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Kelsey Langley is a playworker, storyteller, playwork trainer, speaker, and counselor in training. 
Reach out if you'd like to find a way to work with her!

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Top: Headshot of Kelsey in the woods, her happy place!

Bottom Left: Kelsey with a child-made crown during an adventure play program.

Bottom Right: Kelsey going down a large curly slide in San Antonio after speaking at the International Play Association conference in 2022.

Hey there, I'm Kelsey!

I co-founded KOOP Adventure Play in 2015 and have been the Executive Director since 2017, leading in play, playwork, and community care.

TL;DR:

I'm a playworker, trainer, speaker, advocate for children, and believe that each and every one of us, no matter our age, need time, space, and permission to play! 

I discovered playwork in 2015 after years of homeschooling my child had taught me about the power of play and self-direction. Playwork gave me a professional language and lens with which to view children's play, changing the way I viewed children and how I interact with them. 

After years of daily playwork practice and team leadership, I began sharing what I had learned and about the spaces for play I had been co-creating with children. I began speaking, training, and producing aptly-named gatherings: Prioritizing Play Conferences.

Upon seeing the major changes for children and people amid the pandemic, I entered grad school for my Master's in Counseling. I'm attending part-time so that I can continue my daily playwork, as well as raising my own teenager. It's been an amazing experience of linking playwork to a person-centered approach in counseling, deepening my experience with the power of play & relationships, and diving into topics I am drawn to as a result of my work: trauma, play, and how a deeply caring person can help.

Folks often ask what happens next once I graduate from this program (maybe fall 2024, I'm taking my time!), and the truth is that I don't know fully. I know that play is the pursuit of my lifetime and that the radical love that has always guided my work with children, families, and communities only deepens the more I learn, grow, and practice new ways of extending care. I believe I'll always be compelled to share these gifts that I continue to learn through daily practice and continued education as I offer training, consultation, and new ways of healing through play. 

Meet KOOP's Board of Directors

Susan Bane

Board Member

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Megan Huckaba- Barber

Board Member

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Skot Wiedmann

Board Member

With Many Thanks To:

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Our mentors and colleagues in Playwork from around the world!
(More than pictured, but here are 4 people with massive impact on KOOP's continued developmentFrom Left to Right:)

Jill Wood, Librarian and Playwork at The Parish School and Bayou City Play in Houston Texas.  Suzanna Law, playworker and trainer at Pop-Up Adventure Play out of Manchester,UK. Ali Wood, author, playworker and trainer from Meriden Road Adventure Playground & The Playwork Foundation. (Kelsey Langley from KOOP). Morgan Leichter- Saxby, playworker and trainer at Pop- Up Adventure Play out of Vermont, US. 

And special thanks to who have made KOOP possible, our founding team members who have moved on, our past playworkers who leave behind special memories and lots of laughs, our previous board members who have offered service, counsel and support and to our many volunteers who have amassed over the years-- we are so grateful for all your efforts and care for children and their play.

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