Julia Bishop has written to share information about a project that she is involved in – ‘A National Observatory of Children’s Play Experiences During COVID-19’, about materials available online and opportunities for participation.
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
We are excited to announce the availability of our resource packs for the Play Observatory. As you may recall from my earlier post, the Observatory is documenting how young people have adapted their social lives and expressive culture during the coronavirus pandemic. As part of this, we are running an international online survey, to gather examples of children’s games and experiences, from as varied a group of people as possible, at this unique time.
We invite you to join us by contributing to this project and to share it with colleagues, families and friends. We are collecting descriptions, images, video clips and sound recordings featuring the many ways children and young people have been passing the time on their own, and how they have adapted and adjusted their lives with each other. What has been the place of games, activities, stories, jokes and songs? How have special occasions been marked, and what stories and beliefs have been circulating?
Children’s own descriptions and insights are particularly valued. We are now reaching out to schools, early years settings and youth groups to participate in the project. To make it easier to get involved, we have created a series of Resource Packs featuring suggested activities and prompts for Early Years, Primary and Secondary age groups in schools, and for youth groups and organisations. There is also a consent form for parents or guardians, and a flyer about the project. You can access these resources on the Play Observatory website.
Contributions will be made publicly available online and a selection included in an online exhibition, coordinated by the V&A Museum of Childhood. Check out the blogposts at the Play Observatory and follow the project on Twitter @PlayObservatory or Facebook @PlayObservatory or Instagram @PlayObservatory.
We look forward to hearing from you!