December 2, 2024 Harvard University Podcast Focuses on Building Resilience Through Play Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child recently hosted a podcast on the importance of resilience and how play can help to build it. Learn More According to the Center on the Developing Child, play helps to create sturdy brain architecture and contributes to the foundations of lifelong health. It is also an important building block for resilience. In the podcast, Dr. Jack Shonkoff explains the role of play in supporting resilience and five experts discuss ideas and personal stories. The discussion revolves around applying the science of play in homes, communities, and crisis environments around the world. Panelists include professors, directors, and researchers from the University of California Irvine’s School of Education, Institute for Museum and Library Services, Harvard Graduate School of Education, BRAC Institute of Educational Development, and Harvard Medical School’s Cambridge Hospital. The podcast is coupled with a variety of resources – including those focused on play in humanitarian settings and information on how to prevent childhood toxic stress. Both the podcast and its transcript are available on the Center on the Developing Child’s website.
September 24, 2024 Worldwide Day of Play Neighborhood North will host the Worldwide Day of Play on the last Saturday in September. Learn More Neighborhood North will join Nickelodeon and the Association of Children’s Museums for fun and active play for the event. There will be special activities for children, ages 1 to 10, and their caregivers. The Worldwide Day of Play runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. More information can be found on Neighborhood North’s website.
August 26, 2024 NAEYC Encourages Early Childhood Education Experts to Become Subject Matter Experts Early childhood education experts are encouraged to share their knowledge and expertise in the field by becoming a subject matter expert (SME) for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Learn More NAEYC is expanding its pool of SMEs to support creating professional development, training, and webinars for early education leaders and educators. It aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by drawing on the insights of SMEs in regard to practical applications, best practices, and lessons learned in the field. A subject matter expert is defined as someone who has mastery of a particular early education topic, hands-on experience and the ability to translate both to support early education professionals. The SMEs should know how to implement realistic and practical strategies for creating culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate experiences for young children. To become an SME for NAEYC, the following criteria is required: Hold a master’s degree or doctorate in early childhood education, developmental psychology, child development and family studies, early childhood special education, elementary education, or other related degree Have experience as an early childhood professional, preferably as a direct service provider – program administrator, teacher, or family childcare provider – or ability to adapt a specific knowledge base to an early childhood audience Have knowledge of adult learning theory Applying and the Selection Process To apply, complete the NAEYC SME Pool Application and attach a resume, cover letter, and writing sample. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Candidates who meet the SME criteria will be added to the SME pool. When NAEYC seeks expertise, candidates will be selected and retained on a contractual basis. Applications will be active for two years; after that time, a new application will be required to maintain active status. NAEYC is seeking SMEs on the following topics: Advocacy/public policy Art Child Development Children with disabilities and/or early intervention Cognitive development Community partnerships Curriculum theories and approaches Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging Emergent bilingual/multilingual learners Family engagement Guidance or classroom management Health and safety Infant/toddlers Kindergarten Leadership Learning environments Language and literacy Mathematics Observation and assessment Physical development Play Professionalism and ethics Program administration Science Social and emotional development Social studies Teaching and instructional practices Technology For more information, visit NAEYC’s website.
May 14, 2024 Call for Participation Open for Meaningful Play 2024 The Center for Transformational Play is now accepting applications for volunteers to help with the Meaningful Play 2024 conference. Learn More Meaningful Play 2024 is a conference about theory, research, and game design innovations, principles, and practices. It brings scholars, industry professionals and games practitioners together to understand and improve upon games to entertain, inform, educate, and persuade. The conference is looking for volunteers to help run the Full Papers track. It welcomes contributions from researchers and practitioners in industry and academia who advance the understanding of meaningful play. The purpose of the track is to present the community’s understanding of the current state of the art, practice, science, and/or discipline of meaningful play. Submissions should present original, unpublished research or design work that is not currently under review by any other venue. Game exhibition and competition The Meaningful Play Game Exhibition and Competition invites academic, independent, experimental, serious, transformational, and/or student game developers to showcase and gain recognition for their innovative work in game design and development. Analog and digital games are welcome. The purpose of the games and prototypes track is to highlight the things that the community has built and allow attendees to play with each other’s work. Games and prototypes at Meaningful Play will be showcased in an exhibition during the conference. Attendees will have opportunities to play them. Microtalks The microtalks track encourages individuals to submit proposals to discuss any of the subtopics related to the conference. Its aim is to present perspective or pose challenges to the community toward energizing new or ongoing work. Content that is insightful, speculative, or creative is encouraged. Hosted sessions The hosted sessions track invites submissions of engaging interactive sessions to be organized by members of the community. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for community building and community engagement around topics of interest to the broader community. These sessions could take the form of a panel or roundtable discussion among community members, a game play session, or an interactive workshop to get people working together. More Details Those interested in participating should fill out a volunteer form. For more information, visit Meaningful Play’s website or email meaningfulplay@andrew.cmu.edu. The submission deadline is June 5. The conference will take place from Oct. 16 to 18 at Carnegie Mellon University.
May 7, 2024 Seeking Input on Recess and Play for Advocacy Toolkit Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh are seeking input on recess and play for the creation of an advocacy toolkit on the topics. Learn More As part of their play advocacy research, Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh are asking parents and caregivers of children, teachers, school administrators, and community members for input. In the survey, participants will discuss how their child’s school perceives and implements recess. Collected input will go toward devising a comprehensive, community-based Play Advocacy Toolkit that will be widely shared and easily accessible. The deadline to complete the survey is June 21. The survey is now available to complete. Community Conversations on Play Parents and caregivers of children, teachers, school leaders, and community members are also invited to join Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh for upcoming community conversations on play. Physical movement, the freedom to play, and playful learning during the school day improves a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. However, many American children engage in less than one hour of unstructured play per day. The conversations will focus on how play is an important part of a child’s school life. The events will help attendees learn how to advocate for play and developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood. In person event Thursday, May 30, 2024 | 5 – 7 p.m. Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood, 134 East Elizabeth Street Registration is now open Dinner and child care will be provided. Virtual event Monday, June 10, 2024 | 7-8 p.m. Zoom Registration is now open.
May 1, 2024 Recess and Play: Community Conversations Parents and caregivers of children, teachers, school leaders, and community members are invited to join Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh for community conversations on play. Learn More Physical movement, the freedom to play, and playful learning during the school day improves a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. However, many American children engage in less than one hour of unstructured play per day. We’d like to know how much your child is able to play. A community conversation being held on May 30 will discuss how play is a part of a child’s school life. The event will help attendees learn how to advocate for play and developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood. Dinner and child care will be provided to participants at the in-person event. There will also be a virtual event in June. Details Thursday, May 30 | 5 – 7 p.m. Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood, 134 East Elizabeth Street in Pittsburgh Register Monday, June 10 | 7 – 8 p.m. Virtual Register Can’t attend? Take the play advocacy survey to share your thoughts.
Recess and Play: Community Conversations Parents and caregivers of children, teachers, school leaders, and community members are invited to join Trying Together and Playful Pittsburgh for community conversations on play. Learn More Physical movement, the freedom to play, and playful learning during the school day improves a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills. However, many American children engage in less than one hour of unstructured play per day. We’d like to know how much your child is able to play. A community conversation being held on May 30 will discuss how play is a part of a child’s school life. The event will help attendees learn how to advocate for play and developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood. Dinner and child care will be provided to participants at the in-person event. There will also be a virtual event in June. Details Thursday, May 30 | 5 – 7 p.m. Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood, 134 East Elizabeth Street in Pittsburgh Register Monday, June 10 | 7 – 8 p.m. Virtual Register Can’t attend? Take the play advocacy survey to share your thoughts.
April 24, 2024 Study with Questionnaire Explores Field of Play A new study is exploring the current state of the field of play, specifically in games and related areas. Areas covered by the exploratory, qualitative study include mixed reality, themed entertainment, and tech. The study, led by Carnegie Mellon University’s Drew Davidson, also includes a questionnaire in which anyone can participate. Learn More The study’s aim is to define and reflect on the field of play. ETC Press will publish the results. The concept of play is broad and diverse, so the study is less a focus on a specific discipline and more an exploration of the extensive ideas around play. The questionnaire asks participants where they are located, what type of work they do, and what they believe is going on in the field of play. All responses are anonymous, and only a few of the questionnaire’s 16 questions are required. It should take between 20 to 25 minutes. More Details The study incorporates assistance from such groups as the Pittsburgh Remake Learning Initiative, Pittsburgh Technology Council, and the Connected Learning Alliance. Participating organizations will form a committee to provide local focus on regions to help ensure an inclusive process that offers perspectives from the diverse groups engaged in the field. The study includes questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and community participation. It aims to find patterns, commonalities, and differences across various regions amongst the education, industry, professional, foundation, and government groups involved in the field of play. The goal will be to collaboratively produce a white paper with the help of the committee. The final report’s aim is to document the global state of play. It will also serve as a reference for current practices and problems. Those who are interested in participating can take the questionnaire or contact the study team for more information.
August 23, 2023 IPA-USA National Day of Loose Parts Play The International Play Association-USA chapter presents National Day of Play on September 16, 2023! To celebrate this international recognition of the importance of play, Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative is hosting a special, pop-up play day on Saturday, September 16 at Lytle Land and The Elizabeth Street Parklet from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Playful Pittsburgh “IPA-USA National Day of Loose Parts Play” event is a free, family-friendly opportunity for all communities throughout Pittsburgh to enjoy a day of play. The event will focus on embracing loose parts play to highlight how everyday items, such as cardboard boxes, paper tubes, string, and various fabrics can be representative of items from around the world. Using our imagination, we will celebrate cultural differences and similarities of play through a range of activities. When: Saturday, 9/16 | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Where: Lytle Land Park, 5113 Lytle Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15207 (Hazelwood) Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. We know you’ll leave the play day feeling inspired and creative, so the fun can continue wherever your family travels! Loose parts are all around us! Don’t miss this celebration of play from perspectives around the world! Partnering Organizations Include: Open Field Child in Mind Consulting Global Links Kaleidoscope PGH City Squeakers Trying Together Lion of Judah Enterprises
August 17, 2023 Hazelwood Tree Appreciation Day! Come to the Hazelwood community in September for a special appreciation event for trees! Join Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, Landforce, Tree Pittsburgh, and Arts Excursions Unlimited on Friday, September 22 as they collectively celebrate the importance of play in nature at Lytle Land and The Elizabeth Street Parklet in Hazelwood. When: Friday, September 22 | 4 – 6 p.m. Where: Lytle Land, Hazelwood, 5113 Lytle Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15207 During this appreciation event, participate in a tree walk where you will learn about the life cycle of a tree and a nature scavenger hunt. This event is FREE and open to the community, and is family-friendly. For more information, contact Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative at playfulpgh@tryingtogether.org.
