oty Archives • Licketyspit

Porridge & Play Children Say Hey!

lickspit — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 11:28:00 +0000

Welcome to the Porridge & Play Online blog, where we share the stories of all the adventures
we’ve had during our virtual play sessions on Zoom! Get in touch to find out how to join.

Children take the lead!

Last Saturday we were delighted to take part in the Refugee Festival. 10 of our Lickety Storyplay Champion Children led a Porridge & Play Taster session online with 8 new families!

Saturday 19th June 2021

8 brilliant Storyplay Champions led a session for 7 brand new families as part of Refugee Festival Scotland – sharing their play culture!

The Storyplay Champions planned the session with Taz & Ruby at consultation and prep sessions. During Thursday’s prep, Storyplay Champions Mahek, Emmanuel, Felicia, Agyei, Gyan and Princess were fabulously creative working through the plan. We also had our wonderful Parent Storyplay Champion, Lawon, Princess’s Mum, supporting the session.

At the start, our Storyplay Champions had mixed emotions among the group, with some of us super excited about sharing our games and the way we play together but others among us a little bit worried. Emmanuel put his point across excellently, saying “it’s a bit scary, but I’ll give it a shot.” And give it a shot they all did! Before you knew it our super Storyplay champions gave amazing speeches and lead the warm-up and games so well that we were filled with confidence & excitement for Saturday!

We could not wait to introduce 8 new families to the Licketyspit community. As expected, our Storyplay Champions did an excellent job so naturally so that the Saturday session started strongly. It was amazing to see Mahek lead the Hello Freeze and explaining how we start our sessions. She them supported Andre to teach Grandma Grandma before confidently leading the group in a repeat of the whole song!

We could not be prouder of how well our play champion Emmanuel explained to the rest of the families what we do at Licketyspit and how we play, welcoming everyone and making both the new and existing families feel welcome.

Felicia expertly led the dancing warm-up and stretch with such energy and enthusiasm that everyone could not help but join in and take turns to offer different dance moves to the great music chosen by the children. Felicia was thrilled to lead the dance!

Funky Chicken was a real hit, introduced by Areeb and Sarim who led the first two animals. We got to hear from everyone, including all the new families -Raajaab gave us the Happy Bunny, Genesis gave us the Funny Chicken, Rahik the Funny sheep. Gyan and Agyie joined and did a brilliant Dying Fly to finish which was hilarious!

Dressing Up, Rocket Ships & Our Lickety Band

Princess introduced Lickety Dressing-Up showing us how to make everyday items into new and exciting costume ideas – turning her pillow into a big tummy as an example. Then everyone dressed up brilliantly along to the music, becoming incredible princesses, ninjas, rap stars, superheroes, and many other spectacular characters living in wonderful places and eating all sorts of things. Arishyan’s character lived in a rocket – so we all climbed on board and it blasted us off to space…..and back again – just in time for drum-making.

Taking what we’d learned from our Ceilidh session with Amy & Adie, Felicia inspired us with her Shaker. Then everyone made instruments out of things we found around the house, like leftover boxes and a spoon, to make a band! Mahek showed how to make a shaker using rice and a plastic tub. Emmanuel made a drum using a cardboard box & wooden spoons. We created a beat with our array of home-made instruments and sang Grandma Grandma again as the Lickety Band!

Emmanuel, Mahek and Princess introduced Reflective drawing, explaining why and how we do it. And everyone drew & shared fantastic drawings in the Lickety Art Gallery.

We described how we felt, which games we liked and what we remembered about the session. The Storyplay Champions lead us in the Magic Clap, teaching the new families how to do it at exactly the same moment!

What a session!

We were so proud of our Storyplay Champions and how well they led this session. Big congratulations and thanks to them all! We may not have all been confident at the start, but we certainly all were by the end. Everyone was beaming with joy with Princess expressing gleefully how we felt at the end saying, “I felt happy and excited because I meet new people and I was very, very happy to be a play champion.” What a wonderful speeches and two more fantastic raps from Aygie and Gyan!

The session had a lovely atmosphere, with children hosting, being hosted by and welcomed by children. There was a fantastic focus and a high level of participation. There was excitement and interest from the children running it!

The new families were enthralled! The children leading were very proud of themselves, confident and excited. I am proud to have been a part of this wonderful child led session and well done all!

By the Andre, Virginia, Iona & the Storyplay Champion Children!

Tell us what you thought!

Refugee Festival Lickety Gallery!

Margaret & Margaret at the Museum!

We’re very excited to tell you that Margaret & Margaret will soon be visiting the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, for a Licketyspit adventure!

Keep your eyes peeled for more on this over the coming weeks.

State of Children’s Rights Report 2021

Our friends at Together are putting together their 2021 report on the state of children’s rights in Scotland. Together is a charity that protects children’s human rights and their report will say what the Scottish Government, public authorities like the council & schools and other organisations need to do to uphold and protect them too!

You can find their survey for children here (the questions are on pages 6-9).

And you can send your answers as writing, drawings, stories, photos and videos to info@togetherscotland.org.uk.

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All the things we can still do while we’re at home!

lickspit — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 09:56:11 +0000

As the restrictions around coronavirus continue, we know that many families may be feeling frustrated, stressed, or worried. We know it’s a difficult time, so we wanted to remind you of all the things we CAN still do at the moment, even when we might not be able to play with all of our friends or family. There are so many ways to keep using our imagination and creativity at home! Reading, writing, making, dancing, singing, drawing… and PLAYING!

Get cooking, exploring and making!

When the lockdown first started, we made some Lickety Activity Films which were specially designed to show you simple, fun, creative and cheap activities that you could do at home as a family – alongside your friendly Lickety hosts! Taz, Jack and Iona each guide you through a fun activity or on a special adventure – which you can follow along with at home! You can either watch and do the activities along with us, or use them to inspire your own ideas!

Why not…
Think of another recipe you could cook with the same ingredients, after watching Cooking with Taz?
Research one of the ingredients online and find out more about it?
Plant a tree using the seeds from some fruit, after making a delicious fruit salad or zingy lemonade?
Close your eyes, take out your Magic Map, and see where it takes you! You can go anywhere in the WORLD with your Magic Map. Why not draw or write about the things you saw afterwards?
Think of what else you could make with… a plastic bottle? A plastic bag? A newspaper? Some netting from a bag of oranges? Toilet rolls?

See all the Activity Films!

Use your IMAGINATION!

Every Saturday, here at Licketyspit we all get together and go on an adventure – which you’re all invited to from home, of course! During our Big Porridge and Play Online sessions (on Zoom) we do fun warm-up exercises, play games, sing songs, and go on adventures all just by using our imaginations! But the fun doesn’t need to stop there – you can still use your imagination after the video has stopped to be anyone, go anywhere or do anything!

Why not…
Close your eyes, take out your imaginary Magic Ball, and see where it takes you! You can go ANYWHERE with your Magic Ball. Another planet, under the sea, the Eiffel tower, a scary forest, inside a ball of wool… Afterwards, draw a picture of what you saw!
Collect some small objects from around your house or garden and make your own Miniature World from them! What would it look like? Who would live there?
Write a poem about what you’d like to do if you could do ANYTHING in the world
Find some old clothes, hats or scarves… and dress up as a new character! What’s your name and what do you do? You can be anyone at all!
Make up a performance about something you really care about, then make a video of it!
Write a story about you and your best friends where you go on an adventure

Learning some new games and songs!

Our Lickety Playcards are a pack of colourful, illustrated cards featuring a selection of new and traditional games, rhymes, songs and imaginary play activities for 3-12s and their families. We use these ALL the time in our play sessions, not only because they are tried-and-tested activities that children seem to love, but because they’re brilliant at inspiring FURTHER play – creative writing, making up songs and performances, drawing, or making up new characters! Once you’ve got them, the possibilities are endless!

Why not…
Watch our Lickety Playcards videos showing you how to play some of the games and sing the songs!
Get a set of Playcards for your family to use together! You can buy the full set of 16 online for just £10
We also have a limited number of Playcards packs to offer to families who may not be able to afford them. If you could be eligible please do drop us a line at cfn@licketyspit.com or call 07413 800 342

Find out more!

Immerse yourself in a brilliant story!

Molly Whuppie is a play by Licketyspit about BRAVERY – and you can now watch it online! Based on a traditional Scottish tale, the story follows a bold and brave wee girl called Molly who finds herself on a great adventure. As she journeys through a forest, meeting giants and kings, she soon realises that nothing is what it seems, and that she is braver and cleverer than she ever imagined…

Why not…
Molly Whuppie is spread over 12 gripping episodes of just 5-6 minutes each, so why not sit down to watch an episode each day as a family? Everyone will be desperate to know what happens next to brave wee Molly! You could even draw a picture of what she gets up to in each one, or write a story guessing what might happen next!

Come on an adventure with Molly!

Coronavirus, Explained – for children!

Keep smiling, keep creating, and keep PLAYING!

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Over To You #4: Exploring and Making!

lickspit — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 10:59:07 +0000

We’ve loved seeing all the imaginative things you’ve been up to over the summer holidays.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has sent us their drawings, poems, stories, videos and photos so far. What amazing things you’ve created from your own imaginations! We’ve had families making their own cookery videos, so they can teach others delicious recipes from their culture. We’ve gone on exciting adventures to some far-away places thanks to our fantastic tour guide (see below!). We’ve listened to poems about lockdown and what it has meant for you. We’ve marvelled at your new recipes for refreshing drinks, sock puppets, paper unicorns, people made from fruit, butterflies made from buttons…

For our final Over To You blog, we’re sharing some more responses to our Exploring with Jack and Making with Iona videos. You can see all of the pictures in our Family Lockdown Album on Facebook, or take a look at our past blog posts.

Please, keep them coming in! Email your photos and videos to cfn@licketyspit.com and we’ll share them with the world.

This week’s highlights…

Exploring with Zainab!

She’s taken us to Nigeria – now our tour guide Zainab is back, and we’re going to Tanzania! Enjoy traditional dance and music in the state of Zanzibar , watch out for that leopard and other big cats in the Ngorogoro national park, and fly up Mount Kilimanjaro!

Below, we have:

Some fantastic paper unicorns and a colourful butterfly made by Emmanuel and Gabby
A salt dough turtle made by Ryan, who also sent the instructions so you can make your own!
Pet fish made from cutting up old milk bottles, made by Frankie and Zofia – here’s how to make your own!

If you’d like to submit yours, please email it to cfn@licketyspit.com!
In the meantime, you can see ALL of the Lockdown photos so far on Facebook.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Connect and Create: online activities for all the family

From 17th August to 25th September, City of Sanctuary are hosting a range of online activity sessions for children and parents, providing a space for people to (virtually!) get together, feel part of a community, and enjoy a range of stimulating, creative classes. There are so many choose from, including filmmaking and meditation – all free of charge, and open to everyone. Why not take a look for yourself and register for one as a family? If you have any trouble joining or have any questions, you can contact City of Sanctuary on 07854 261 787. Enjoy!

View the full programme of events
Register for events

Keep in touch!

If you’d like to join our Children and Families Network and receive our e-flyer with all the latest news, updates and pictures – including news of our next imaginative play sessions on Zoom – please do one of the following:

Email cfn@licketyspit.com
Text 07413 800 342
Sign up at bit.ly/CFNSignUpForm

The post Over To You #4: Exploring and Making! appeared first on Licketyspit.

Over To You #3: Cooking!

lickspit — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 12:44:01 +0000

For the next few weeks, we’re handing things over to you!

As many of you will know, after our Zoom play sessions, and at the end of our Activity Films, we always ask people to share drawings, poems, stories, videos and photos of their creations. Well – the response so far has been incredible! We’ve been overjoyed by the photos and videos we’ve received from children and families in our network over the past few weeks, so we’re sharing all of the imaginative, creative, funny, delicious-looking things on our channels – on our website, but also Facebook, Twitter and our e-flyer.

This week, we’re celebrating all of the wonderful responses we’ve been sent to our Cooking with Taz videos (part of our Activity Films series). From making up new, super colourful fruity concoctions – inspired by Taz’s lemonade – to sharing favourite recipes to cook at home, we’ve been so impressed with what members of the Children and Families Network have been up to in their kitchens.

Please, keep them coming in! Email your photos and videos to cfn@licketyspit.com and we’ll share them with the world.

This week’s highlights…

We were thrilled to receive this video from Bimbo and her daughter Toby, sharing one of their favourite recipes to make at home: Coconut Rice. The Licketyspit team couldn’t wait to try it – and we can confirm it’s absolutely delicious! Thank you to Bimbo and Toby for sharing a slice of their life with us.

How about a homemade chicken pie to go with your coconut rice?! The family put together this inventive video, in which Ope (9) takes us through his family’s favourite recipe for delicious chicken pies, which you can follow along from home. We hope you’ll have a go at making some!

Inspired by Taz’s recipe for delicious homemade lemonade, Piyanshu made up this recipe for a Watermelon Mojito – and we’re so grateful that he wrote it down and sent it to us, as it means everyone in the Children and Families Network can have a go from home! Fruity, colourful, refreshing, delicious, and really easy to make – perfect!

Below, we have:

Luigia and Gaia’s beautifully-presented lemonade, which they made by following Taz’s recipe
Another fruity drink from Piyanshu, this time made from blending up some delicious mangoes
Piyanshu also decorated this piggy cake – yum!

If you’d like to submit yours, please email it to cfn@licketyspit.com! In the meantime, you can see ALL of the Lockdown photos so far on Facebook.

Keep in touch!

Email cfn@licketyspit.com
Text 07413 800 342
Sign up at bit.ly/CFNSignUpForm

The post Over To You #3: Cooking! appeared first on Licketyspit.

Over To You #2: Poetry and performance!

lickspit — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 10:41:29 +0000

For the next few weeks, we’re handing things over to you!

This week we’re celebrating all of the fantastic POEMS and PERFORMANCES we’ve been sent! The great thing about making up poems or plays is that you can make them about absolutely ANYTHING that pops in to your mind. Also, you don’t need anything other than your imagination! Of course, you might want to grab a pencil and a notepad if you want to write it down, or perhaps if you have access to a camera you could make your own little film?!

What would you write about?

This week’s highlights…

Lickety Leader Erin (7) came up with TWO inventive poems during the lockdown period. This first one is inspired by her feelings about the lockdown. Children are so articulate – they must never be underestimated, and it’s vital that we listen to what they have to say. Scroll down to read her brother Ethan’s poem!

Lickety Leader Erin’s poem about her relationship with Licketyspit, and the things she’s enjoyed most about the time we’ve spent together during lockdown.

“Hospitality means? Niceness!” Hospitality means? Kindness!” We were overjoyed to receive this hilarious video from Zainab, Taiwo and Ope about the Licketyspit Playcards after joining our Big Porridge & Play Online sessions! The playcards are available from our website, and we also have a limited number of free packs that we can offer to eligible families who join us for our Big Porridge & Play online sessions. Read more here

Below, we have:

A clever acrostic poem about Licketyspit by Emmanuel (9) and Boatemma
A written poem by Lickety Leader Ethan (5) about his experience of lockdown

If you’d like to submit yours, please email it to cfn@licketyspit.com! In the meantime, you can see ALL of the Lockdown photos so far on Facebook.

Keep in touch!

Email cfn@licketyspit.com
Text 07413 800 342
Sign up at bit.ly/CFNSignUpForm

The post Over To You #2: Poetry and performance! appeared first on Licketyspit.

Over to you #1

lickspit — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:41:12 +0000

Over the next few weeks, we’re handing things over to you!

As many of you will know, after our Zoom play sessions, and at the end of our Activity Films, we always ask people to share drawings, poems, stories, videos and photos of their creations. Well – the response so far has been incredible! We’ve been overjoyed by the photos and videos we’ve received from children and families in our network over the past few weeks, so we’re going to be sharing all of the imaginative, creative, funny, delicious-looking things on our channels – on our website, but also Facebook, Twitter and our e-flyer.

Below are just some of the #cfncreations we’ve received so far. We’ll share more over the coming weeks, but in the meantime, you can see ALL of the photos on Facebook.

This week’s highlights…

Our featured video this week is something very special indeed – a trip to NIGERIA with Lickety Leader Zainab! Grab your Magic Map and join your wonderful guide as she takes us to Zuma rock, Lagos’s Tarkwa Bay, the Yankari Nature Reserve… and watch out for that African elephant! We’re truly thrilled that Zainab has been inspired to make her own exploring video – and, as you’ll discover, she has more adventures in mind… Watch this space!

Below, we have:

An acrostic poem about Licketyspit by Emmanuel (9) and Boatemma
A drawing by Aliya, inspired by the adventures we’ve had on Zoom
A Licketyspit collage, by Fifi, Basmalah (11) and Islam (12)
A fantastic FRUIT collage from Franky (7), Zofia (4) and their mum Andzelika, (inspired by the Jelly On His Head Lickety Playcard!)
Drawings and images sent in from Zainab, Anaoya, Presley and Priscilla

Keep in touch!

Email cfn@licketyspit.com
Text 07413 800 342
Sign up at bit.ly/CFNSignUpForm

The post Over to you #1 appeared first on Licketyspit.