13th June 2019

Our last session at the St Francis Centre was a wonderful celebration of what Porridge & Play can be, with families bringing countless delicious things to share in the meal, guests dressing up with the same gusto as everyone else, and big, collective games together in the circle.

We started with Big as a Bear, during which we could hear several people joining in with the whole thing word for word. Then we played Funky Chicken, with lots of people revisiting their favourite invented animals one last time, and everyone joining in the actions – like the Happy Lion, the Sneaky Fox and the Slithery Snake.  

There was an incredible level of focus on what the funny witches would say when we played Witches Fingers,and it was fantastic to have our wonderful Lickety Volunteer Saliha becoming a brilliant first witch!

We sang Grandma Grandma, which was particularly enjoyed by the visitors as it’s such an inclusive, feel good song for joining in the first time. Much the same could be said for Letter to my Love, kicked off by Arush and Jack, which could have gone on for hours before anyone got bored.

And we finished with our story, Anoo the Alien and Jack the Deer, with a dozen people reading a line or two each round the circle. The story is a real achievement that everyone should feel so proud of, and it was lovely to end the play session with this before we sat down to eat.

What a treat we had for our Celebration Meal! Spicy vegetable kebabs, sushi, dopla, triple cheese muffins, dahl bites with coconut coriander dip, baclava, kheer, sujee halva and much more! Thank you to everyone who brought something. Visit the Lickety Kitchen to find some family recipes coming soon, as well as our Porridge & Play soup recipes.

We were so pleased to welcome Saliha’s family, Minish, Anil and Sharda, as well as Rashmi and Swathi and their children, who attended last year and came back to join us in our celebration.

It’s been a real pleasure doing Porridge & Play in the Gorbals – from our trips to Glasgow Green and the Dream Machine, to our Flying Balloon and Magic Ball adventures. We’ve met dragons, aliens, seen airports in the jungle, mermaids and octopuses, and most importantly we’ve done it together – with everyone being seen, heard and included. All we need to play is each other and we’ve made some great friends here in the Gorbals.

Hope to see you soon and keep on playing!

What you said…

“I want to come next week also” (Child, 6)

“I enjoyed a lot during all the sessions” (Mum)

“We have been playing the games at home, we have been playing “Bake a Cake” round the table with his Dad, but it won’t be the same without you” (Mum)

“In my country we don’t say goodbye we say see you later. So that’s what I want to say to you” (Mum)

“Every Thursday from 4-6 we do porridge and play. We play games such as Witches Fingers, Monsters Footsteps and many more. I like playing with my mum and with all the other children. I want to say thank you to miss Ruby, mr Jack and miss Rita for doing Porridge & Play” (Child, 7)

“Really I’m thanking you all wholeheartedly.” (Mum)

Other blog posts…

BIG Porridge & Play Glasgow is a 7-week block of Licketyspit Playcard Play & food sessions for local families with children under 12. This year for the very first time we will be going out for sessions 4 and 5 to have Picnic & Play sessions in cultural centres around Glasgow. Find out more by clicking here!