Thoughtful, caring adults who prioritize play in their settings and deeply consider the experiences of the children in their setting, the adults they work with and the parents they interact with can be prone to.... burn out. We can't let this happen! Reflective Practice is key to deepening your work and growing in your skills, responses and teamwork. It's also important to understand how the work is effecting you as a human who comes to this work from your own unique background. We've got speakers lined up for this week taking you through all these aspects and more as we finish our conference experience focusing inward and making plans for how to keep checking in with ourselves, holding

Play is a right of all children. Period. And as practitioners serving all children, we must acknowledge that the experiences of children of color are different from white children because of racist beliefs that show up in inequitable policies, biases, overt actions and also many sneaky, insidious ways. When we talk about dismantling barriers to play, we don't only mean by answering material needs for children at play... There is no question that some barriers that exist for children are based on racist ideologies that change the way children of color in particular are allowed to "be" in this world-- it's shameful and it's our work to dismantle it as people of all colors offering play provisi

We advocate for play as a right for children for its own merit. Play doesn't have to be educational because of anything the grown ups are doing necessarily because in play, kids are learning exactly what their mind, bodies and hearts need in that moment. When a child is engaged in play, they're able to fully bring their inner thoughts, curiosities, interests and ideas in the world in a "safe" way at the just-right time for them. During week 5 we're going to hear from a few wonderful people who advocate for play and see the educational benefits that occur through child- directed play. Relating to Play as the Truest Form of Education: Case Study with Kelsey Langley of KOOP Adventure Play: Usin

Relating to Play as it Happens in the Body is a week where we'll think about how we use our bodies to play, how we play in our bodies and how play feels to our bodies. Relating to Play as it Happens in the Body: Case Study with Kelsey Langley of KOOP Adventure Play: Using my love language of story sharing, I'll open each week's content with a short story of play from my playwork experience that highlights the work we're about to dive into and sets the tone for where we're headed during the week. Jill Wood, Adventure Play at the Parish School & Bayou City Play: According to current cultural norms, approximately 17% of the human population is neurodiverse. Invisible disabilities affect the way

Week 3 of the Prioritizing Play Conference: Relating to Play as a Natural Healer: Case Study example with KOOP Adventure Play: Using story sharing, we'll open each week's content with a short story of play from our own playwork experience that highlights the work we're about to dive into and sets the tone for where we're headed during the week. Olivia Gray, LCPC, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor: In this session, you will learn how to recognize play themes and trauma in children's play. You will learn strategies for assisting a child heal their trauma through play. Carla Gull, Loose Parts Nature Play Children can be immersed in play experiences that build resilience, increase prosocial b

The Prioritizing Play Conference is almost upon us an I can't wait to share all of our amazing speakers and their topics! Check out what we've cooked up for week 2: Relating to Play as a Spatial Justice Issue: Case Study with Kelsey Langley of KOOP Adventure Play: Using my love language of story sharing, I'll open each week's content with a short story of play from my playwork experience that highlights the work we're about to dive into and sets the tone for where we're headed during the week. Alex Cote, Playworker: Stories from a children’s garden, an adventure playground, and a school playground about how adults can make more room for children’s play by thinking creatively about how peopl

The Prioritizing Play Conference is almost upon us an I can't wait to share all of our amazing speakers and their topics! Check out what we've cooked up for week 1: Relating to Play as Radical Self- Expression: Case Study with Kelsey Langley of KOOP Adventure Play: Using my love language of story sharing, I'll open each week's content with a short story of play from my playwork experience that highlights the work we're about to dive into and sets the tone for where we're headed during the week. Jill Wood of Adventure Play at the Parish School & Bayou City Play: Jill walks us through the personal ways our own play and professions come with us into the play space. She reminds us of how childr