open

Currently 4 Small World Theatre staff are doing extra training for qualifications in

OPEN ACCESS PLAY

Open Access Play - a definition

Open Access play provision can be permanent or short-term provision, located in a variety of settings with or without premises including play centres, adventure playgrounds, play schemes and parks. Whilst the term Open Access applies to registered provision for children under 8 years, such provision usually caters for a wide age range of children, including those over 7 years.

The purpose of the provision is to provide staffed play opportunities for children in the absence of their parents. Children are not restricted in their movements, other than where related to safety matters and are not prevented from coming and going as and when they wish. Children have the freedom of choice as to what range of play activity they wish to undertake and with whom they play.

The Welsh Assembly Government defines play as behavior which is: freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated and performed for no external goal or reward. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas and interests, in their own way for their own reasons.

Prior to the 1989 Children Act staffed play provision was staffed play provision. As a consequence of the implementation of the Act play provision for children under 8 years became defined by the level care provided and play provision generally became described as open access provision.

As a result of the confusion with respect to play and child care, Open Access is often used incorrectly to also describe play provision that is un-staffed. But the term Open Access only applies to the level of care provided to children within a staffed setting.

Play Wales believes that in Wales the UNCRC Article 31 should be upheld and that as a right children's access to provision should not be determined by ability to pay and that there should be no other entry conditions other than these pertaining to safety and welfare of self and others.

Currently we are at Golwg Y Castell in Cardigan 28th March and 25th April 2009 about 10.30am till 3 pm . The sessions here will be in the spirit and practice of Open Access Play. These play events are in the mode of compensatory play. Open access principles are applied and we provide an environment compensating for the perceived lack of natural spontaneous play that was more a feature of growing up pre X box

Scroll down for pictures and information on our pre open access events that were great fun and had spectacular attendance and participation

Were at Poppit Beach 14th Au 2008. 11 till 3. Tidal jewelry, free running, obstacle course, beach combing + more

21st Arts play. Climbing Everest. Yeti hunting , blueberries. Bring our walking sticks and flags we made. No sandals or flip flops. 11am -3pm

( Preseli mountains. Grid ref SN 165 330 ) Phone about transport if needed

We all constructed a gateway to the underworld.
Heard and told stories of local Mythology in Fynnone woods.

Also after Danger Training in the woods we had great outdoor fun building rope and log bridges, collecting free food from the hedgerows and woods and building a camp fire to cook on
This happened Tues 1st April 2008 11am. till 3pm.

A few days later on Fri 4th April. 11am. till 3pm. we made and sailed toy wooden boats around Netpool on the river in Cardigan and carried out a consensus design process to plan the next sessions of with the participants.

On 13th of Feb there was a play, arts day at Quaker Hall Penparcau Aberystwyth featuring a dynamic combination of paper airplanes, origami, Juggling . and again on the 15th Feb. at Cilgerran Wild Life Park Featuring loads of fun & games in the woods, tracking real and imaginary animals & other activities.

Bring a packed lunch ( double buffalo and tomato with mayo)

Other past events below

Arts Play With Small World Theatre. Workshops for young people in The Integrated Children's Centre , Cardigan, West Wales, have been a great success

The trails at Cilgerran Wild Life Park came alive with the dead or so it seemed for the 100 or so people who followed our walking performance around the darkening woods. This site specific event came to it's dramatic conclusion in the overgrown bat quarry next to the river Teifi. Three guided walks encountered the many scary sequences that 40 young children had constructed and secreted in trees, glades, shrubs and outcrops of slate.

Small World Theatre dressed the quarry and lit it with giant stars to reveal UV ghosts, a giant flying Dragon, a 3 metre Eel monster and finally the 4 metre Bat woman, Mali. The tenuous story was drawn from local myth and the imagination of the Small World team. The puzzling story was played against the stunning natural backdrop and a musical " mashed" version of Danse Macabre. Hopefully we will have pictures soon if we can gather some. We could not take any pictures as the whole team was so busy animating this scene 3 times during the evening for audience groups of over 30 people a show.

Other team members were out of the county on another gig making Halloween lamps.

Two events happened at Net pool Cardigan and the next on Poppit Beach, 28th August 2007 The first was drum and yogophone making also the continuation of weaving the storytelling chair as well as juggling, balancing and diablo workshops.

Here are some pictures of the dinosaur racing, maze and labyrinth running, jam and bread making.

The next session on 24 July at Netpool Cardigan was a fantastic sunny summers day , WOW. So having the bicycle powered smoothie making machine with loads of fresh fruit was a blessing. We made Dinosaur hobby horses so next time on the beach we can have dinosaur races as suggested by participants at the last session.

And of course the pirate costumes were made and the treasure hunt ensued after the tale of Barty Ddu was told from the storytelling chair by Bill

Tom Bean set the clues and Anna Rose helped create the map and paint the treasure chest, Bill managed to make the treasure chest look ancient by adding old bits of furniture to it.