The Parakeet Studio

Childhood Conservation firstly recognises a shared image of the child. This concept of the ‘image of the child’ recognises that the ideas that teachers, parents and adults hold about children and childhood are created by the societies in which they live: ideas and conceptualisations of children and childhood are social, cultural, political and historical constructions. As Childhood Conservationists we must agree that our image of the child is, as rich in potential, strong, powerful, competent, and connected to adults and other children. That children have rights and that we affirm each child’s right to play and rest, to be listened to, treated with respect, and participate in daily decisions that affect them. We respect and acknowledge that children are key protagonists in their own lives. As childhood conservationists we reflect on what children need to thrive and practice preserving those areas that have been lost or are threatened. We protect the play frames of children and make spaces and places for children to play in their neighbourhoods and communities. We strive to understand play through the lens of Playwork and are in turn guided by the Playwork principles. We reject the idea of school readiness and the neoliberal adoption of ages and stages that limits the potential of children and instead rewards them for compliance and denies them their character. Do you see yourself as a childhood conservationist? What else could define us and who wants badges? 😉

Lovely to get a mention in the current edition of the Boston’ News from @creativeblackcountry 🤩 Thank you for your support and shout out to the brilliant babs in the pictures 🥰 Read the interview at the link in the bio 👍

Hello and Welcome new followers. I am Amy and I’m the founder of @_parakeet_studio 🦜 I’ve worked with children and young people my whole career. I have an MA in Early Years (Education) from @crecuk I have set up an arts-based early years setting, run children’s arts festivals and put together lots of play-centred short and longer term projects in neighbourhoods and communities in Birmingham and Sandwell. I am also an OPAL Mentor working with Kaleigh and Ruth @opalwestmids in the midlands to improve play for children in primary school. I really love seeing the impact of OPAL on the whole school, the energy of hundreds of happy children, really is life affirming! I grew up in rural mid-wales, as a child, I played outdoors in the wild elements of rural Mid Wales until either it was going dark or my tummy was rumbling. My favourite type of play as a child was to make potions and concoctions and as part of our work I set up community mud kitchens in neighbourhoods that want to become more child-friendly. I think we need to create many more spaces for children to play in our communities outside of fixed equipment in parks and soft play centres! I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on the skills that I picked up through my childhood play and how they have served me growing up and in my career in the arts, education and social justice. I can definitely attribute a sense of resilience, being able to come back from knock-backs, a flexibility to change paths, creativity, curiosity and a sense playfulness, seeing the funny things in life. I’m married to @gavin.campbell the handy hands and vision for our mud kitchens and together we have three children Theo, 10 Remy 7 and Reuben 6. My mum @clarevioletmartin is also in on the action and hand-makes many of our art/play resources from felt and fabric. Thanks for following along, I’d love to hear about you!

“Playgroup!”

It’s no small undertaking to create an environment where 400+ children can truly play everyday.. An environment where there isn’t a scarcity of resources causing conflict, where there is sufficient challenge for both the youngest and oldest children. Where children can encounter risk, learn to assess it, mitigate it, and manage it for themselves. An environment where adults are consistent in upholding agreements that have been developed alongside the children themselves. Where children take ownership by litter picking and tidying up after every play session. Where bump notes reduce from 10 a day to 6 a week because children are more engaged, more aware, and more capable. Children building, creating, imagining, negotiating relationships, and navigating challenges on their own terms. This is what happens when play is valued. This is what happens when schools trust children. This is what happens in an OPAL school. If we want children who are resilient, creative, collaborative and confident, then we must create environments that allow them to become exactly that. Follow @outdoorplayandlearning for all the info 🙌

An affordance is the way an environment or object calls to a child.
The silent invitation which compels the child toward a particular form of play. A long echoing corridor invites running.
A slope invites rolling.
A low wall invites balancing.
Loose sticks invite sword fights, den building, stirring mud, drawing maps in dirt.
A puddle rarely asks to be stepped around. James J. Gibson, who coined the term, described affordances as what the environment “offers the animal, what it provides or furnishes.” The important thing is that children do not encounter environments as neutral scenery. They perceive them as fields of possibility. Adults often see a hill.
Children see speed. Adults see a gap.
Children see jumping distance. Adults see risk.
Children see a test. Good play environments are rich in affordances because they whisper constantly to the child: climb this, hide here, carry that, chase them, invent something. When every object has a single intended use, the conversation between child and environment becomes thin. The best play spaces do not instruct children what to do.
They tempt them.

We had marvellous families join us at #parakeetplaygroup on Friday - thank you for coming 🥰

We’ve got 3 more weekly #ParakeetPlaygroup sessions before we move to monthly sessions from June 12th 🌿 Sessions are £7.50 or £13 for siblings, and we offer a free place at each session for families on low or no income. To book, visit: /parakeet

I wonder what was happening here…. #evidenceofplay #opalplay

We wanted to share an update about our playgroup. Over the past months, we’ve been working hard to secure funding to keep sessions running weekly and affordable. Unfortunately, we haven’t been successful, and as things stand, we’ve been personally subsidising the playgroup to keep it going. To make sure we can continue offering something meaningful and sustainable, we’re making a change from June. Playgroup will run monthly, on every second Friday, and the cost per session will be £8.50. While this is a shift, it also gives us the chance to make each session feel more special. We’ll be introducing richer play experiences such as clay, woodwork, and construction activities, creating something a bit more immersive for children and families. We really value this community and want to keep it going in a way that’s realistic and still joyful. Thank you for your understanding and continued support — it genuinely means a lot. More details and booking information will follow soon 💛 Weekly sessions continue in May and switch to monthly in June 🦜

Amazing play everyday - @outdoorplayandlearning @opalwestmids 🙌 @fibbersleypark 🫶🏻

Here’s some of the tree swings I’ve seen at @outdoorplayandlearning schools this week! Have you got the potential for tree swings, mud slides, scooter tracks and messy kitchens at your school? OPAL makes this and much more possible by supporting schools to develop a plan for play, through our mentor supported school improvement programme - get in touch @opalwestmids 🏁