Peggy & How To Promote Real Play For Kids
Now if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that it’s all about getting out into the fresh air and having a laugh with the kids.
Making a playground in the bush is easy when you’ve got a few bits of pieces
This post is brought to you by Nuffnang and Omo
On this site, there are many family fun ideas covering beaches, walks and Sydney’s wonderful playgrounds, especially those bushy, natural playgrounds our family loves.
I’m a passionate believer in the power of the outdoors and also in the power of real play.
There’s really nothing like kids and parents playing outdoors, being active together, running a few risks and learning to live life bravely and well.
You won’t find many posts on washing and laundry really, except one on my excellent laundry baskets.
Household tasks just get in the way of a good time! The sooner they are done the better, and no need to be a perfectionist.
And some things about the housework do drive me demented.
Wet washing on the line is one of them, so I’ve been intrigued to be part of a trial of a new smart solution to the age old laundry problems, more on that below.
My bete noir, wet washing on the line
I’m not the only parent who is driven demented by housework, of course.
There’s a real frustration amongst loads of us, we know kids need to do real play, the unstructured play with no timetable.
We know kids need to learn through trial and error, to negotiate and to learn the lessons that failure brings; the strength to keep on going.
Real play is messy and I don’t mean just dirty, it’s unstructured, some things work and some things don’t and kids have to adapt.
There are tears when Lego creations collapse, and there are shrieks when kids can’t get down from the trees they climbed up.
But these testing moments in play are what create resilience, and the knowledge that strength really does come from adversity.
Even when we’re talking about snakes and ladders.
Do you feel your kids get out to play enough?
Is there time and space in your family’s life for real play in all its messy incarnations?
Omo is championing the cause of real play with its ‘Dirt Is Good’ campaign.
Clinical Psychologist Suzy Green explains the crucial value of real play:
“Real play helps children to understand the value of making mistakes in order to learn, and experiencing these lessons first hand through discovery and experience.”
And, says Suzy, school holidays are ideal for getting out and playing:
“It’s is the perfect time to put away the planner and engage in unstructured play that is messy, free and fun.
To embrace the beautiful chaos of real play moments and get outdoors and start exploring.
To let your kids learn and make mistakes for themselves.”
Omo’s Real Play website has some fantastic ideas for play with kids.
But Omo’s research also shows that parents feel time poor and under pressure because of:
- Long working hours
- Children being involved in structured activities
- Too many household chores getting in the way
Seana’s Top Tips For Getting Kids Out To Play
When I was a little girl,my brothers, sisters and myself roamed around the fields near the house.
But now my kids and I are far from the countryside, living in the suburbs. These tips work well for us:
- Pack the kids up and get out somewhere new
- If you are out of the house you can’t get distracted by the housework or piles of bills to pay etc
- At a park or at the beach, there are no screens to distract anyone, so it’s easier to play with what’s there
- Take a few props, like balls, buckets and spades, and some play figures.
- Start the play with your kids, then as they get into it, fade yourself out a bit, so they can see where their imagination takes them
- Take a picnic and a flask of coffee everywhere you go, this means you never have to disrupt the magic of play just to eat or drink
My underwater daughter
Let the Kids Play By Themselves
Now that my kids are older, I love that they don’t always need me around. Call me a slack parent, but I love a bit of space, a nanosecond of peace and quiet.
So I really encourage my kids to get outside and play, even if they take their toys out with them.
My twins, who are nearly 10 now, are both mad keen on sports, and so mostly they choose to practise, practise and practise some more. And we’re lucky to have some space in the backyard so they’re out a lot.
It might not look like real play, but it’s play to them and they are learning too much about persistence and about their own passions too.
As well as running the new Real Play website, OMO is doing some cutting edge work on technology that can help cut down on domestic disasters. And the less of those we have, the more time there is for getting outside and mucking around with the kids.
Our family has been helping in the early testing of Peggy, which may look like a clothes peg but it’s actually a mini weather station on your washing line.
Peggy links to the Peggy app which you download to your smartphone. You sync the Peggy peg to the app and then let the app know when you start a load of washing.
The app tells you when the washing is finished and ready to hang out.
Once you’ve got the washing on the line, then you let the Peggy app know that the drying has started. The Peggy on the line talks to the app and updates the drying time depending on the current weather in your own backyard.
CRUCIALLY, lets you know if it’s about to , so you can get the washing back in!
It’s been interesting to see a new invention in its development phase and to be part of the testing team.
Peggy is quite an endearing member of the family and I’ve enjoyed getting some messages on my phone.
If the peg and app go into full development, then the aim is to have lots of real play ideas built into the app.
Families will be be informed about events happening locally and will receive virtual prompts to get out of the house and into the great outdoors.
There are also washing tips in there too, quite handy for when the kids have really messed up their clothes.
In using Peggy, I’ve enjoyed knowing what’s happening with the weather in my backyard.
It helps me decide whether to hang the clothes on the drying lines under cover, or out on the main garden washing lines.
Other ideas for more play and less housework
I reckon the best thing I can do for my kids is to get them involved in the housework.
That way, they learn what needs to be done; we’re talking the bare essentials in my house.
And it means that many hands have made light work, and we can all get out to do other things.
Or nothing!
Real play also means lying staring at the clouds too, don’t you reckon?
You can sign up to find out more information about Peggy. Just click on: www.omo.com.au/peggy
Do you feel your kids are getting enough real play and play in the great outdoors?
Can you share your own tips on getting the washing out of the way ASAP so the family is free to explore and play?
Happy playtime
Seana x