Find out all about our Picnic & Plays with the Bridgeton, Castlemilk and Cranhill Hubs!

These blog posts show what we got up to and all the Storyplay-ing we did!

Porridge & Play Hubs is running throughout 2022 with this block being the 2nd of our exciting New Scots Integration Project!
Thank you to everyone who has partnered with us to provide such amazing experiences for our children & families, and to all our Storyplay Champions!

We went to the Dream Machine in this blog! The Dream Machine was originally inspired by its founder Matthew Lygate’s time living in a healing centre within the Amazonian jungle. There he stumbled onto the power of holistic community healing, music and sound therapy and traditional medicine. Years later at 257 London road Glasgow, the Dream Machine are using creative technologies to provide a unique space where anyone can leave their day-to-day reality at the door without traveling halfway around the world. The Dream Machine has many more voyages ahead and they’d love you to join!

We had an incredibly busy Picnic & Play at the Dream Machine with 58 people in February 2020! It was so much fun to meet people from so many different backgrounds, just like we have at Porridge & Play Bridgeton! Read all about this adventure here!

 Picnic & Play at The Dream Machine!

Saturday 25th June

‘Everybody dancing in the dream machine. I really liked it!’ – Zaina

We took an adventure that was out of this world in the Dream Machine with Porridge & Play Bridgeton! From outer space back to earth where we landed in countries all over the world, we explored unique cultures and talked about what makes you..well…you!

The place was packed full of excitement from the moment the doors of the Dream Machine opened! Colour everywhere had everyone looking around, wide eyed and ready. We just had to get straight into playing. Skyler (who works at the Dream Machine) came in to join in for the first part of the session! We showed him how to make himself as BIG as a BEAR! And we soon introduced him to the Funky Chicken and friends.

‘This is the room, the green the red the colours. This is all the people in the circle, and we’re doing The Funky Chicken. That’s my favourite game’ – Ayyan

We also taught Skyler how to bake a wondrous wold cake, singing Let’s Bake a Cake! We had so many suggestions. Leeanne suggested that we add salt water from the Sea! This got us thinking about how big the ocean is and how interesting it is that this vast blue expanse connects us and helps us.

Funky Chicken Fact: Did you know the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface?!

We also added leaves, sugar and plenty of fruit. After we’d baked our delicious World Cake we just had to get dressed up as explorers! The Magic Ball then took us on a memorable adventure to space and back. We got to go to lots of festivals from around the world and discover so many different ways to celebrate. Saba recognised and initiated a lot of chat about the festivals throughout, knowing about a few of the celebrations. Latifa thought she saw somewhere familiar, thinking some people looked just like her and her Grandparents! The Ceilidh dancing was great fun, and everyone in the room was really excited by it. William said, ‘I liked the dream machine. I liked how we got to go to different places!’ Soon we saw the Magic Ball floating in space, so we knew it was time to head back for our picnic!

At Licketyspit we know that in our imaginations we can – be anyone, do anything and go anywhere! At the Dream Machine we did just that, but lots of YOU are from all over the world. It was amazing to come together and speak about where we are from and all of our cultures and experiences. Being so culturally diverse is what makes Scotland so great and we just love getting to know you at Licketyspit!

Where will our Magic Ball take us next?!!

By Andre, Ruby, Effie, Rhianne, Skylar and Porridge & Play Bridgeton!!

Thanks to our Hub partners, funders and Picnic & Play partners!

Porridge & Play Hubs Castlemilk, Cranhill & Bridgeton is a New Scots Integration Project by Licketyspit, in collaboration with the Indigo Group, Cranhill Development Trust & Church House.

For Picnic & Play we have partnered with Castlemilk Park, Tollcross Park, The Hunterian Museum, The Science Centre, Glasgow Green, Glasgow Women’s Library, Forth & Clyde Canal Boat Society, the Riverside Museum, the Tallship, Balloch Castle Country Park and Dream Machine! We’d like to say a big THANK YOU to all our partners for helping us provide such an amazing programme for all our families.

There is still plenty more to come for Porridge & Play Bridgeton! After such exciting trips out we are venturing back to our hub and will be coming together to create our new AllScot Playcards! These Playcards will already be like the existing Licketyspit ones but now we will be taking the games you play/played and creating new ones! These will be on display at our Storyplay Festival happening in September!