diary Archives • Licketyspit

Glasgow, one year on: a Storyplay explosion!

2020-10-09T11:58:50+00:00

It’s been a year since we moved the Licketyspit office to Glasgow - and what a year it’s been. None of us could have predicted the tumultuous events that would affect everything and everyone; for the past six months, like all other arts organisations, the activities and goals we set out have been forced to shift and morph to fit our new reality. So, we were delighted when one of the parents in our Children & Families Network happily remarked that she’d noticed “an explosion” in Licketyspit activity since we moved here. It looks like this is recognised elsewhere too, as we have just been granted funding from the Glasgow Communities Fund for our Storyplay City project! So, we thought it would be good to step back and reflect on that “explosion” ourselves. Our Storyplay Residencies and Big Porridge & Play intergenerational play sessions, focus on energetic, face-to-face imaginary play, often within large groups of families from different parts of the city, which with the arrival of the pandemic had to stop! But with difficulties come opportunities: we’ve learnt new ways of playing, new ways of conducting events remotely, new ways of connecting with children and families when we can’t be physically near each other, and new ways of finding new families to join our vibrant Families Network community. A new home We had been [...]

Ensuring access to digital tablets for families in need

2020-09-17T10:25:14+00:00

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown, Licketyspit worked quickly to respond to the needs of families in our Children & Families Network and provide creative, joyful activities that would help families feel less isolated, inspire children to play and imagine at home, and connect people up with financial and food support during this difficult time. This included making videos for children explaining coronavirus and the lockdown, and demonstrating our Playcard games and songs, for families to play along to. We also adapted our intergenerational community project Big Porridge & Play Glasgow on Zoom, delivering closed sessions for Milton, Easterhouse and Govan families, as well as open sessions with families participating from across Scotland - and even as far as India! We already had an idea of digital inequality among families in our network because of the number of families for whom we had only a phone number, rather than an email address. We contacted these families to gain greater insight into this issue - whether families had WiFi, a smartphone or other digital device, a monthly data package or top-up SIM. We knew that some of the families who would most benefit from joining our online sessions and accessing our videos, imaginary play activities and audio-shows, were those without any internet access, or with very limited access. We talked to our Storyplay Schools, which are [...]