We have now been running play club regularly during term time since January. The first sessions were fully booked very quickly so in mid February we introduced a second session which has also proved very popular. The sessions are planned by different members of the team for two weeks at a time so the activities and equipment used change. Some examples are shown in the parents We have utilised cardboard tubes for posting activities and cardboard boxes for den building. The feedback from parents attending has been very positive - Most families have highlighted the main benefit being the opportunity for the children to mix with other children learning social skills as they play. Such opportunities have been denied these children during the pandemic and there has been much in the news on the impact of this on their learning and development. Families have also said that having a 'space' to engage and play has been so important too. One parent explained she lived with her child in a very small flat and he had had nowhere to play, except in the park, which in the winter wasn't always possible. The funding has enabled us to add some soft play equipment to use at Play Club
Play Club has finally started and so far is proving very popular with local families. Numbers are restricted in line with the Covid safety plan.
Aims
There is a huge demand for under-fives activities in the Chipping Barnet area. We already run a variety of activities for under-fives, but as a result of the pandemic capacity at our story, rhyme and craft activities has been severely reduced. We really want to add the Play Club to our programme to add another opportunity. We also run nothing that is specifically designed to provide physical and exploratory play opportunities and we are well aware of the importance of learning through discovery and free play.
We are also aware that there is virtually nothing available in Barnet for families with children under five who have additional needs. We plan to research whether specifically targeting this group would meet a bigger need.
Ideally, we would like to run several sessions once the room is set up. However, coronavirus safety measures currently prevent us from doing this as we need to quarantine or clean the play equipment in between sessions. We will start with offering one session per week and eventually move to running more. We already have a range of play equipment, including play tunnels and tents, stepping stones, giant bricks and small world play, so the team has decided that we would like to spend the £500 grant on Items to encourage physical play as follows (if we can’t get a discount we will make up the slight overspend ourselves)
Soft Play Ring set £370.00 (first purchase) Buy Playring Pocket and Mirror Trail 8pcs | TTS (tts-group.co.uk)
2 x folding gymnastics tumble mats at £71.48 each = £142.96 (subsequent Purchase) Buy Folding Gymnastics Tumble Mat | TTS (tts-group.co.uk)
This additional equipment would add to what we have already and enable us to set up a play area which will encourage both fine and gross motor skill development as well as providing opportunities to explore. For example, we would set up a stepping stone trail to a large cardboard box den with a range of everyday items in it to explore. From the den a trail of stepping stones would lead to the new soft play equipment we will buy and some soft balls. And so on…
Covid safety plan
A detailed Covid Risk assessment for Face-to-face family events in libraries already exists. The following is a summary of the actions we will take to mitigate risks in line with this Risk assessment
Numbers to be limited to 10 children in the play session
Parents and Carers in the play session to be encouraged to wear face coverings and use hand sanitizer.
Play session equipment to be cleaned with antibacterial wipes and not used again for 48 hours.
Publicity/ Booking system to request anyone who has tested positive, is showing symptoms or who lives with anyone who has tested positive to cancel booking.
Team running sessions requested to carry out lateral flow tests regularly, sanitize hands regularly and wear face covering, when running the session.
Action Plan
Action When Who
Identify Target 31/10/21audience (Children with additional needs) 31/10/21 Team
Identify start date and time of play sessions 31/10/21 Team
Identify regularity of sessions 31/10/21 Team
Buy Equipment required with £350 from Change X (subject to receipt of funds) 31/10/21 SG
Determine Booking system for sessions to control numbers to comply with Covid Safety plan 31/10/21 Team
Set up Booking system 5/11/21 TL/JJ
Develop communications plan 5/11/21 Team
Advertise sessions to target audience 15/11/21 Team
Start Play Club 30/11/21 Team
Review progress 31/12/21 Team
The above is all subject to Covid restrictions in our libraries being removed in October.
