Online Learning Series

Presenters

Dr Amanda Lloyd (pictured) is an educator with experience teaching and adventuring outdoors. She has held numerous roles making cubby houses and advocating for others to make them too. Amanda is currently the Nature Play Development Manager for Greater Sydney Parklands.

Christian Eckardt leads the Manager of Education and Community programs at Greater Sydney Parklands. Growing up in Germany, he is well acquainted with the model of forest schools and brings unique experiences from this to the Australian outdoor learning scene.

Risky Play in an Urban Holiday Program

Centennial Park runs one-day school holiday day programs for primary school aged children, within an urban park setting. These programs offer significant scope for educator-guided child-led nature play, and encourage children to take risks in their play.  

Over the decade or more that these programs have been running at Centennial Park, there have been numerous anecdotal comments from educators, parents/ carers, and children regarding the positive physical risky play that occurs. 

In a conscious effort to improve our approach to physical risky play, our educators conducted structured observations. Observations were recorded and then analysed using Sandseters’ (2007) categories of risky play. We then looked at what risk-taking behaviours developed, made some meaning around why these occurred and devised a plan of how we can improve on these in the future. In this presentation we will share how our educators conducted the observations, the findings, what has happened since and how this process could be adapted to your setting. 

Tuesday 19 March 2024

12:00pm-1:00pm CBR, HBA, MEL, SYD (AEDT)  

*Attendees from times zones other than AEDT will need to join the session per their respective time zone as follows: 

11:30am-12:30pm ADL (ACDT)  

11.00am -12.00pm BNE (AEST)

10.30am-11.30am DRW (ACST)

9:00am-10:00am PER (AWST)

Cost:
Free! for Play Australia members
Non-members $66 per person inc gst

Reserve your place for Risky Play in an Urban Park Holiday Program

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Presenters

About Hannah Mushet

www.childhoodrising.com.au

About Gill Howarth

www.bornwise.com.au

About Cath Fitzhardinge

 www.cathfitzot.com.au

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 will give you the knowledge and some easy to implement practical guidance to enrich the play experiences, and therefore the wellbeing, of children everywhere.
Join us for some inspiring guidance that you can implement right away – plus there will be time to get your playful questions answered.

Thursday 21 March 2024

4:00pm-5:00pm CBR, HBA, MEL, SYD (AEDT)

*Attendees from times zones other than AEDT will need to join the session per their respective time zone as follows: 

3:30pm-4:30pm ADL (ACDT)

3:00pm-4:00pm BNE (AEST)

2:00pm-3:00pm DRW ACST)

1:00pm-2:00pm PER (AWST) 

Cost:
Free! for Play Australia members
Non-members $66 per person inc gst

Register for Hide & Seek: Finding the Whole Child Through Play now

Not a member? Click here to join

Presenters

About Professor Tonia Gray 

 

About Doctor Marion Sturges 

 

About Jaydene Barnes 

 

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 interactive and engaging presentation focuses on findings from a study which was undertaken to better understand parents’ perceptions of an outdoor risky play space.

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 (Gill, 2014, Gray, 2013, 2020).

Decisions by adults (parents, caregivers, and educators) can either support or suppress children’s appetite for risk in play.

This presentation will unpack the themes identified from the presenters research and explore Farley’s (1986) Type T attitudes to risk (big thrill and small thrill).

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Tuesday 30 April 2024

12:00pm-1:30pm BNE, CBR, 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-1:00pm ADL, DRW (ACST)

10:00am-11:30pm PER (AWST)

 

Cost:
Free! for Play Australia members
Non-members $66 per person inc gst

Register for Preparing Children to Become Risk Technicians in a Risk Adverse Society now

Not a member? Click here to join

Sticks: Weapon or the Ultimate Loose Part?

"Put that stick down, it's dangerous!" Perhaps you've said that? Perhaps you've worked with someone who has said that? Perhaps you've heard a parent say that to their child? But what if we thought about sticks differently? In this session, we'll unpack the challenges and fears around stick play, and also the benefits and joy that children can experience when we embrace this natural loose part. Whether you are trying to step out of your own comfort zone or want to advocate for this type of play to colleagues or families, you will be inspired by this session.

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.

Tuesday 7 May 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) 

Cost
Free! for Play Australia members
Non-members $66 per person inc gst

Register now for Sticks: Weapon or the Ultimate Loose Part?

Not a member? Click here to join

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 5 months notice we hope it will be a great one! Get your planning hat on, grab your notebook and join us!

Monday 20 May 2024

4:00pm-5:00pm 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: 

3:30pm-4:30pm ADL, DRW (ACST)

2:00pm-3:00pm 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

 

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 much of the contemporary research – across all sorts of academic disciplines – 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.

The review proposes a relational capability approach to accounting for and responding to those conditions. 

 

Wednesday 7 February 2024

Cost:
Free! for Play Australia members
Non-members $66 per person inc gst

Registration for this event have closed.

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This session will be of significant benefit to our Local Government and Industry Members.

Standards Update with David Eager

David Eager has been invited to provide an update to Play Australia members on Standards relating to play, sports and recreational activities.

About David

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 on the safety aspects of trampolines, high ropes and challenge course, playgrounds, impact attenuating surfacing, sports and recreation equipment, and amusement rides and devices. He is Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has a PhD in Engineering, 1st Class Honours Degree in Engineering and Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution. He has represented Engineers Australia for more than a 27 years on various Australian Standards committees and in 2020 was awarded the Standards Australia National Meritorious Contribution Award and in 2022 honoured as a Standards Australia Centenary Hero.

Thursday 29 February 2024

Cost:
Free! for Play Australia members
Non-members $66 per person inc gst

The registration for this event has closed.

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Sensory Processing and Outdoor Play

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. Have you ever watched a toddler spinning around and around in circles? Or a six year old who rolls down the hill again and again? 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. 

Tuesday 5 March 2024

Cost: Free! for Play Australia members
$66 inc gst for non-members

Registration for this event has closed

Not a member? Click here to join

 
 
 
 

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