Director and Playworkers are beyond excited to be recognized by the Junior League of CU and to receive the Community Impact Award for our work in Champaign- Urbana & beyond. You'll find KOOP hosting its own camps and after school programs, partnering with public parks and libraries, working with public schools and activating public spaces in the name of child- directed play. We've worked ti...

Summer Adventure Play Camp:  https://vimeo.com/368056225/05099e116a 

In counting my many blessings, my mind goes straight to the children and families we served this year. I love this work so much and meeting children where they are, providing them an opportunity to bring their inner worlds out into the open is gratifying, humbling and a true privilege. From the bottom of my playworker heart, thank you. Thank you for comin...

Back in May of 2018, nearly 70 delegates from around the United States gathered in Champaign-Urbana are KOOP Adventure Play & Pop-Up Adventure Play's first Prioritizing Play Conference.  We're doing it again October 2-4. 2020!  Early bird registration is now open! 

One thing we believed in 2018 to be true was confirmed: there are an ever-growing number of folks all around the US (+beyond) who are hungry for resources...