Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative August 2022 Newsletter

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View this email in your browser The Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative Encourages You to #PlayWithYourFood! Hello! When I think about #PlayWithYourFood, I am reminded of how as a child, my brother and I were excessively messy eaters. In fact, when we would go to our grandparents’ house for Sunday dinner, my Grandpap insisted on laying a tarp down under our highchairs so the floor could avoid the inevitable assault of our descending food crumbs, bits, and medium-sized morsels. The tarp was playful– it had a cartoon baby all over it contorting its face into various, wacky expressions. There’s an abundance of lost photographs of my brother’s grinning face plastered with pasta and sauce or cake and icing after chowing down, using his fingers as fleshy utensils.  I think about how we were given a lot of food freedom: the opportunity to grab our cuisine between our phalanges, feel it, engage it with as many senses as we could unconsciously muster before finally settling on taste, then digesting it. These days, my brother and I are not picky eaters. We’ll try anything, if given the opportunity. When kids get the chance to play with their food, they get to know what they’re eating, and there’s less to be fearful of when it comes time to munch on it. Image of Adam’s brother, Josh, circa 1999 Were you a particularly messy eater? The photo above showcases my dear brother and his effort to munch a cupcake while simultaneously striking a pose and giving the camera a vogue, living in the moment while pretending to be an airplane, or performing his favorite part of the classic wedding song – “The Chicken Dance.” The look on his face fills me with joy, and the layer of icing and cake clinging to his face and fingers simply tickles my heartstrings. My brother has since grown out of his messy eater habits, (as have I) and he’s enjoying authentic German cuisine right now! (He’s a German teacher in Rhode Island in his routine life, but presently he is in the business of visiting Cologne in preparation for a trip he’ll take his students on next year). Those I know who were experimental, messy, and unafraid of making mistakes with their eating process and style at one point or another in life grew up to do great things. It’s just culinary curiosity, it’s just seasoned sensory stimulation, it's just part of becoming who you are. So, for sweet potato sake, #PlayWithYourFood!  - Adam James, Assistant Director, Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative Welcome Our Newest Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative Partners! The Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative is a group of organizations dedicated to advancing the importance of play in the lives of children, families and communities in the Pittsburgh region. Today, we would like to acknowledge and welcome the newest members of the Collaborative! Wesley Family Services Foster Grandparent Program and Premier Chess, we’re glad to be working alongside you to promote play! Thank you for all you do for the community, and we can’t wait to collaborate with you! Meet Our New Members What Are Our Playful Partners Up To? - Open Field, Justin Forzano Did you know there was a day in August dedicated to celebrating global play? One of our partners threw a soccer and science bash to celebrate for more than 75 refugee youth in Crafton Heights and Northview Heights. Have you heard of Open Field? It’s an organization whose mission is to improve the lives and futures of youth through sport. Meet Justin Forzano, Open Field’s Founder and CEO. Justin told us about what he and his organization did for Global Day of Play 2022.  Discover More About Open Field Become Part of Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative If you’re interested in joining the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, please contact us at playfulpgh@tryingtogether.org, or fill out this form and our Assistant Director, Adam James will contact you! Contact Us #PlayWithYourFood Resources Tasting new and different food and finding food items we love eating is a major part of our everyday lives from early childhood through senior adulthood, wouldn’t you say? Playing with your food as a child has many developmental and learning benefits. As a parent or caregiver, incorporating playful tendencies while preparing or eating meals with children can help with “picky eating,” and generally provide more openness to new and different tastes and textures. Children can also learn important life skill lessons, such as counting, decision-making, and organization. Find More Resources "Play is Learning” Interview w/ Emily Neff of Trying Together Trying Together was recently featured on an episode of the Voices for the Voiceless: The Student Experience podcast. In this episode titled “Play is Learning,” Emily Neff, Director of Public Policy for Trying Together, discusses the achievement gap in early childhood education, resources for teachers, and the importance of play for children today. Listen Here #PlayTrend: Playful Outdoor Spaces Playfulness and play can trend just like any hashtag on social media. This month, we’re focusing on giving you the trendiest outdoor play space insights. Maybe your local playground already incorporates some of these elements, but we're passing along the hippest recommendations of our favorite places in town where you can find some of these fun and interactive trends in action. (Just wait until you get a chance to check out the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy activity sheets!) Show and tell us why you love your playground destination! Tag us on social media with #PlayTrend next time you engage with any of these trending pieces of equipment, or make your own #PlayTrend by showing us the thing on the playground you love to have fun with most. Discover More Trends Upcoming Playful Events and Activities Local programming from Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative partners Featured Event: Remake Learning’s Big Remake Bash Thursday, 9/15 | 6:30 - 9 p.m. Join Remake Learning for a celebration 15 years in the making that’s rooted in the practices of igniting, engaging, relevant, and equitable learning experiences for young people throughout the greater Pittsburgh region. There will be a creative, interactive program that will take place at the New Hazlett Theater on Thursday September 15th from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a celebratory reception with food and drink in the Museum Lab next door until 9 p.m. It’s bound to be a great time. We’d be remiss to not mention that APOST, The Mentoring Partnership, and Trying Together are co-hosting a Pre-Bash Happy Hour from 4:30 - 6 p.m. at the National Aviary in honor of Remake Learning’s 15th anniversary. Come meet, mingle, celebrate, and enjoy free food and drinks with us! Learn More & Register Additional Events In Pittsburgh  Asian Lantern Festival, Selected dates through 10/30 | 10:30 p.m. Children’s Museum End of Summer Block Party, Saturday, 9/3 | 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Story Saturday: Many Shapes of Clay, Saturday 9/10 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Family Day in Allegheny Commons Park, Sunday, 9/18 | 1 - 3 p.m. Junior Great Race, Saturday, 9/24 | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Story Time - Schenley Park, Fridays in September: 9/2 | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 9/9 | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.  9/23 | 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Movie Night in Schenley Plaza, Saturday, 9/24 | 6:30 - 10 p.m. Find More September Events #PlayfulReads How Are You Peeling by Saxton Freymann & Joost Elffers (Audio-visual Reading, YouTube) 8 New Children’s Books that Celebrate Food Diversity (Food52) Why Kids Have Imaginary Friends — and What it Means (TODAY) Introducing Your Kids to Rock Climbing (Active For Life) Moving Our Bodies Hub (Sesame Street In Communities) #ProfessionalDevelopment Nature Based Programs Thrive with Planning, Documentation, and Family Engagement, Wednesday, 9/14 | 2:00 p.m. (ECE Investigations) RECORDING: Playful Learning, Not Play vs. Learning in Preschool: How Play Fosters Cognitive Development, by Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek (ECE Investigations) PRESENTATION: The Science of Playful Learning (HiMama, ECE Blog) Other Playful Resources  Unstructured, Longer Play Time Called Key to Early Learning (K12Dive.com) The Simple Joy of Climbing Trees (Active For Life) How Movement and Gestures Can Improve Student Learning (KQED) The Power of Play-Based Learning (Edutopia) Share Your Playful Events with the Collaborative Thank you to all our partners who submitted their playful events happening around the city. Are you interested in promoting your event through Playful Pittsburgh’s Newsletter, website, and social media? We’d love to help you spread the word about your upcoming event! Simply visit the link to our Event Submission Form, and we’ll take care of the rest. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to send them our way via email playfulpgh@tryingtogether.org. We’d love to hear from you, and, per usual, we’d be happy to help! Submit Your Event Request Play Materials Interested in learning more about, discovering, and borrowing some of Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative’s oversized games and interactive equipment? Make your next event more amazing than usual through the incorporation of fun, engaging activities for folks of any age! We have updated our borrowing form! You’ll discover new games, equipment, and signage to help make your event playful and fun for everyone. We refreshed our playbox sets as well! We’re excited to help you make your next event the best, most playful one yet! Don’t delay, submit your game borrow request today! Borrow Play Equipment "If music be the food of love, play on." –  William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night Copyright © 2022 Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to hear the latest news from the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative. Our mailing address is: Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative c/o Trying Together  5604 Solway Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 For questions, contact: Adam James Zahren/ Assistant Director  (412) 421-3889 unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences   forward this email