The success of the Let Grow Play event at the Child Wellbeing Centre has been instrumental in encouraging staff to look towards the reestablishment of a Baby and Toddler Group.
Our second Let Grow Play Club was a real success. Following on from a live interview on a local radio station we used links in the local and wider community to promote the event across a range of social media platforms. Photographs taken on the day were then shared accordingly and a short video compiled and shared on the Lets Play Monaghan Facebook page.
Often previous events hosted at the Child Wellbeing Centre were poorly attended.
However, despite initial reservations, we were delighted to see a large number of the local community attend with children ranging in age from 2 weeks to 9 years old.
Parents and grandparents commented how nice it was to have an event for all ages in one area and noted they would be keen to return to future events at the location.
A wide range of activities were made available both indoor and outdoor. The loose parts/arts and crafts were very popular giving the children the opportunity to freely choose what they would like to create. Once again the dressing up (we had got most of this from charity shops) was enjoyed by many as too were the sports equipment activities. A range of sensory play activities including water, sand, treasure baskets, sound and vision experiences were used particularly by the babies in attendance. A great day was had by all!
The importance of play in supporting early child development is widely recognised and championed. Many parents are not aware of the benefits play contributes to their child's growth, learning, development and wellbeing, many others are unsure of how to initiate simple play experiences with their child. The Let Grow Play Club would allow those in the local community with a specific interest in and experience working with young children the opportunity to provide supported, meaningful play experiences where both the child and parent engage together.
Let Grow Play Club Castleblayney
ACTION PLAN
Let Grow Play Club Castleblayney is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 21st September 2022 3.30 -5.30pm in the grounds of the Child Wellbeing Centre, Castleblayney. We have chosen the Child Wellbeing Centre as our location as it has facilitated similar events in the past and offers sufficient open space for free play provision. We will be targeting this event at the families that live in the town and surrounding rural areas.
The team met to organise an action plan and set targets for the event. They will meet again prior to the event and have a follow up meeting afterwards in order to carry out an evaluation.
Ideas for suggested activities have been gained from engaging with children in the local area. During the initial team meeting a proposal was made to form a Children’s Committee. We aim to have this established before the event and will have the children create promotional posters for same.
Our goal is to provide a play opportunity for 50 children on the day of the event with the aim being to increase the availability of free play experiences for children, heighten awareness of parents of the benefits of free play experiences and to allow them to be actively involved in this with their children.
We are working in collaboration with a range of organisations and therefore have access to large scale equipment for older children. Therefore it was decided that the majority of our budget will be used to purchase sensory play resources that both older and younger children can utilise.
We will be providing the following:
Large Garden Games (Jenga & Connect 4)
Loose Parts
Arts & Crafts
Paint
Skipping
Ball Games, bats, frisbies
Den Building
Sensory Play
A Covid 19 safety plan will be in place which will reflect local and Government guidelines at the time of the event. Sanitiser stations will be provided to keep everyone involved safe.
