Aug 27, 2017 | adventure playground, Canada, Children, Morgan, parents, Photos, Play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, Tour
By Morgan The first family arrived 10 minutes early at our North Battleford pop-up, and sat on the grassy hill to wait. Workshop participants and staff of BECIP carried out materials from the library basement, armfuls of cardboard, piles of shoe boxes, tubs of tape...
Aug 20, 2017 | adults, Canada, Children, loose parts, Morgan, Play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, risk, teenagers, Tour
We were told to park at the Rec Center opposite Safeway supermarket and wait for the boat to come. The Lake in the Woods – aka Kenora, Ontario – is a vast aquatic wilderness of densely wooded islands. It is navigated by small boats with outboard motors,...
Aug 14, 2017 | Canada, film, loose parts, Morgan, Play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, The Land Documentary, Tour, workshop
We drove along a paved path that curved up through the Kortright Centre for Conservation. We parked and walked in, past a grove of tall slender trees. Boxes and saucepans lay between them, along with string and fabric squares. A clearing brightened the air, revealing...
Aug 10, 2017 | Canada, Morgan, Photos, Play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, Tour, workshop
Blenheim, ON has a population of 4,563. Between the pop-up adventure playground and workshop afterwards, we saw about 200 – a significant proportion of the local residents. They welcomed us into the Growing Together Family Resource Centre and talked about...
Jul 27, 2017 | Canada, Children, fund raising, Morgan, Photos, Play, Pop-Up Adventure Play, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, risk, The Land Documentary, Tour, workshop
Well, we’ve had an awesome start to the tour. First, you marvellous individuals brought us over the line of our crowdfunding goal. One person was a particular friend to Pop-Ups, and we’d like to thank Queenie for her incredible generosity. Now we can sleep indoors...
Feb 26, 2017 | adventure playground, campference, Children, Morgan, Photos, Play, Playwork, Santa Clarita Valley Adventure Play
By Morgan So, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we hosted a Campference with Santa Clarita Valley Adventure Play in Val Verde, CA. It went pretty well. Welcoming folks at the Pacific Oak. Children played as we talked about playwork. Learning about ropes and knots....
Sep 28, 2016 | adventure playground, campference, connections, Morgan, play advocates, Playwork, playworkers, Tour
On my first playwork assignment, I was lucky to join an existing team that worked together well. We made eye contact frequently during the sessions and pulled one another aside during slow moments to observe together and swap little funny anecdotes. We checked in on...
Jun 14, 2016 | adventure playground, campference, Children, Erin, Morgan, photo, Play, The Land Documentary, video
In 2013, Erin Davis arrived at The Land with a film crew. Suzanna drove over for a visit, and put Erin and I on the phone to say hello. We didn’t get long to talk though, as Erin had to go suddenly as the children were “launching the boat.” The...
May 23, 2016 | adults, adventure playground, campference, Morgan, Play, Playwork, practice, Santa Clarita Valley Adventure Play, theory
Years ago, I visited an adventure playground. It was a place that once was rich and thriving, but in recent years something had shifted. The children were bored, the site seniors were raising funds to have builders come in and create some new equipment. It had lost...
May 16, 2016 | campference, Morgan, Play, play conference, Playwork, practice, Santa Clarita Valley Adventure Play
By Morgan So, Suzanna and I have been to about 3,412 conferences over the years, mostly on the subject of play. It’s always good to meet with friends, and be introduced to new ideas and new advocates for children’s freedom. Plus, there’s usually...
Mar 20, 2016 | adventure playground, Morgan, NYC, Playwork, Playworker Development Course, Pop-up Adventure Playgrounds, training
Have you heard that there’s a new adventure playground opening in the US – in fact, right in NYC? We are so excited about this project, which is led by a group of extraordinarily dedicated individuals known as play:ground. They’ve been hosting pop-up adventure...
Jan 3, 2016 | 2016, announce, Morgan, PhD, playful, Pop-Up Adventure Play, stories, The Land Documentary, training, UK
Happy New Year! We all have our favourite holidays. This one is mine – well, tied with my birthday, of course! It’s a little cheesy to say that this is a time of reflection. A chance to consider the year ending and make renewed commitments to the one opening...
