Getting ready for Porridge & Play 2022!
New Scots Integration Project
Welcome to the Storyplay Champion blog where we’ll be sharing news of our preparations to launch
Porridge & Play Castlemilk and Porridge & Play East End in 2022!
Our Storyplay Champion Families prepare for the two new Hubs coming to Porridge & Play in 2022!
When you come to play with us it is important that we’ve got the opinion of families and professionals so we can play the best way! As we all know the worlds play experts are children so we got together with our Storyplay Champion families from Castlemilk & The East End to start preparing for Porridge & Play!
Porridge & Play is fun for all the family and we are working hard to bring that fun to you in person in the New Year!
Tuesday 16th November
We would like to thank all our Storyplay Champion families who managed to make it to their session! It was so fun learning about all the ways we can make people comfortable and ready to play when coming to Porridge & Play 2022.
We practiced playing games together like our Flying Balloons Game and Funky Chicken, all of which are crowd favourites and all of which will be appearing in Porridge & Play 2022.
Here are some things we saw when playing Flying Balloons!
‘I can see the Clyde River! I can see seaweed and rocks.’ –Mahek
‘I can see a river pond. There is big fish and big sharks! It’s a friendly shark- no-no it’s an angry shark!’ – Brown
‘A fidget store! Peoples are buying fidgets.’ –Sara
Do you play our games with other people?
‘I play- I play some games with my baby brother. Mostly the Funky Chicken because he likes that ‘what did you say’ but sometimes I’ll play the other games but I’ve forgot the names. Oh yeah we do do magic ball sometimes!”
Areeb‘I play magic ball with my daddy! I played magic ball for two weeks and I saw my friend playing on the slide.’
Brown‘Sometimes I play these games when I’m bored at home I play them with Fathima or Ibrahim or sometimes when I’m like outside in my school at playtime I ask my friends ‘do you know the funky chicken’ and they’re like ‘what?’ so then I tell them about the game.’
Mahek ‘Sometimes I do. I play the funky chicken and I play the magic ball, sometimes, I did Grandma Grandma once.’
Mahek ‘You go magic ball! Magic Ball take me where you want to go!’
BrownGetting to know you! Getting to know all about you!
Getting to know new people can be scary yet exciting! We spoke to our Storyplay champion families on some ways we could make people feel welcome as how we could meet new people!
When you come to Porridge & Play we play like one big family. No one is left out, we all get a turn and there is no need to put your hand up! We stand in a circle so we can see everyone playing and everyone can see us playing. Games are so much fun! But the best games are when we are all playing together!
How would you welcome people?
‘When I went to my school, my new school, yeah? I didn’t know that many faces and I didn’t know all the faces so I was really surprised and I was really shy and I was nervous and then I was really shy but then I got used to them and I was less shy.’
Mahek ‘It is of two ways. If I meet people I feel shy and I feel happy. At first I am shy because I don’t know how to say their name. Unless I see the spelling like I am seeing ours right now. So if I see the spelling I am able to pronounce it. I remember when I first met Andre and he told me I was saying it incorrectly. So inside me I’m shy because I didn’t say it correctly until he spelled it for me and then I could say it. So I am happy to meet people because then I know them more and I have more friends so I’m happy to see more people.’
Euiance (Mum)‘I would ask if can we be friends? Sometimes I do that when I’m around the park because I don’t have anyone to play with so I ask random people if I can be friends with them.’
Sara‘I would welcome them in and show them around the place. I wouldn’t ask them too many questions. Just to keep them calm and so they don’t think they have to sign a lot of papers.’
Areeb‘When I always meet my friend in the playground I always feel happy because I know their names!’
Brown‘I played with them, I talked with them, I was around them so then I got to know their names so that made me less shy.’
Mahek At the end of our first Storyplay Champion session, we did some reflection
After we played we all came together to do some reflective drawing and self evaluation. This gave us time to sit and chat and discuss how we feel about our confidence levels but also how we feel as part of our communities! The families got to discuss how being a Storyplay champion would build their confidence and how meeting new people with decrease social isolation and bring lots of different people together.
Which of course is what Porridge & Play is all about!
Taster sessions
We are also holding taster sessions in schools, nurseries & youth groups in Castlemilk & The East End (Cranhill & Bridgeton), between the 17th Jan 2022 – 4th of Feb 2022 so we can show everyone how we play!
To book a taster please email rhianne@licketyspit.com
The Lickety Gallery!
Porridge & Play hubs are happening in Castlemilk & East End in 2022!
We are thrilled to announce that Licketyspit has been funded by the New Scots Integration Fund to set up two new Porridge & Play Hubs in Glasgow!
Porridge & Play Hubs – Castlemilk & East End will be delivered in partnership with Storyplay Champion partners, parents/carers and children from these communities, with open sessions starting in the new year.
The project has been designed in consultation with the Licketyspit Children & Families Network and draws on Licketyspit’s highly successful and well-evaluated intergenerational imaginary play project Big Porridge & Play Glasgow.
We chose Castlemilk and the East End for this expansion because of the high numbers of asylum-seeking families living in and around these areas who have joined Licketyspit’s Porridge & Play Onlinesessions and further, because of the enthusiasm of our local partners to learn about and use Licketyspit’s Storyplay approach.
