Outcomes Archives • Licketyspit https://www.licketyspit.com/category/happening-now-prof/outcomes/ Firing childrens imaginations Wed, 02 Apr 2025 23:55:22 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.1 https://www.licketyspit.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-top-right-logo-32x32.jpg Outcomes Archives • Licketyspit https://www.licketyspit.com/category/happening-now-prof/outcomes/ 32 32 143557081 Storyplay Festival 2024! https://www.licketyspit.com/storyplayfestival-13-07-24/ Mon, 15 Jul 2024 14:25:48 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=16496 Find out what we all got up to at the Storyplay Festival 2024 at the Children's Wood! Saturday 13th July Sunshine, Storyplay & a Family of Families! Our second ever Storyplay Festival was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who came. It was a beautiful day and didn’t [...]

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Find out what we all got up to at the Storyplay Festival 2024 at the Children’s Wood!

Saturday 13th July

Sunshine, Storyplay & a Family of Families!

Our second ever Storyplay Festival was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who came. It was a beautiful day and didn’t rain until the festival ended – lucky us!

In the morning, the Licketyspit team met at the Children’s Wood and quickly set-up for the festival. It took a lot of effort, but it was so worth it! Not long after we set up, we had the pleasure to welcome families from Bridgeton, Castlemilk, Cranhill, Maryhill & Govan as well as our families who join us for Licketyspit Online! We hosted over 125 people who all have one thing in common – they all love Storyplay!

The families arrived and we created an enormous circle and got started! To warm-up, we did the biggest ‘Big As A Bear’ I’ve ever seen! But we weren’t warm enough because then we did a massive Dancing Warm-up! The energy was high and so before we split up, we sang ‘Ickerickeroo’.

After some Storyplay as a huge group, we blew up our balloons and flew to our hub dens. We had families from 7 hubs, but for the festival we combined them into 5 – Bridgeton, Cranhill, Maryhill, Online & Govan and Castlemilk & Whiteinch. Each hub had their own actor-pedagogue who helped the group decorate their own space in the wood! Other hubs travelled around the wood visiting the other hubs dens! The other families were so happy to meet each other and play together! We also had a craft area which included arts & crafts materials as well as a dressing up space and a wishing tree! We had some lovely wishes, fantastic characters and a lot of artists making some incredible things!

The families played together then were treated to a delicious picnic! Since it’s our big Licketyspit celebration, we went all out with the food! We had samosas, pakoras, pasta salad, potato salad, jollof rice, Nigerian masa (bread balls made from rice) with a spinach dip, hummus, tzatziki, cheese, bread and a huge selection of fruit! It was so tasty, and we saw a lot of happy faces and a lot of full bellies!

Once everyone was fed, we got together again in a big circle to play a legendary game of the Funky Chicken! It was so funny and we had so many amazing suggestions from children and their grown-ups! We then played What’s the Time Mr. Wolf then we did the Magic Clap.

Thanks again to everyone who came. It was a wonderful day and we had so much fun in the Children’s Wood. We have some photos from the event but Eoin (The Capturing Cameraman) has loads more for us. We will share them with you all very soon. Until then, enjoy your holiday!

Lots of love,

Virginia, Steven, Taz, Andre, Sarah, Cami, Ruby, Iona, Paul, Colette & Catherine!

Come & Play!

There’s lots of ideas and activities to get you playing at home. Try our interactive videos! Including…

  • Making with Iona
  • Cooking with Taz
  • Exploring with Jack
  • Funky Chicken
  • Grandma Grandma

and many more!

What’s Happening?

Find out more about what’s happening at Licketyspit by clicking on the button.

Volunteer with us

We have some Lickety Mums who volunteer at our Porridge & Play sessions as Storyplay Champions.

If you would like to find out more about Storyplay Champion training and volunteering, click on this button or get in touch with us on cfn@licketyspit.com

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]]> 16496 International Play Association Conference https://www.licketyspit.com/ipa2023/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 11:35:50 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=14708 Storyplay Champions rock the IPA Conference 8th June 2023 We were so proud of our 13 Storyplay Champion children & mums showing the world what children can do at the International Play Association Conference! Earlier this month they joined Taz, Andre, Ruby and myself and represented the whole Licketyspit Children & [...]

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Storyplay Champions rock the IPA Conference
8th June 2023

We were so proud of our 13 Storyplay Champion children & mums showing the world what children can do at the International Play Association Conference!

Earlier this month they joined Taz, Andre, Ruby and myself and represented the whole Licketyspit Children & Families Network at the IPA conference.

The power of play, human connection and creativity improves our lives and we really felt that reverberate around the 500 strong conference hall as we kicked the day off with some Storyplay.

Mahek, Fiire, Simmi, Pemi, William, Fatima, Ibrahim, Sam, Shawn, Desire and Lexi led the whole conference in the Funky Chicken! They showed delegates how we like to dress up, and then invited them on an adventure in the Magic Ball! Imagine, 500 people on a Storyplay adventure together – led by the children!

After that it was up to the Lantern Room for a more intimate Storyplay session where delegates joined in with Witches Fingers and Grandma Grandma as well as dressing up themselves and diving into the sea on another adventure, whoooooosh!

The afternoon was spent picnicking, playing and interviewing delegates about how they like to play, their homes and their views on children’s rights.
Big thanks to all the delegates from far and near who engaged with the children and families on this very special day.

A playful intervention from Licketyspit Children at IPA Conference 23

The Children’s Views

“I felt famous!”

“I felt loved!”

“I felt happy and excited and good!”

“I felt popular!”

The Children’s Interviews

“Play should be free!”

Pauline at Fare Scotland

“It’s important that adults teach kids games and share cultural games. All adults should play!”

Chris at Children in Scotland

“Playing is a place for smiling and loving!”

Alex from Canada

Favourite game is to play swimming in the river, likes to play piano, reading books, likes to play board games with his family”

Junko from Japan

Favourite animals are monkeys and elephants. Loves to play tennis and games with family

Jean from Scotland

“Teaching adults is fun” Feels as if time stops, nothing can bother him, he thinks adults should play.

Philippe from the UNHCR

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]]> 14708 Licketyspit’s Annual Report 2022/23 https://www.licketyspit.com/ar22-23/ Tue, 30 May 2023 09:18:58 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=14607 25th May 2023 Presenting Licketyspit's 2022/23 Annual Report! We had a fantastic year working on lots of brilliant projects with wonderful families and partners. This included innovative training & co-delivery with Scottish Women's Aid, establishing new Porridge & Play hubs in Bridgeton, Castlemilk & Cranhill and getting back to in person sessions [...]

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25th May 2023

Presenting Licketyspit’s 2022/23 Annual Report!

We had a fantastic year working on lots of brilliant projects with wonderful families and partners. This included innovative training & co-delivery with Scottish Women’s Aid, establishing new Porridge & Play hubs in Bridgeton, Castlemilk & Cranhill and getting back to in person sessions in some of our other communities. Highlights included:

This report also includes a summary of our 2021/22 activity, as we were so busy last year we didn’t manage to publish a report! Many of our projects spanned both years, some of the distinct 2021/22 activities were:

Virginia, our Artistic Director, said:

“Licketyspit has been very busy over the last few years and we are grateful to the funders who have allowed us to break new ground training Women’s Aid Workers and establishing new Porridge & Play Hubs, staying connected with our online community and taking Storyplay as a children’s rights approach to new heights and possibilities.

“We hope you will enjoy this summary of Licketyspit’s adventures and discoveries in our 2022 Annual Report.”

Virginia Radcliffe, Artistic Director/CEO
Download our Annual Report

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]]> 14607 New film demonstrates the power of Porridge & Play https://www.licketyspit.com/bppg-filmand2023/ Mon, 27 Mar 2023 07:00:18 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=14268 Monday 27th March Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund, Licketyspit’s Porridge & Play sessions will be back in 6 Glasgow communities and online for 2023/24. Now in its 7th year, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow will take place in Govan, Maryhill, Whiteinch and online, as well as in Bridgeton, Castlemilk & [...]

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Monday 27th March

Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund, Licketyspit’s Porridge & Play sessions will be back in 6 Glasgow communities and online for 2023/24.

Now in its 7th year, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow will take place in Govan, Maryhill, Whiteinch and online, as well as in Bridgeton, Castlemilk & Cranhill. The east end and Castlemilk groups were started last year as part of the Scottish Government’s New Scots Integration Strategy, and the Lottery have stepped up to fund their continuation.

Children and parents highlight the positive impact the sessions have on their confidence, mental health and wellbeing, relationships and sense of belonging, as well as children’s learning and development.

“When I come here I feel like you can be you and feel free and you can laugh.” 6 year old, Porridge & Play Castlemilk

Scroll down to watch the new film!

“First week we came they were very shy but now very good. We all really enjoy this. I have met new friends, our language is better because of this”

Mum of 7- and 4-year-olds, Porridge & Play Cranhill

“Like nothing else we do. Great early drama/improvisation. Lots of imagination. Inclusive and child led!”

Mum of 4- and 2-year-olds, Porridge & Play Whiteinch

“You won’t be alone here. I’ll be your friend”

7-year-old, Porridge & Play Cranhill

“Don’t know where we’d be without this. No-ones judging, there’s lots of acceptance, feel like we’re being brought into the community.”

Parent, Porridge & Play Ruchill

We are very grateful to our funder!

“We’re really thrilled to be able to continue providing Storyplay opportunities for families in these communities, where we have built relationships over several years.

“Porridge & Play brings out the best in our common humanity – the generosity and capacity of people to support and inspire one another, overcoming language barriers, celebrating each other’s ideas and putting children’s rights at the heart of inclusive communities.

“And then there are the stories! The collective creativity at Porridge & Play is something to behold. Once you’ve taken the Magic Ball to the moon and fed a friendly alien together, that conversation over a bowl of soup flows much more easily, and friendships blossom.

Virginia Radcliffe, Artistic Director Licketyspit

“We’re delighted to support Licketyspit as they bring together families across Glasgow with their Big Porridge & Play.

“The testimonials from those taking part show how the imaginary play sessions have a positive effect on parents and children’s mental health, confidence and relationships.National Lottery players can be very proud that they are helping to support this vital work which will help make a difference to so many families.”

Kate Still, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair

Watch the 2022 film!

We hope you agree that play is the language of children.

You definitely will after watching Helen McCrorie’s film!

The new 20 minute film about Big Porridge & Play Glasgow year six is out now. ‘Scottish Storyplay sessions empower and connect children’ opens a window into our family play sessions last year in Govan, Ruchill and Whiteinch.

It was brilliant to be back in these communities after our online sessions during the pandemic. Some of the families filmed in Ruchill are from our online cohort, which still meets for Storyplay on Zoom.

Helen McCrorie’s film about explores how Porridge & Play magnifies children’s voices and supports multicultural groups of families to play and imagine together.

The project has been running since 2017, with Zoom since 2020 keeping families going through the pandemic.

“Before she was shy, now she stands before the crowd!” Mum of 6-year-old, Porridge & Play Online

You can also watch the trailer here.

“I’ve always believed in the proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. Porridge & Play creates that village. And with poverty and division on the rise with the cost of living crisis and harsh anti-immigration policies, creating that village for our children is more important than ever.”

Virginia Radcliffe, Artistic Director Licketyspit

Want to take part?

2023 will see the Licketyspit team deliver after school and weekend Porridge & Play in community partner venues and online, as well exciting Picnic & Play trips to outdoor, arts and cultural spaces over the summer holidays.

Local families with 3-8 year olds can take part in the sessions which include Storyplay games, rhymes, songs, dressing up & imaginary play, a healthy and nutritious communal meal and shared reflective drawing. Older and younger siblings can also attend.

To sign up or find out the details of Porridge & Play in each community, and access Licketyspit’s other free creative learning activities, click here.

New families can join Licketyspit’s 900-strong Children & Families Network – www.licketyspit.com/join

Register your interest

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]]> 14268 An Out of This World Variety Show https://www.licketyspit.com/splay-23-6/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 12:12:04 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=14202 Welcome to the Porridge & Play Online blog where we share our stories and adventures! Saturday 11th March 2023 Fabulous Producer and her partner in show Top Hat Producer were in need of some fresh, innovative, entertaining and inspiring acts for their Variety Show. Everyone knows that what makes a [...]

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Welcome to the Porridge & Play Online blog where we share our stories and adventures!

Saturday 11th March 2023

Fabulous Producer and her partner in show Top Hat Producer were in need of some fresh, innovative, entertaining and inspiring acts for their Variety Show. Everyone knows that what makes a Variety Show really, really good is to have various different acts that can entertain and make audiences happy and that can show to the world the hilarity and ingenuity of the different artists!.

‘But Our Variety Show is getting tired and old. We haven’t had new acts for quite some time now, partner.’

‘We need new talent!’

‘Well, have you heard of the Licketyspit Saturday Pals? I hear very good things! They seem to be a very creative and playful bunch…. Let’s put a call out for Variety Acts to them!’

The Licketyspit Saturday pals did not disappoint and attended the Call Out in droves!

The most exquisite costumes were created for the occasion and some brilliant acts were waiting to burst out and amaze the Theatre Producers…

‘Welcome y’all! It is fabulous to be here and hopefully it will also be fabulous to see and like your acts because…we really need some fresh material!’

‘Thanks for coming. Now…let’s begin. First up is…Muizza Madame Singer, please!’

‘Hello, I’m Madame Singer and I sing and dance. I sing Lullaby songs’.

‘I dance to Beat Box music,’ Fire The Dancer immediately started dropping a beat and jumping around!

Pemi The Magician Of Magic managed to make a toy turn into an animal and Aliya The Footballer performed impossible football tricks!

Esther, Goodness & Glory Rock Stars had formed a fantastic music band with guitar, percussion and singing.

Ameen The Puppeteer performed a scene with his sock puppets and his partner Amir The Fortune Teller told the Theatre Producers they had a bright future ahead of them.

’We are gonna be STARS’ whispered Fabulous Producer to Top Hat Producer.

Victoria The Musical Kid played her latest song on her guitar and Fikayo The Singing Grandma sang accompanied by Temi The Viola Playing Grandpa.

Muhammed The Mind Reader guessed that Top Hat Producer was precisely thinking ‘pinneaple’ and Fabulous Producer was precisely thinking ‘chocolate’. And his Amazing Assistant Adeelah who can juggle while balancing an octopus on her head did precisely that! She juggled oranges while balancing a huge octopus on her head!

Fabulous & Top Hat were speechless. But only for like 5 seconds.

‘Y’all are AMAZING but there’s a final test we have to put to you.’

The best ever round of In The Way Of The Word ensued!

The Licketyspit Saturday Pals are such experts at play that this became the most hilarious game ever showcasing phenomenal miming skills and solid guessing qualities!

‘You are all HIRED! We are going to tour the most amazing Variety Show the world has ever seen!’

Top Hat & Fabulous were happy as Larry and the Licketyspit Saturday Pals did once more have a brilliant Saturday morning improvising and imagining.

By Taz, Andre, Sarah & the Saturday Pals

Storyplay City was funded by Glasgow Communities fund 2020-23

The Lickety Art Gallery!

We opened our Licketyspit Art Gallery for a stunning collection of drawings shared by talented artists with a lot to say.

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]]> 14202 A year of Storyplay! https://www.licketyspit.com/pp-cranhill-b3week4/ Thu, 06 Oct 2022 11:55:25 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=13280 Find all of Porridge & Play Cranhill's adventures here! Blog posts are written by Effie! Celebrating Block 3 Thursday 25th August & Thursday 1st September Our last couple of weeks of Porridge & Play Cranhill were wonderful! We learnt so many new games and songs so it was really hard [...]

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Find all of Porridge & Play Cranhill’s adventures here!

Blog posts are written by Effie!

Celebrating Block 3

Thursday 25th August & Thursday 1st September

Our last couple of weeks of Porridge & Play Cranhill were wonderful!

We learnt so many new games and songs so it was really hard to choose what to share at the Storyplay Festival.

Before we even started one session some of us were playing Chiri Udi Kan Uda together!

We decided the first game we’d share at the Festival was going to be Willy, Willy, Willy, Willy Oh. Everyone got a chance to say Change your Style or Stay Like That, like Beauty had taught us and there was so much laughter as we tried to trick each other into moving when they weren’t supposed to. A

fter that we brought back some of our amazing dance moves from the warm up for a game of Disco Tag! Genesis and Tiwani were so fast it wasn’t long before most of the room was dancing on the spot hoping that someone would come and dance with them to set them free! 

Then Shiva chose to play Shaylin’s game Trees and again everyone was having so much fun creeping slowly and even if they got caught moving, it was just as much fun to try and catch someone else moving as it was to do the creeping. We love games where every part of the game is fun and no-one ‘loses’. 

In week 4 we worked together to create our very own Cranhill song and it goes like this: 

Thank you all for being part of a wonderful year of Storyplay in Cranhill!

This project was funded by the New Scots Integration Strategy (including EU and Scottish Government funding).

We will be seeking funding in order to continue some activities at the Porridge & Play Cranhill hub in 2o23.

So stay in touch and remember, in our imaginations we can be anyone, do anything, go anywhere!

Team Licketyspit

More Cranhill Playcards!

In Partnership With

Porridge & Play Castlemilk is a New Scots Integration Project by Licketyspit, in collaboration with Indigo Childcare.

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]]> 13280 We Are ALLSCOTS!! https://www.licketyspit.com/pp-castlemilk-b3week5/ Mon, 05 Sep 2022 14:14:54 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=13169 Porridge & Play Castlemilk is back! Find out what the Castlemilk group get up to in their Porridge & Play Hub adventures each week! Block 3 is all about YOU! We are getting ready to make our AllScot Playcards which will be inspired by all your games and Stories. The AllScot Playcards will be on [...]

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Porridge & Play Castlemilk is back! Find out what the Castlemilk group get up to in their Porridge & Play Hub adventures each week! Block 3 is all about YOU! We are getting ready to make our AllScot Playcards which will be inspired by all your games and Stories. The AllScot Playcards will be on display at our Storyplay Festival which will be happening on Saturday September 17th!

Find all of Porridge & Play Castlemilk’s adventures here!

Blog posts are written by Sarah!

Block 3 Week 5 of Porridge & Play Castlemilk

Wednesday 17th August

It was so exciting to hear The Ice Cream Has All Gone again this week. This rhyme was created by everyone at Porridge & Play Castlemilk and this week we made up the actions. How divine!

Hadir had remembered lots of the words and everyone helped with creating the actions to help us all remember it. We all had different animal actions for going to the zoo, we went on a train and Melissa gave us the Choo Choo move. Hadir had us floating after we’d all been rowing in the boat and then we started to sink!  Yahye had us jumping up and down for Bubblegum & Lime ice cream!

We played The Circle Game and Khadar was ‘It’- he was so fast at catching! We talked about how we could make the game even better and decided that it would be good if every time someone goes out, we make sure to shuffle the circle of clothes in a little more. We also thought we could try it without a protector.

When we talked about Zombie Tag, Hadir suggested we could also have Vampires in this game who can turn other people into Vampires who run around with their capes flying out behind them. Isn’t it interesting how you can add different elements to a game like this and really put your own stamp on it? It’s a great reminder that you can take any Playcard and make it your own. Maybe we can sing can Grandma Grandma in Monster’s Footsteps? Or what if in our Magic Ball adventure we took off in our Flying Balloons?! In our imagination the possibilities are endless!

What other new twists can you come up with?

When we got to the Licketyspit Art Gallery, we were all treated to an array of hugely creative artworks to illustrate our ALLSCOT Playcards. We had Hadir’s vampire and zombie picture for Zombie Tag and Avery had her whole family in her picture with the zombies tagging her dad who was also a zombie! Arwa illustrated her sister’s game, Balls, and showed a hand reaching in for one of the numbers and people saying stand and dance or jump. Khadar described Wooden Man perfectly with very clear instructions on how to play the game and Celine, Yang and Lewis drew Mother Hen with the Owl and the children running round and round.

Freya’s illustration was for The Circle Game and looked so bright, colourful and unique! And Yahye drew his favourite, This Way Valerie!

It has been so lovely discovering games from all around the world! At Porridge & Play Castlemilk we celebrate what makes us different, what brings us together and how that no matter what part of the world you are from, play can bring people together to laugh and celebrate the world!

Play is universal, freeing and liberating and it is fundamental to shaping who we are and who we grow to be. Children and adults both benefit from play. Your ALLSCOT Playcards will go on to influence play for the future generation to come! Unlocking the limitless potential of Porridge & Play Castlemilk’s legacy of love, safety, inclusion, diversity and welcome!

After all, we are ALLSCOTS here!

Blog by Sarah

(with Andre, Rhianne, Ruby & Porridge & Play Castlemilk)

THE LICKETYSPIT ART GALLERY!!

In Partnership With

Porridge & Play Castlemilk is a New Scots Integration Project by Licketyspit, in collaboration with Indigo Childcare.

 What is happening in block 3 for Porridge & Play Castlemilk?

After such exciting trips out we are venturing back to our hub this July and August and will be coming together to create our new AllScot Playcards!

These Playcards will already be like the existing Licketyspit ones, but will be created with the games you play and played as children, and new ones we make up together! You’ll be able to see them – and play them –  at our Storyplay Festival on Saturday 17th September!

Storyplay Festival!

P.s. we’re holding our FIRST EVER Storyplay Festival on Saturday 17th September!!

For families with 3-8 year olds (older/younger siblings welcome).

Let us know if you’re planning to come by emailing cfn@licketyspit.com.

We’re coming!

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]]> 13169 Storyplay Champions at Making Rights Real Event! https://www.licketyspit.com/makerightsreal/ Mon, 15 Aug 2022 13:48:34 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=12878 Have Your Say Through Play is a children’s human rights-based, fun way to support children under-twelve to explore and share their thoughts, feelings and ideas through Lickety Playcard Play. This project was first developed with our Children & Families Network in September 2020, as a way to consult children about the Covid-19 pandemic. Everyone's Children invited [...]

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Have Your Say Through Play is a children’s human rights-based, fun way to support children under-twelve to explore and share their thoughts, feelings and ideas through Lickety Playcard Play.

This project was first developed with our Children & Families Network in September 2020, as a way to consult children about the Covid-19 pandemic. Everyone’s Children invited us to join them and have our Storyplay Champions show just how have Have Your Say Through Play works!

Tuesday 21st June

We had a really fantastic time at the recent Making Rights Real Event online! Our Storyplay Champions led a fantastic 20 minute session where we demonstrated how we can ‘Have our SAY through PLAY!’

 We went on a Magic Ball adventure to an underwater school! There we met Professor Seal (Taz) who told us that a new student was joining the school very soon and needed the children to come up with ideas for ways to make them feel welcome and happy, because children know what children need!

 Professor Seal asked some questions…

 What could we do to make a new student feel welcome at a new school?’

‘They might need support and food. Maybe after school we could play with them or take them to the park, because we have the right to play and we could be their friends!’ – Fish Felicia

 ‘We could sing them a song!’ – Dolphin Fiire

 ‘Happy Day, Happy Day, Happy Day, Happy Day!’ – Dolphin Fiire & Pufferfish Pemi

 OR

 ‘Welcome to your new school, you are welcome, to your new school! Everyone will be kind to you! Welcome welcome to your new school! – Swordfish Abdullah

 ‘We could make them a map of the area so they could learn how to get around.’ – Dolphin Fiire

 What could we do if the new student didn’t speak the same language as us?

 ‘Maybe we could learn to speak a bit of their language!’ – Fish Felicia

‘We could learn some of their language and they learn some of our language and so we know both languages!!’ – Swordfish Abdullah

 And what about afterschool?

‘Maybe after school we could show them around, you know if we invited them to our place we could play, it would be really nice to show them things so they know their way to school and back home!’ – Dolphin Fiire

 It was a brilliant way of demonstrating how we can talk about life and rights in an imaginative, playful way. Thanks so much for having us!

Blog by Iona, Taz, Virginia and our Storyplay Champion Children!

GCVS Blog about the event

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]]> 12878 Training Women’s Aid workers in Storyplay https://www.licketyspit.com/womens-aid-blog-1/ https://www.licketyspit.com/womens-aid-blog-1/#comments Fri, 17 Dec 2021 15:36:38 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=10796 17th December 2021 In 2020, Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) approached Licketyspit to explore a collaboration: ‘When I heard more about Licketyspit all I could think about was how few tools we’ve had (in WA) based on joy and play and love and excitement and art and music and all of the [...]

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17th December 2021

In 2020, Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) approached Licketyspit to explore a collaboration: ‘When I heard more about Licketyspit all I could think about was how few tools we’ve had (in WA) based on joy and play and love and excitement and art and music and all of the thing to allow us to express emotions and not only get them out but also share them in a really meaningful way with the people we love.’ Marsha Scott CEO SWA

In Feb 2021 Licketyspit introduced Storyplay to 30+ Women’s Aid Workers – who immediately understood how they could use this imaginary play-based approach and methodology – “(Storyplay is) a great way to create empathy and connect with a child …who may be unable to understand their feelings & responses / (of) helping Mums and children build a shared experience and address difficult issues” Women’s Aid Workers Feb ’21

SWA approached Scottish Government to support an innovative collaboration between Scottish Women’ Aid and Licketyspit. Last week the first Women’s Aid workers –from Wigtown to Shetland – completed an intensive 5-week online Licketyspit Storyplay Training programme – with flying colours!

Storyplay is not as easy as it looks. Learning to facilitate it is to embark on a journey of learning, self-reflection and bold experiment! The WA workers all described a similar experience, initially feeling out of their comfort zone, nervous and self-conscious, then increasingly relaxing and gaining in confidence. ‘At the beginning of the sessions I felt really quite scared… But I think we’ve all just coped really well with it. It’s really nice to see everybody’s confidence growing’. WA Storyplay Trainee’21

Taking play seriously in theory, as increasingly children & family professionals do, is different from being asked to play as an adult in practice, with your peers, and make it a core part of your engagement with children. Storyplay – which is often ‘silly’ & hilarious –  can at first feel counter-intuitive as your ‘job’. Storyplay training demands reconnecting with your ‘playful self’, revisiting memories of childhood play, learning to relax and take risks, immersing yourself in shared improvisations where you can “be anyone, go anywhere do anything!” while simultaneously unpacking how Storyplay works and what experiencing it can mean.

Storyplay is a rigorous practice. Facilitators need strong foundations. Few adult professionals other than actors are required to learn scripts! But word-perfect play-scripts, songs and rhythms free the Storyplay facilitator to read the room and attend to the multiple needs of a diverse intergenerational group, to think on their feet and adapt, for only then does this work become, as it consistently does, utterly irresistible and foolproof.

But Storyplay is a powerful deeply human emotionally engaged way of people being together which is as therapeutic to learn to lead as it is to experience –‘I think it’s just such an untapped thing we have like, playing and breathing and…it’s such an untapped resource we don’t use!’  WA Storyplay Trainee’21

‘I think you can really go into your imagination and you can go anywhere with it, there’s no limits!’  WA Storyplay Trainee’21

Storyplay is anchored in reciprocity, equality, fairness. The idea that everyone is creative and has something equally great to bring to the ‘game’. Our rock-solid belief is that we all need what children need – to know we are seen, heard, valued and included. Everyone wants and needs to play because playing with others is essentially about belonging – to your family, your community, society. The feelings we experience through Storyplay are real feelings! We are free to relax and enjoy being and exploring ourselves and our amazing collective imaginations.

The value of intergenerational drama-led play or as we call it – Storyplay – is not yet fully recognised. What we see happening among the parents & children we play with, is that in a safe nurturing inclusive space, we can enable Storyplay to be a catalyst for all of our participants to overcome barriers to full participation, to relax and  increasingly nurture themselves and each other; to build their self-esteem, confidence, social skills and strengthen their relationships.

As actor-pedagogues, we know that everyone wants to be included and storyplay with us – even when it might appear otherwise. ‘Play’ as a word and an activity is not given enough weight as a therapeutic tool away from the world of therapists. Many adults have let themselves be persuaded they are not ‘creative’ or ‘good’ at drama. But when we talk about children’s rights and needs and accept how vital play is for every child, we must surely enable and support every children’s professional – and parent – to become a Play Expert. The wonderful thing is that this is easily within all of our reach. We adults have all been children! Storyplay is about reconnecting with our playful selves. And like exercising a muscle – it’s about practice.

‘I felt lucky, happy, grateful and energised!  Also, couldn’t help thinking about future possibilities.’ Women’s Aid Storyplay Trainee ’21

Block Two Women’s Aid Storyplay starts in January when WASP Trainees working alongside Licketyspit actor-pedagogues will begin the first Storyplay deliveries with parents & children and a new co-hort of Women’s Aid workers will begin to train in Storyplay!

Find out more about Licketyspit in our 2020/21 Annual Report

Family Page

Click below to go to the family page about Storyplay online sessions with Women’s Aid and Licketyspit.

Your Storyplay Champions!

‘If we can have so much fun with what we got it’s gonna be so fantastic to bring this out for the women and children who we support because I think that’s what they need in their lives’ 

WA Storyplay Trainee 2021

‘The most significant thing I’ve taken from working with Women’s Aid is that given the right support, guidance and encouragement – Storyplay truly holds magic for everyone, whatever their background, age or life experience.’

Iona Zajac, Lead Actor Pedagogue Dec 2021
‘Through sheer empathy, understanding and will, they have allowed their playfulness to take a front seat. And what a joy to bear witness to it!…. I cannot wait …to play and share this joy not only with the courageous WA women, but with the children and grown-ups they know, support and care about.’
Itxaso Moreno, Lead Actor-Pedagogue 2021
‘When I was a kid in school I founded quite hard to play with other children …I think if I could have gone to Licketyspit sessions when I was a kid it would have really helped ….I just think that’s such a wonderful kind of gift that you (Women’s Aid groups) are going to be passing on to others …to find that playfulness and to find that joy and get in touch with themselves and others.’
Hilde McKenna, Actor-Pedagogue 2021

‘Marsha (CEO SWA), I can only begin to tell you how amazing this has been & how bold, funny, hard-working and insightful we have found your workers. Really willing to push themselves beyond their comfort zone to work in a totally new way. It’s been an absolute joy to work with them see them grow & develop and relax & absorb Storyplay. To have people doing such serious work taking play this seriously is both radical and exciting.’ 

Virginia Radcliffe, Actor-Pedagogue 2021

Read a blog from Big Porridge & Play Online:

Porridge & Play ONLINE goes SPOOKY!!

November 5th, 2025|Comments Off on Porridge & Play ONLINE goes SPOOKY!!

Welcome to the Big Porridge & Play Online 2025 blog where we share our stories and adventures! Halloween is hands down one of our favourite times of the Year as we [...]

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]]> https://www.licketyspit.com/womens-aid-blog-1/feed/ 1 10796 Stories of Resilience https://www.licketyspit.com/stories-of-resilience/ Mon, 25 Oct 2021 08:49:08 +0000 https://www.licketyspit.com/?p=10197 25th October 2021 This autumn, we were delighted to make a film about Porridge & Play Online as one of 13 Stories of Resilience commissioned by Refugee Action. Working on Zoom has produced a wealth of wonderful video clips of Porridge & Play Online throughout the Pandemic. Lead Actor-pedagogue, Iona Zajac, was able to cherry-pick from [...]

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25th October 2021

This autumn, we were delighted to make a film about Porridge & Play Online as one of 13 Stories of Resilience commissioned by Refugee Action.

Working on Zoom has produced a wealth of wonderful video clips of Porridge & Play Online throughout the Pandemic. Lead Actor-pedagogue, Iona Zajac, was able to cherry-pick from these in order to edit together a 5-minute film to provide a window into the essence of this amazing project. The narration, recorded by Storyplay Champion children, draws on child consultation sessions to capture what the project has meant for them.

We were delighted to be able to share our families’ experiences of Storyplay during the pandemic, alongside such an important group of projects.

People who succeed in getting to the UK to claim asylum against the odds have already shown great resilience and courage, but faced with our brutal Asylum system, their sense of relief and hope can often be short-lived.

Watch the film here

The Home Office needs to do much more to meet the material needs of people seeking asylum. The basic human rights to food, shelter, clothes, school, digital access and transport are not sufficiently met and many charities do vital work to fill the gaps.

The pressure of these needs also has a huge impact on mental health and wellbeing – in limbo, isolated and disempowered, anxious, overwhelmed, bereft of family and friends and often also traumatised.  That’s why it is also so important we meet people’s need for a sense of self-worth, intrinsic human value, self-respect, sense of possibility and human connection.

This is what I believe the Stories of Resilience project is about.

It’s about finding ways to nurture and befriend refugees and people seeking asylum. And creating opportunities for them to be seen, heard, respected, recognised, loved and valued for who they are. It’s about giving them opportunities to rebuild their resilience, sense of self-worth, possibility and hope.

For Licketyspit, resilience is not about masking problems, it’s about nurturing survival and the capacity to thrive and connect. That’s what we do in Storyplay, a way of playing together which is all about who we are – not what we do or don’t have. And about reciprocity, as human beings of equal value who need each other to thrive and survive.

Stories of Resilience is a UK-wide storytelling project celebrating how UK community organisations and people in the immigration system got through the pandemic, together. These stories were pitched by recipients of RAP funding – the Respond and Adapt Programme established by Migration Exchange, NACCOM and Refugee Action in April 2020 and funded by the AB Charitable Trust, Barrow Cadbury Trust, Comic Relief, Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Migration Foundation, Blue Thread, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, The Rayne Foundation, Unbound Philanthropy and Lloyds Bank Foundation.

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