15th June 2019

The final session in Ruchill was the last Big Porridge and Play 2019 and we were really moved and delighted to have so many people join us to send the project off in style.

We had to add and extra table to fit all 44 people – plus Virginia, Rita, Jack and Ruby round the table when it came to the meal, and it was lovely to share our games, songs and story with our guests. That included loads of your great Funky Chicken animals, like the Dancing Tiger, the Shy Butteryfly and the Slithering Snake.

We also played a great game of Witches Fingers, with confident cackling witches of all ages sending us from quiet suspense into laughter and joyous running off. It was clear at the beginning that having guests and a videographer there made a difference, but any shyness was soon forgotten as we got swept up in the worlds of the games.

Our Grannies in Monsters’ Footsteps were all very keen to tell us about the castles and caves they lived in, even the youngest ones! And everyone was focused on the game together as the grimacing trees crept towards the Grannies and they admired their un-treelike expressions!

After the meal, where we enjoyed trying Emma’s Jollof rice and plantain, as well as tucking into Edie and Nikki’s cakes, we had another go at On Off, which never fails to entertain everyone.

Then we sat down to read our story, Emily and the Magic Mountain – which was a picture-perfect way to end out time doing Big Porridge & Play at Ruchill. It’s a fantastic story which we really wanted everyone to hear in its entirety to recognise all the wonderful, rich ideas – captured here but which have been fizzy and popping throughout Big Porridge & Play 2019, giving the sessions the magic that we have all enjoyed so much.

In the words of our Actor-Pedagogue Jack, “Loved it, Loved it, Loved it. Thanks, Ruchill for this moment.”

P.S. Maureen and others expressed an interest in meeting up in the park to keep playing these games and we’d love to support the Ruchill community to do this. Keep your eyes peeled for text from Rita letting you know when the group might be meeting up to play together.

What you said…

“The obsession & enthusiasm as we played and sang together. Today’s was on a higher realm.” (Dad)

“Learning songs & games; seeing my children being challenged & growing in confidence; meeting other families.” (Parent)

“Their imagination has come on so much and they feel comfortable with playing without any objects / toys now.” (Mum)

“Everything means a lot to E, G and me. Hope Big Porridge and Play is on at Ruchill center next year.” (Mum)

“I hope you can come back next year and many years to come!” (Grandmother)

“They love all the sessions passionately. They are very sad that it has come to and end today.” (Parent)

Other blog posts…

BIG Porridge & Play Glasgow is a 7-week block of Licketyspit Playcard Play & food sessions for families with children under 12. This year for the very first time we will be going out for sessions 4 and 5 to have Picnic & Play sessions in cultural centres around Glasgow. Find out more by clicking here!

13th June 2019

Our last session at the St Francis Centre was a wonderful celebration of what Porridge & Play can be, with families bringing countless delicious things to share in the meal, guests dressing up with the same gusto as everyone else, and big, collective games together in the circle.

We started with Big as a Bear, during which we could hear several people joining in with the whole thing word for word. Then we played Funky Chicken, with lots of people revisiting their favourite invented animals one last time, and everyone joining in the actions – like the Happy Lion, the Sneaky Fox and the Slithery Snake.  

There was an incredible level of focus on what the funny witches would say when we played Witches Fingers,and it was fantastic to have our wonderful Lickety Volunteer Saliha becoming a brilliant first witch!

We sang Grandma Grandma, which was particularly enjoyed by the visitors as it’s such an inclusive, feel good song for joining in the first time. Much the same could be said for Letter to my Love, kicked off by Arush and Jack, which could have gone on for hours before anyone got bored.

And we finished with our story, Anoo the Alien and Jack the Deer, with a dozen people reading a line or two each round the circle. The story is a real achievement that everyone should feel so proud of, and it was lovely to end the play session with this before we sat down to eat.

What a treat we had for our Celebration Meal! Spicy vegetable kebabs, sushi, dopla, triple cheese muffins, dahl bites with coconut coriander dip, baclava, kheer, sujee halva and much more! Thank you to everyone who brought something. Visit the Lickety Kitchen to find some family recipes coming soon, as well as our Porridge & Play soup recipes.

We were so pleased to welcome Saliha’s family, Minish, Anil and Sharda, as well as Rashmi and Swathi and their children, who attended last year and came back to join us in our celebration.

It’s been a real pleasure doing Porridge & Play in the Gorbals – from our trips to Glasgow Green and the Dream Machine, to our Flying Balloon and Magic Ball adventures. We’ve met dragons, aliens, seen airports in the jungle, mermaids and octopuses, and most importantly we’ve done it together – with everyone being seen, heard and included. All we need to play is each other and we’ve made some great friends here in the Gorbals.

Hope to see you soon and keep on playing!

What you said…

“I want to come next week also” (Child, 6)

“I enjoyed a lot during all the sessions” (Mum)

“We have been playing the games at home, we have been playing “Bake a Cake” round the table with his Dad, but it won’t be the same without you” (Mum)

“In my country we don’t say goodbye we say see you later. So that’s what I want to say to you” (Mum)

“Every Thursday from 4-6 we do porridge and play. We play games such as Witches Fingers, Monsters Footsteps and many more. I like playing with my mum and with all the other children. I want to say thank you to miss Ruby, mr Jack and miss Rita for doing Porridge & Play” (Child, 7)

“Really I’m thanking you all wholeheartedly.” (Mum)

Other blog posts…

BIG Porridge & Play Glasgow is a 7-week block of Licketyspit Playcard Play & food sessions for local families with children under 12. This year for the very first time we will be going out for sessions 4 and 5 to have Picnic & Play sessions in cultural centres around Glasgow. Find out more by clicking here!

8th June 2019

We had a really fab sixth session at the Ruchill Community Centre. You could really see how everyone has got to know each other over the last six weeks, with the group chatting away at the start of the afternoon and during the meal, and other parents supporting those with the youngest children.

We all put on jam trousers and custard in Mucky Brew, which was hilarious, and went back to the Button Factory for Hello my Name is Joe.

Flying Balloons was lots of peoples’ favourite game. We saw a volcano, a pink and green whale and even a rocket going into space and the moon! We saw lots of little animals which turned out to be kites being flown along a beach, then one of them was lifted up into the air – with the man holding it attached, and we had to help pull him back down so he wouldn’t be carried off into space!

We also wrote an epic story together, sitting rapt for more than twenty minutes while Ruby helped us thread together everyone’s ideas. We started with a character, a place and an object, and ended with a rich and colourful tale of adventure, revenge and inclusion. The tale of Emily and the Magic Mountain is the longest and most detailed Big Porridge & Play story yet, click here to read about a Emily the baker, the Wizard of the sleeping cakes, the Dolly that came to life, and the Mountain where it all began…

What you said…

“Creating the story was my favourite because everyone gets to share their ideas” – Child

“I’m not sure what we’ll do when it finishes” – Parent

“We’re definitely coming early next week because we want to make sure yous come back next year” – Parent

“Doing this has made realise how much I like being with children, even though I’m an adult, doing these kinds of things I feel I can be more myself” – Volunteer 

Other blog posts…

BIG Porridge & Play Glasgow is a 7-week block of Licketyspit Playcard Play & food sessions for families with children under 12. This year for the very first time we will be going out for sessions 4 and 5 to have Picnic & Play sessions in cultural centres around Glasgow. Find out more by clicking here!

6th June 2019

Week 6 at the Gorbals was a day for Pirate captains keeping things ship-shape on the open sea, storytelling and a surprise from poor Old Rodger.

Everyone really at ease playing together today. We had some extremely committed Pirates, wearing fantastic costumes and really feeling like we were on a huge ship, drinking our grog and swimming away from sharks.

Everyone over 5 volunteered to read some of the story we wrote together last week, which was really special – a beautiful, focused moment. Anoo the Alien and Jack the Deer also appeared in some of the Reflective Drawing, as well as “a butterfly high in the sky all the way to the moon” (3 year old)

We also sent a Letter to our Love to everyone’s great amusement – this along with Balloons is an absolute favourite.

There were huge smiles all round in Old Rodger and it was great to see how much the parents were supporting the children to get involved in planting the tree and tumbling down the apples. This was mirrored in the songs, where those who have been coming to Porridge & Play for longer were really making people laugh with their full-bodied renditions of Jelly on his Head.

Everyone was really excited for the Celebration session and keen to bring lots of exciting homemade food. Everyone was also delighted that Saliha brought some Turkish Delight to share following Eid celebrations.  

What you said…

“I drew I sent a letter to my love – it’s me choosing everyone. That’s my fave game today because we’re in a circle and we can see everyone.”

“Mummy, the sun, the moon, a slide, water and an alien”

“It’s my friend Anne, she’s walking her dog with her Turkish delight with her hat on! Fave game – “Old Rodger is Dead because I like lying down to be old rodger. It makes me feel happy”

Other blog posts…

BIG Porridge & Play Glasgow is a 7-week block of Licketyspit Playcard Play & food sessions for local families with children under 12. This year for the very first time we will be going out for sessions 4 and 5 to have Picnic & Play sessions in cultural centres around Glasgow. Find out more by clicking here!

18th May 2019

We are missing next week’s session not taking place because of the Bank Holiday so we wanted to make sure we had an excellent session of Porridge & Play today – and we did! –Jack, Iona and our General Manager, Shona were here for our 4th Ruchill BIG Porridge & Play 2019!

We started the session with our infamous Big as a Bear – everyone was in the mood to play and full of Licketyspit spirit!

We were SO SAD to hear about Old Roger! We wept and we wailed! So we planted an apple tree over his head! The apples grew ripe and tumbled down so the lucky Old Woman could pop them in her basket. Cheek! She was delighted BUT just as she was about to nip off home with them….Old Roger jumped up and he gave her a SHOCK! Eeek! That made the Old Woman go Hippety Hop!

We loved playing In the Way of the Word! One group decides on a ‘doing’ word and the other group plans different things to ask them to act! – taking a shower and playing football gigglingly was hilarious! So was brushing our teeth and eating our dinner sadly! Both groups performed brilliantly and we guessed all the words! This is a great game to play at home – especially with grown-ups who don’t usually play! And you realise how many brilliant words we all know! ‘Sneakily’, ‘Scarily’, ‘Delightedly’, ‘Lovingly’, ‘suspiciously’ !!!!

It was a really chilly and rainy day so we were glad of our delicious bowl of soup and we had  a good catch up!  Another wonderful Session – Sophie says – ‘every session is a new adventure’ and we all agree!

Looking forward to seeing you all after the Bank Holiday to catch a bus to a new adventure on The Tall Ship!

What you said…

“I drew a very scared granny! and that’s grannies house! It has huge love heart windows. The granny game was my favourite, I also drew my mum, thats her head, and her eyebrows.
I felt good and happy today!” (Child, 3)

“I drew monsters footsteps, the forest with lots of different coloured trees, that’s a big
brown house and I really loved granny’s footsteps, that was my favourite game.” (Child, 13)

“I drew a granny! and that’s a massive candle! The house is full of love hearts and I
drew a camel! The camel was living in the trees! the granny game was my favourite! and
that’s Big Foot Stomp Giant!” (Child, 5)

Other blog posts…

BIG Porridge & Play Glasgow is a 7-week block of Licketyspit Playcard Play & food sessions for families with children under 12. This year for the very first time we will be going out for sessions 4 and 5 to have Picnic & Play sessions in cultural centres around Glasgow. Find out more by clicking here!

1st June 2019

We had a really wonderful Picnic & Play on The Tall Ship with the Ruchill Porridge & Play group last week.

Ruby met some of the group to get the bus to Partick after a quick game of Big as a Bear and Funky Chicken at the bus stop. When we got there, we met the rest of the group, as well as Jack, Rita, Boatemaa and Emmanuel, who had been getting things ship shape and ready to go, and we had an incredibly imaginative, energetic and joyful session.

We had some very confident Funky Chicken contributions – like the Puppy Dog, the Tall Snake and the Slow Snail. Everyone was really listening to each other and showing a lot of mutual respect and appreciation. We also played Sent a Letter to my Love, with lots of smiling and skipping about. Then suddenly, the Letter turned into a Magic Ball…

Our Tall Ship Magic Ball Adventure – The Nasty Pirate and the Sea Creature

We climbed inside the Magic Ball and found some dressing up clothes to create our adventure costumes, then we said the magic words and the Magic Ball took us off – to an Arctic Island! You were unstoppable and brimming with ideas. Several people bravely jumped into the icy sea and invited us all to have a swim. Then we came out and dried off and found the entrance to a long, dark tunnel. Luckily, someone found some torches and shared them out so that we could crawl slowly through the tunnel.

Inside, we found a map and Boatemaa spotted a chest on it. Every went off to look for it, eventually finding the chest further down the tunnel. But it was locked, and no matter how many keys everyone found to try, none of them worked! Suddenly, Nikki had a brilliant idea. We could try our keys all at once! Edie suggested we say Abracadabra at the same time – and it worked! The chest burst open to reveal golden treasure, chocolate and jewels!

As we were marvelling in our discovery, a Pirate appeared. He was very displeased to see us taking his treasure. In fact, he was rather cross. He started telling us to Scrub the Deck and Climb the Rigging, to Drink our Grog and even to Walk the Plank! We had to do exactly as he said, but in return, he said he’d show us his ship. And what a ship it was! We climbed up the galley stairs to the deck and looked out at the Arctic Sea. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we were exploring the ship when all of a sudden, a Sea Creature appeared!

The Sea Creature spoke and strange Sea language and she was crying. You quickly discovered she was very hungry. Everyone found things to give her to eat which cheered her up a lot. Then she gave us each a gift. Everyone was presented with a Sea Bangle. When the bangles started to change colour, the Sea Creature told us in her strange voice, that it was a sign the rain was coming. The bangles started to flash faster, so we quickly went back into the hold.

Back downstairs, Ruby and Jack reappeared just in time to get back into the Magic Ball and go back to the Tall Ship. Everyone told them about the Pirate and the Sea Monster they had met – they couldn’t believe they’d missed them!

We got out of the Magic Ball and settled down for a delicious picnic of crunchy veg, fresh fruit, bread, cheese and humus.

We hope the sun shines this Saturday so we can have another picnic in Ruchill Park. If not we’ll just stay indoors at the Ruchill Community Centre.

Thank you to Levi and everyone at The Tall Ship for having us and sharing in our Porridge & Play adventure!

What you said…

“It was so great watching the other people on the tall ship watching what we were
all doing, that was exciting.” (Mum)

“The fact that we had this week’s session on a ship was awesome.” (Mum)

“It was really cool as I’m a shy person and wouldn’t do this anywhere else.” (Mum)

“E was excited before we came and he has loved every bit. Me too. Thank you.” (Mum)

“My daughter love it counts down the days until the next one things she will be lost when it finishes up, might need to go to another location.” (Mum)

Other blog posts…

BIG Porridge & Play Glasgow is a 7-week block of Licketyspit Playcard Play & food sessions for families with children under 12. This year for the very first time we will be going out for sessions 4 and 5 to have Picnic & Play sessions in cultural centres around Glasgow. Find out more by clicking here!

30th May 2019

Travelling from the St Francis Centre in several taxi’s, we all managed to avoid the wind and the rain arriving at the wonderful and exciting Dream Machine on the London Road!

As we warmed up and danced like Funky Chicken’s we could tell we were in for a great session and we were not disappointed!

There was a special birthday in the group this week so we all decided to bake a cake! There were lots of exciting ingredients – delicious melted chocolate, fresh strawberries and grapes as well as some more unusual and odd ingredients added like…. a pair of shoes, a beautiful pink dress and even a door! We all helped pour the mixture into a baking tin, open the oven door and pop in the cake to bake! With a loud beeeep! The cake was ready! We all decorated it and sang Happy Birthday to Alan! who turned 4! (Then we tasted the cake! Yumm!)

After we had finished eating our cake we had some story time! Jack read a brilliant story called Cockatoos by Quentin Blake. This is the story of Professor Dupont and his wondering and hilarious Cockatoos who get fed up of the Professors morning routine one day and decide to run away!

I wonder if we can all remember where the Cockatoos were hiding?!

The story of the cockatoos inspired us to create our own story! The entire group helped Ruby create an incredible story all about ‘Anoo the Alien and Jack the Happy Dear’! We loved hearing all your ideas for this story!

We had our Licketyspit picnic before Matt, the Dream Machine inventor, invited us to experience the Dream Machine – which is a bit like the Magic Ball! The Dream Machine took us all on an adventure around the world, up into space and into the heart of the Sun! This was an amazing end to a great Outreach session!
We had such fun at the Dream Machine. You can often go to The Dream Machine on Saturdays at 2pm. Its free or you ‘pay what you can’ for this wonderful treat! – especially great on a rainy day!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again next week!

What you said…

“Thank you so much for taking us here it was really wonderful.” (Mum)

“I’m very excited.” (Child, 6)

“Thank you. It was great. We will bring our husbands!” (Mum)

Other blog posts…

BIG Porridge & Play Glasgow is a 7-week block of Licketyspit Playcard Play & food sessions for local families with children under 12. This year for the very first time we will be going out for sessions 4 and 5 to have Picnic & Play sessions in cultural centres around Glasgow. Find out more by clicking here!