Play in a Pod Programme
- Description
- Curriculum
- Reviews
Play in a Programme
It is our mission to provide children in Scotland with more opportunities for unstructured, imaginative play using loose parts and scrap materials. Through Play in a Pod, we offer a programme of training and guidance to schools and community groups interested in setting up loose parts play projects.
Play in a Pod is a unique programme for schools and communities in Scotland who care about play. It often takes the form of a secure storage unit filled with loose parts and scrap items. The ‘pod’ is the container in which the scrap resources are stored, and the play is the activities that children create using those resources! However, you don’t need to have a ‘pod’ as long as you have some space to safely store scrap resources.
Play in a Pod complements the Curriculum for Excellence and the Curriculum for Outdoor Learning.
STAGE 1
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Initial discussion: to evaluate your needs according to current situation, resources and budget.
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Site visit and consultation.
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Identifying and sourcing the container.
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Staff and pupils survey.
STAGE 2
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Staff training: Five hours of training in free play and loose parts play to optimise the use of the pod.
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Loose parts starter pack: We will bring a van load of scrap materials as a starter kit for
your pod. -
Support with evaluation and action plan and methods: Guidance on how to best utilise the resources.
STAGE 3
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On-going support: Advice on pod use, play activities and further staff and pupil evaluation to compare with earlier results.
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Annual diamond membership: Full access to members section on the website (includes training and evaluation resources, activity cards, information on sourcing scrap material, current research) and continued advice and support.
