Tag: creativity

The Wheel of Time

“Can I read you a poem?” my new friend Di asks me just now as our video chat draws to an end. “It’s called Today by Billy Collins. I heard it on the radio earlier this morning and I thought you might like it.”

My heart giggles quietly with joy at being offered a poetry reading by an adult. I can’t, for the life of me, remember the last time this happened.

Meet Dianne Gammage, author of Playful Awakening – Releasing the Gift of Play in Your Life. I first came across Di’s soul-lifting book on play in the summer of 2023. The book resonated with me the moment it crossed my path and I’d been daydreaming about the kind of conversations we’d have over a cup of tea. So I wrote Di an email (I would have written her a letter if that were still fashionable) introducing her to my baby oak tree Querkie and telling her about my PLAY book.

As I move ever closer to completing the manuscript of my next book (next Thursday!), I cherish the many new and profound friendships I’ve made on my personal play adventure. It reminds me of what making true friends was like as a child. A time when I truly played and now that the wheel has turned – I am being invited to play again. And I extend that invitation to you.

You can find Di’s talk about Playful Awakening and play therapy here.

If you’d like to explore ways of experiencing more joy through play in your life – be it at work and/or at home, for you or with your team or with your family – let’s have a chat over a virtual cuppa.

by Categories: Play Now, Play Your LifeTags: , , , ,

Meet You Second Star to the Right

Dear Playmakers,

As this year draws to an end and we stand together on the cusp of a new year, I’d like to thank you for your warm interest, enthusiasm and commitment in leading more playful lives and enabling transformational change for greater good – be it at work, at home or wherever life finds you.

A Wise Owl Looks Back…

This year has been a rollercoaster ride of fun and growth as the Playful Leadership programme launched two brand new courses in the beautiful play space of Ashridge House, inspiration for Hogwarts, in Berkhamsted, UK.

In spring 2023, we cultivated greater emotional awareness and intelligence on Playful Leadership: Rejuvenation which re-connected us with some of our most powerful  inner resources to overcome the challenges we face.

In summer 2023, I splish-splashed with delight with Robert Digings on the subject of play and leadership in his podcast series Highly Relational – that play could not only be an approach to work but a credible and effective leadership approach I call Playful Leadership.

This autumn brought together the highest number of The School of Play’s alumni at a single event, along with new playmakers, as we accompanied one another on our individual journey back to our collective point of origin on Playful Leadership: Origination to increase our creativity by harnessing our passions, skills, wishes and dreams.

This winter we gathered in my home city of Milton Keynes for a 1-day workshop Glow in Prosperity to explore our relationship with giving and taking through techniques for manifesting abundance so it can percolate in different aspects of our lives.

Meet You Second Star to the Right in 2024

To celebrate the new year, we at The School of Play are merrily preparing a whole host of heart-warming and new ways for you to say “Yay!” to more play in 2024.

Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming events by signing up for The School of Play newsletter-blog here.

The Play in Me bows to the Play in You and Those You Are Important To,

Portia

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Year 2022: Play – Make – Do You

What better way to celebrate what some are calling the “year of the new abnormal” by saying “Yay!” to play? You’re cordially invited to Four Seasons of Play, the School of Play’s freshest year-long programme where you’re invited to play, make and, most vitally, do you.

Through the unique practical mashup of the latest play science, psychology, neuroscience and coaching techniques, you’ll feast on fun and purpose towards transformative change, leaving each workshop feeling inspired and resourced to embrace all that 2022 has to offer. For you and those to whom you matter.

Enjoy each workshop as a standalone experience or as a combination of 4 modules in a year-long programme where you’ll learn about true play, innovative ways to cultivate your play intelligence and shift towards a play mindset as the seasons change. Play your cards right and you’ll grow as an individual and as a leader so you can thrive instead of just survive in what some folks are describing as “new abnormal” times.

Celebrate Each Season with Play

There’s no need to go it alone when it comes to creating the change you want to see or turning your dreams into reality. Experience the transformative power of play in the company of true leaders, adults who dare to play.

As American director and actor Orson Welles once said, “If you want a happy ending, that depends on, of course, where you stop your story.” Where will you choose to take your story?

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Laugh in the Face of Fear

Happy Beginnings Start with Proper Endings

Do you sometimes feel stuck in groundhog day in spite of your best intentions? Or perhaps you dream of escaping messy endings and long for better beginnings? According to one school of systemic thinking, the secret to happy beginnings are happy endings. Join us in a laughterful session on the secret to enabling happier beginnings and endings grounded in play science because transformative change happens when we laugh in the face of fear.

Upcoming Workshop: From Halloween to Festive Cheer – Towards Better Beginnings on 15 October 2021

Better prepare for new beginnings by joining us in a playful exploration of the vital themes of beginning, belonging and ending. In this highly interactive workshop you’ll have several chances to play at your edge on professional and personal topics of your choice in order to glean the necessary resources and learnings that make up the foundation of your new beginnings. You’ll be invited to explore core play memories that make up your play history and, in doing so, get the chance to reflect on, restore and resource your playful self. You’ll have the option to work on your own, in small groups as well as the whole group in order to identify and connect with what’s truly vital for you to flourish in your next beginning.

This workshop is part of the Four Seasons of Play 2021 programme. Each workshop can be enjoyed independently or as a combination of modules in a year-long programme where you’ll learn about true play, how to cultivate your play intelligence and shift towards a play mindset as the seasons change. Play your cards right and you’ll grow as a person as well as a leader by becoming more resourceful, resilient and real in these unprecedented and transformative times.

Workshop Takeaways:

  • Play Theory: Play Personalities from Dr. Stuart Brown, Play Learning Cycle by Scott Eberle and the latest play change theory Bobul Mechanics by Portia Tung
  • Systemic principles for enabling healthy relationships from start to finish
  • Increased self-awareness of your relationship with beginnings, belonging and endings
  • A powerful set of additional or renewed resources to create happier endings and beginnings
  • Increased resilience when dealing with professional and personal change.

This workshop is limited to a maximum of 8 participants.

Who would benefit from taking part in this workshop?

The Four Seasons of Play workshops focus on enabling individuals to develop the systemic mindset and skills necessary for an individual to lead effectively – be it yourself, your team, your family or your life. At each workshop, you’ll experience a range of eclectic tools and techniques you are unlikely to have come across before which you could then apply at work and at home.

Where do you sign up?

Join us for a taste of summer and delight your colleagues, family and friends with playful leadership by the seaside. Sign up for the workshop here!

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“I Do Like to Be By the Seaside!”

The Most Playful Place in the World

Does the arrival of spring leave you heady with the prospect of the promise of the sun, sea and sand? That’s because according to the play experts, the most playful place in the world is the beach. Why leave the weather to chance when you can book yourself on an energising and restorative virtual half-day out by the sea while cultivating your creativity and leadership skills in the most playful place in the world?

Upcoming Workshop: Amidst the Sun, Sea and Sand – An Exploration of Your Relationship with Play

Whether you prefer quiet contemplation under a parasol lying on the warm sand or perhaps making the most opulent of sandcastles or taking a plunge in search of sea monsters, join us in this playful exploration of your relationship with play. You’ll have the option to work on your own, in small groups as well as the whole group as we go on a play adventure that will leave you feeling resourced, re-energised and refreshed inside and out along. You’ll take home with you your personalised play profile to keep you playing long after the metaphorical sand has been washed off your toes.

This workshop is part of the Four Seasons of Play 2021 programme. Each workshop can be enjoyed independently or as a combination of modules in a year-long programme where you’ll learn about true play, how to cultivate your play intelligence and shift towards a play mindset as the seasons change. Play your cards right and you’ll grow as a person as well as a leader by becoming more resourceful, resilient and real in these unprecedented and transformative times.

Workshop Takeaways:

  • Play Theory: Play Types, Change Theory and Attachment Theory
  • Increased understanding of your relationship with change
  • A personalised and more detailed play profile of how you like to play
  • Ideas for enabling change in yourself and others, at work and at home
  • Increased play intelligence in yourself and when working with others.

This workshop is limited to a maximum of 8 participants.

Who would benefit from taking part in this workshop?

The Four Seasons of Play workshops focus on enabling individuals to develop the systemic mindset and skills necessary for an individual to lead effectively – be it yourself, your team, your family or your life. At each workshop, you’ll experience a range of eclectic tools and techniques you are unlikely to have come across before which you could then apply at work and at home.

Where do you sign up?

Join us for a taste of summer and delight your colleagues, family and friends with playful leadership by the seaside. Sign up for the workshop here!

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From Nay to Yay to Play

Hip! Hip! Hooray! We’re delighted to announce the first ever online play workshop, From Carpe Diem to Carpe Annum 2021, created by The School of Play is full up and ready to rock.

Thank you to those of you who’ve written to me since the launch of Four Seasons of Play, an online play programme designed to mark, explore and celebrate each season of your life’s play adventure in 2021 in these challenging and interesting times.

Never Say Never

Some of you said: “Thanks, not this time… No, thanks. t’s not really for me… No, thanks but I’ll pass it on for sure.” Never say never, so perhaps tomorrow will be the day to play. Or may be next time. Or the time after that. Play works like a muscle so we never really forget so long as we’ve played in our childhood. It’s like riding a bike, or bowling a ball or skating on ice. The most important step is the first one. In any case, it’s never too late to start. And it’s always a good time to learn.

Learn to Look Beyond Optical Illusions

Then out of the blue, one of you wrote to say, “There’s something about this whole play thing that most people seem to have missed – myself included I’m sorry to say. Yet it attracts me as the missing ingredient to just making all of life wonderful – besides I appreciate it’s less serious than other forms of spiritual enlightenment.” This is what makes my heart sing. And may be it will make yours sing, too – if you allow it.

 Calling All Playmakers and Playmaker-Wannabees

Class of Playful Leadership Foundation I: Summer 2019

If you’re wondering what play pioneers (aka playmakers) look like, take a tour around The School of Play website. I’m hoping it’ll give you a sense of the kind of unadulterated joy that comes from having fun with complete strangers who become seasonal friends. Just imagine what you could do with this kind of energy (and it doesn’t come with any nasty side effects as far I’m aware).

With the weekend just around the corner, how will you choose to play?

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From Carpe Diem to Carpe Annum

Winter Online Workshop on Friday, 29 January 2021 – 13.00 – 17.00 GMT

The hustle and bustle of modern life means that for many of us, play has become a luxury we just don’t have the time, energy nor ideas to do anymore. Without enough true play in our daily lives, we become trapped in a vicious cycle of low energy, low creativity, low resilience, low hope and low growth.

Here’s your chance to re-invigorate your new year’s resolutions (or throw away the already old ones and replace them with even newer ones!) in an unexpectedly fun, friendly and productive way. You’ll have the option to work on your own, in small groups as well as the whole group on a range of playful and thought-provoking activities and learn a smattering of fundamental play theories such as the Play Cycle and the theory of Multiple Intelligences to enable you to translate your dreams and wishes into tangible goals. Then you’ll create a master plan you can start to action right away to make 2021 a year to remember. 

Workshop Takeaways:

  • Play Theory: The Play Cycle and Multiple Intelligences
  • A personalised basic play profile of how you like to play
  • Fresh thinking and insights on yourself and your dreams, wishes and goals
  • Your personalised plan for 2021
  • A personalised and robust strategy on how to achieve your chosen goals for 2021.

This workshop is limited to a maximum of 8 participants.

Who would benefit from taking part in this workshop?

The Four Seasons of Play workshops focus on enabling individuals to develop the systemic mindset and skills necessary for an individual to lead effectively – be it yourself, your team, your family or your life. At each workshop, you’ll experience a range of eclectic tools and techniques you are unlikely to have come across before which you could then apply at work and at home.

What past participants say about this workshop:

  • “Probably the most fun I’ve ever had in planning for a new year!”
  • “It didn’t feel like the usual drudgery that comes with planning… I had so much fun planning it felt like cheating!”
  • “It brought me so much joy just looking at the plan… And I really enjoyed working through the plan over the course of the year!”
  • “The planning approach is so useful, I’ll be using it to plan for the next new year!”

Find out more abou the workshop here. We look forward to learning and growing together through the power of play!

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