Tag: play

Year 7 Summer Homework

The importance of play.

A couple of weeks ago Siobhan Sheridan shared this photo on Twitter.

Year 7 summer homework

 

I don’t know if it’s real or a spoof, but this homework grid caught my attention and I’ve decided to adopt it as my own summer homework too. You may think that homework for Year 7 is a little advanced for me, but a lot of this stuff looks like fun, I’m up for the challenge. Some of you may think that homework of any nature, is not fun – that’s fine, I’m not setting this for you – simply sharing it. I’ve completed nine tasks so far (with a little help from Keira) and I’m hoping Siobhan will mark my homework at the end of the holidays.

Since sharing this picture with others myself, one of the pieces of feedback I’m regularly getting is ‘it’s just a bit of fun’. It strikes me that we often use that term in a throw away context, and whilst I’m no fan of trying to force fun on anyone, I think there’s real power in something fun, something playful. I’m grateful to the late Brian Sutton-Smith, a well known play theorist, for coining the term:

“The opposite of play is not work, it’s depression.”

Forgive the oxymoron, but I think we need to take play more seriously.

Connections – by Keira

Earlier in the year I was having a conversation with Keira about making friends and getting stuff done. She scribbled down a few of her thoughts and we agreed they’d make a good blog post somewhere down the line. In the midst of everything I’ve been writing about connections, this seemed a perfect time to hand the reins over to Keira again.

Keira has guest blogged a few times before, previously writing about kindness, love and learning, and I’m pleased she is back again, writing about connections. Thanks Keira.

Even if you’re not very happy, smile at someone else to make their day better, which in turn will help you feel better. What goes around comes around.

An office is just a playground for bigger children.

The people who choose to keep a grudge and a frown are just like the bullies don’t let them dampen your spirits.

If you’re trying something new get a friend to help you. Maybe a colleague after all some of your closest friends could be from work.

It can be a scary experience going to a new work. As I said before, work is like a play ground. It wasn’t a problem for me as I’m a bit of a chatterbox. I made a friend as soon as I opened my mouth, but for some it isn’t as easy.

I enjoyed our conversation at the time and transcribing Keira’s notes across to the blog reminded me of the importance of gathering different perspectives. If you are in an office today, maybe you can find a way to make it feel a little more like a playground?