Blog

Kate Cowan explains the background to the Play Observatory and our aims for the project.

The videos of talks by the team, and our guest speakers, earlier this year at our symposium on pandemic play are now published online. Please read on to access them directly from the blog… You can also see them all in a Vimeo Showcase (a playlist, in other words!).

The Play Observatory Team has some exciting news!

As of August 2021, we are two thirds of the way into the data collection for the Play Observatory and we're delighted with the range and diversity of contributions we've been receiving about children's and young people's play experiences during lockdown times. John and Michelle reflect in this post on the story so far and invite people to keep contributing (or do so for the first time!)…

Over the past year, clubs and organisations have offered children opportunities to get together despite the difficulties of lockdowns and social distancing. Here Ragi Desai, a Cub Scout Leader from Sheffield, gives us an insight into her experience of running her pack online during the pandemic.

Schools played an integral part in the data collection of the folklorists Iona and Peter Opie as they explored the games and lore of children. Cath Bannister explains how teachers helped distribute the couple's surveys and gather play examples from schoolchildren, and invites todays' teachers and youth group leaders to follow in their footsteps with our new resources for schools and groups.