Online Learning Series
Children's Week Member Briefing
National Children's Week is celebrated annually and each year the theme is chosen based on an article from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
A Member briefing on the Children's Week theme this year of Article 24 "the right to a safe and clean environment" and how it relates to PLAY, will be held for Play Australia members as part pf our commitment to advocacy.
The webinar will provide an opportunity to here how the theme relates to children's right to play and discuss the key messaging for the week. This webinar is designed to inspire activities and advocacy by our Play Australia members and with 3 months notice we hope it will be a great one! Get your planning hat on, grab your notebook and join us!
Monday 29 July 2024
12:00pm-1:00pm CBR, BNE, HBA, MEL, SYD (AEST)
*Attendees from times zones other than AEST will need to join the session per their respective time zone as follows:
11:30am-12:30pm ADL, DRW (ACST)
10:00am-11:00am PER (AWST)
This event is for Play Australia Members only
Register for our Children's Week Member Briefing here
Not a member? Click here to join
In Conversation with Adam Bienenstock
For years, Adam has been at the forefront of a movement that aims to authentically connect children to nature. He has traveled globally to collaborate on the creation of everything from national parks to outdoor classroom designs, and to speak about topics spanning human health, child development, environmental regeneration, and natural playground design.
Adam’s expertise in the realm of natural playgrounds is unparalleled; his resume includes collaborations with cities across Canada and the US, partnerships with both the Government of Canada and the Government of Australia, and various projects for the US Armed Forces. He has served on numerous advisory committees, among them the Green Schools National Network, the International Association of Nature Pedagogy, the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
Adam lives and works at the nexus between health, education and the ever-expanding field of nature play, his goal being to connect as many children to nature as possible.
He believes that an authentic connection to nature is paramount to a better future for our children, communities, and planet; he is eager to make moves and inspire action.
Thursday 25 July 2024
10:30am-12:00pm CBR, BNE, HBA, MEL, SYD (AEST)
*Attendees from times zones other than AEST will need to join the session per their respective time zone as follows:
10:00am-11:30am ADL, DRW (ACST)
8:30am-10:00am PER (AWST)
Register here for In Conversation with Adam Bienenstock
Cost:
Members: Free!
Non-members $44.00 per person inc gst
Debriefing Benefit Risk and the ISO. – What does it mean for Australia and New Zealand?
This free-for-members seminar will help play and leisure professionals understand and use the new international standard on risk management in sports and recreational facilities, activities, and equipment, including children’s play, standard (ISO 4980:2023)
The standard represents a significant and important shift to a balanced and thoughtful approach to safety in play and leisure contexts.
A pre-requisite of attendance is that all participants will have watched a 1.5 hour session delivered by the UK Play Safety Forum, watch it here. After watching the UK Play Safety Forum , you are invited to submit questions for our panellists to info@playaustralia.org.au. The deadline for these questions is 29 July 2024.
Submitted questions will be answered at the seminar debrief by our experts Professor David Ball (UK), Andrew Reedy (WA) and Professor David Eager. If time permits we will also take questions online during the session.
Background
In March, Play Scotland hosted a webinar organised by the UK Play Safety Forum that drew on the expertise of leading UK and global play safety advocates and is consistent with the Health and Safety Executive position on children’s play, as set out in its 2012 high level statement.
Meet Our Panel
David Ball
Professor of Risk Management at Middlesex University since 1997 and Director of Centre for Decision Analysis and Risk Management (DARM).
Read more about David
David Eager
David Eager is an Honorary Life Member of Play Australia. He is the Professor of Risk Management and Injury Prevention at UTS. He is an internationally recognised expert in the safety aspects of trampolines, playgrounds, artificial climbing structures and recreation equipment. In 2020 he was awarded the Standards Australia National Meritorious Contribution Award and in 2022 honoured as a Standards Australia Centenary Hero.
Andrew Reedy
Andrew Reedy is the Director of Play Check, providing safety and auditing advice to the playground industry. He has been involved in the industry since 1994. Since 2002 Andrew has been a member of the Standards Australia playground committee was appointed chair in 2021. Andrew has a realistic view of the need for a balance between risk and safety and the need to provide challenging opportunities that allow children to develop as they explore their play environments, and views playground safety through this lens.
Thursday 1 August 2024
7:00pm-8:00pm CBR, BNE, HBA, MEL, SYD (AEST)
*Attendees from times zones other than AEST will need to join the session per their respective time zone as follows:
6:30pm-7:30pm ADL, DRW (ACST)
5:00pm-6:00pm PER (AWST)
This event is for Play Australia Members only
Register for Debriefing Benefit Risk and the ISO here
Not a member? Click here to join
With International Guest Dr Wendy Russell
Playing and Being Well: What the Research Says
Come and hear about the literature review of contemporary research into children’s play that Wendy has undertaken with Ludicology’s Mike Barclay and Ben Tawil, and which was commissioned by Play Wales.
The review is huge and has four sections:
- Contemporary issues in childhood studies and policy studies
- The role of play in children’s wellbeing
- Where children play
- Practice-based examples of supporting children’s play in both the public realm and the institutions of childhood.
What the research shows, is that things like play and wellbeing aren’t individual issues but instead arise through relations and the conditions of children’s lives. When those conditions are favourable, children can create their own wellbeing through playing.
Sensory Processing and Outdoor Play with Tash Treveton, Tuesday 5 March 2024
As humans, we are sensory beings. Did you know that without the right sensory input for YOUR body you can not operate at your highest potential? It is the same for children, whose needs are as individual as they are. Outdoor play provides a multitude of opportunities for children to receive sensory input and move their bodies in the way that they need to. Understanding the role of the senses in children's outdoor play is vital for supporting children to thrive.
About Tash
Tash Treveton is the co-founder of Inspired EC, Inspired FDC and TimberNook Newcastle, and is a former early childhood educator and director. For over 15 years Tash has shared her passion for the early years through speaking, writing and consultancy.
Missed the main event?
Don't worry, we've got you covered, check out the recording!
Cost: $33- inc gst
Presenters
Hide and Seek: Finding the Whole Child Through Play
Chances are you yourself played games like ‘hide & seek’ as a child. A universal game shared by many, but how well do we understand the many ways such games support children's whole body and mind development?
Hide & Seek is a workshop bringing you a deeper view of play from the holistic perspectives of three professionals, a Play Therapist, Early Childhood Educator and Occupational Therapist.
We share our knowledge and some easy to implement practical guidance to enrich the play experiences, and therefore the wellbeing, of children everywhere.
Missed the main event?
Don't worry, we've got you covered, check out the recording!
Cost: $33- inc gst
Preparing Children to Become Risk Technicians in a Risk Adverse Society: Lessons learned from parents who embrace children’s engagement in risky play.
What is the ‘sweet spot’ of medium risk parenting/teaching as an approach to facilitating children’s outdoor play? We will explore this and consider how this may be taken up by educators, parents and caregivers.
This engaging presentation focuses on findings from a study which was undertaken to better understand parents’ perceptions of an outdoor risky play space. Whist many have the belief that Australians are a nature-loving outdoor nation, recent research suggests that many children are becoming estranged from the natural world.
The importance of children’s engagement with high risk, leisure and play activities during their formative years of growth and development has been well documented. Decisions by adults (parents, caregivers, and educators) can either support or suppress children’s appetite for risk in play. This presentation unpacks these themes and explores Farley’s (1986) Type T attitudes to risk (big thrill and small thrill).
Sticks: Weapon or the Ultimate Loose Part?
In this presentation, Nicole unpacks the challenges and fears around stick play, and also the benefits and joy that children can experience when we embrace this natural loose part.
Presenter
Nicole Halton is the co-founder of Inspired EC, Inspired FDC and TimberNook Newcastle, and is a former early childhood educator and director. For over 15 years Nicole has shared her passion for the early years through speaking, writing and consultancy.
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