Wendy Russell - Practice-Based Research in Childrens Play

First published in Great Britain in 2017 by

Policy Press University of Bristol 1-9 Old Park Hill Bristol BS2 8BB UK Tel +44 (0)117 954 5940 e-mail

North American office: Policy Press c/o The University of Chicago Press 1427 East 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637, USA t: +1 773 702 7700 f: +1 773-702-9756 e:

Policy Press 2017

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ISBN 978-1-4473-3003-5 hardcover

ISBN 978-1-4473-3005-9 ePdf

ISBN 978-1-4473-3006-6 ePub

ISBN 978-1-4473-3007-3 Mobi

The right of Wendy Russell, Stuart Lester and Hilary Smith to be identified as editors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Hattie Coppard is founder and Director of Snug & Outdoor, an artist-led company who design original playful environments in the public realm. For more than 30 years she has explored the relationship of environment and playful behaviour through exhibitions, public art, urban design schemes and experimental play projects. Frustration with conventional evaluation methods that equate lived experience with measureable outcomes led her to an MA in Play and Playwork in search of theoretical ideas that could provide a fundamentally different way of understanding playful behaviour. Once started along this road she was hooked and is now undertaking a PhD investigating the relationship of play and place-making and the insights an artists process of enquiry can bring to understandings of play in the public realm.

Megan Dickerson is a curator, researcher and playworker who develops playful exhibitions at The New Childrens Museum in San Diego, CA. Previously, she worked at Boston Childrens Museum, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and the Peabody Essex Museum, among others. Megan holds her BA in History and Museum Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and is a MA candidate in Play and Playwork at the University of Gloucestershire. She blogs at www.takeplayseriously.org.

John Fitzpatrick is manager of Gwealan Tops Adventure Playground (job share) and play and playwork tutor and assessor for Hackney Play Association. He has worked within the playwork sector for over 30 years on adventure playgrounds, afterschool clubs, mobile play projects and for regional organisations. He developed Playwork Beyond Quality, a quality framework for playwork and afterschool clubs in Cambridgeshire which has been launched nationally. He has a Postgraduate Certificate in Play and Playwork from the University of Gloucestershire and has co-authored a research paper on Co-creating an Adventure Playground (CAP): Reading playwork stories, practices and artefacts (2014, Gloucester: University of Gloucestershire) with the university and has co-authored a related article with Bridget Handscomb in the Journal of Playwork Practice (November 2015). He co-edited Playwork Voices (2007) with Bridget Handscomb and Wendy Russell and contributed a chapter entitled The Fen man and the cowboy.

Bridget Handscomb is manager of Gwealan Tops Adventure Playground (job share) and quality assurance manager and tutor for Hackney Play Associations training and assessment centre. She has worked in the playwork sector for over 30 years in many different roles with children and adults. She is committed to supporting childrens play and playworkers professional practice and has been a regular presenter at national and regional events. Bridget has a first class BA Hons Degree in Play and Playwork and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education in the Lifelong Learning Sector. She has contributed to research with the University of Gloucestershire on Co-creating an Adventure Playground (CAP): Reading playwork stories, practices and artefacts (2014, Gloucester: University of Gloucestershire) and has co-authored a related article with John Fitzpatrick in the Journal of Playwork Practice (November 2015). She co-edited Playwork Voices (2007) with John Fitzpatrick and Wendy Russell, wrote a piece called The playwork ABC and co-authored a chapter with Michelle Virdi entitled Playwork learning: sharing the journey.

Paula Harris began her career in playwork in the late 1980s working in a variety of settings including junior youth clubs, pre-school playgroups, afterschool clubs and holiday play schemes. Since then she has worked as a play development officer, a play project co-ordinator, a playwork trainer and as the Regional Executive Officer for Tri-County Play Association, covering Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. She is currently employed by Duffryn Community Link as the Senior Director of the Forest Family Centre in Duffryn Newport. She completed her MA in Play and Playwork at the University of Gloucestershire in 2012.

Claire Hawkes is passionate about the value of play with over 25 years experience as a playworker, trainer and development officer, both for the voluntary sector and local authorities. Currently working for Buckinghamshire County Council as Business Manager of Childrens Services, Claires creativity and passion for play have flowed into a variety of work, from running play activities in childrens centres, youth clubs and schools, getting messy with muddy play, organising playdays to play therapy. From policy to practice she places importance on freely chosen play, ensuring childrens voices and rights are heard and respected by decision makers. Over the last five years Claires interests leaned towards a therapeutic view, focusing on nature play, playful relaxation and creative play. Always known as a bag lady, Claire is usually seen with random stones, twigs, soldiers, anything shiny and other loose parts just in case the need for play arises.

Denise M Hill is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. She was previously the Course Leader for the MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology course at the University of Gloucestershire. Her research specialism lies within choking in sport, although she has a broad range of academic interests that include exercise and mental health, athletic wellbeing, application of motivational theory and performance psychology.