Tasters Week 1 – Porridge & Play Hubs
New Scots Integration Project
Welcome to the Porridge & Play blog where we’ll be sharing news of our preparations to launch
our family imaginary play project in Castlemilk, Bridgeton & Cranhill!
We’ve been very busy getting ready to launch Porridge & Play, here’s a taste of what we’ve been up to!
Cranhill Online Taster!
We loved our online Porridge & Play taster on Tuesday 18th January 2022, where we played lots of games, made new friends, and of course, explored our imaginations.
No one felt out of place as we kept pace with how we like to play – how ace!
Our Storyplay Champions were down to play as they tore a page out of the story-playbook and got ready to dare our wonderful new participants to play with us.
Anyone for Big as a… Bear!?
When we dress up we can be anything we want to be and today we became Scientists! These truly wonderful scientists were experts in everything from insects (Dr Sara) to planets and the solar system (Drs Simmi & Genesis).
Dr Rubbermore suggested we do a scientific experiment by making a Mucky Brew.
Dr Sara added hot & cold water mixed together, Daniel, David, Bukumi & Kehinde showed us how to mix up some tropical juice and pour it all over our heads. Then we added some spicy & sour leaves – Dr Simmi’s suggestions. Dr Felicia and her hand puppet colleague taught us how to make some Funky Chicken soup and add that to the Brew and then finally Dr Priscilla had us crack three tiny eggs and add them to the experiment!
It was all going so well until suddenly – everyone got stuck. Something in the experiment had made our bodies get stuck into one position! We had to admit that the experiment was not a success and quickly hopped over to the shower to wash off all that Mucky, Mucky Brew!
Dressing up is such a fun way to spend our time, you never know what kind of adventures you can get up to with each costume you try on.
What will you dress up as next?
Porridge & Play Hubs Launching in February!
Our in person Porridge & Play hubs are launching in February and there is still plenty of time to sign up for the one in your area!
Cranhill Launch– Thursday 3rd Feb – Cranhill Development Trust – 4-6pm
Castlemilk Launch- Tuesday 8th Feb – Castlemilk Parish Church- 3:30-5:15pm
Bridgeton Launch– Friday 11th Feb- Church House- 4-6pm
Opening Imaginary Playworlds in your community!
If you live in Cranhill, Castlemilk or Bridgeton, you might have seen our team in their red hoodies or spotted a flyer in a local shop! We’ve been out and about in between our taster sessions to make sure all the 3-8 year olds and their families know Porridge & Play is coming to town.
We also had a blast at Castleton Primary School where the P1B/S Children got a taste of Flying Balloons, Funky Chicken and Grandma Grandma.
At Licketyspit, we love unlocking the most wonderful ideas and imaginings through our Storyplay games. We met Andy’s “angry mosasaurus, which is a dinosaur shark!” We also saw Naughty Lion – Thomas, Massive Elephant – Jayden, Happy Snake – Miles, Fast Tiger – Zac, and the Black and white happy Zebra – Anthony. During balloons, we went on many adventures. Taz saw the river, where we all started to see fish, sharks, dolphins… we went down and swam under the sea! And we event dug for treasure. Nitneal said “A wave! In the sea! Is trying to get to the sand. We can surf, and we can also ski on ice!” and we certainly did!
Bellrock Nursery also welcomed us back to play with their children and staff, it was great to hear even more from our young friends after Storyplay for the Planet last year.
We took our Magic Ball and everybody wanted to go to the beach. As soon as we landed, Leanne saw the water, so we got the silk out and went swimming under the sea. We saw lots of sharks and had to freeze as seaweed every time. We found colourful shells, and then we swam up to the surface. Everyone had a turn swimming and surfing, and then a friendly Octopus came by. Harlow could speak to Octopi, so she found out the octopus was hungry. Logan found a friendly shark who gave us lots of food for the Octopus, and the Octopus went home happy. Then we were all hungry, so Billy suggested we go fishing. We all caught fish, but then Logan saw a shark that was hungry, so we threw our fish back into the ocean for the shark and went to the beach to have a picnic. Before we could eat anything, Kaylea saw a giant pink tent, so we went to explore. Then we got stuck in the tent because it was surrounded by sharks! We had to sneak out by pretending we were sharks and run all the way back to the Magic Ball!
Our Storyplay Champion Josephine took part in this session at Bellrock Nursery and will be at the Cranhill Launch!
Some of our Favourite moments at Porridge & Play?
‘I’m trying to make the galaxy from the scientist. I’m learning about the planets at school.’
PriscillaThat’s the bee and another kind of bug. That’s the Mucky Brew and the water and grandma and her stick and the dressing up there.
SaraWe didn’t do a drawing but our favourite game was dressing up. It was good fun and I felt happy!
David, Daniel, Bukumi and Kehide‘The planets, only have managed to do half of them and also the dressing up, the Hello’s, Funky Chicken…and my favourite was all of them! I didn’t have any paper so I used different bits of white tissue paper cause it’s the closest to paper!’
Simmi‘I think it was the flying balloons!’
Calliam‘That’s an apple in the mouth. Josephus was eating the apple. Josephus was up in the sky.’
Ridaum ‘My mummy is eating a pizza. It was pepperoni pizza my favourite game is gramma.’
Oliver‘This is a monster with small legs.’
Addison ‘My mum is flying the balloon. There was a storm, and the balloon fell (but was okay).’
Lasia ‘made Castlemike with lots of rainbows, and I was in my ballon, but it popped.’
Lucy 
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.
