By Jeni Wilson
How often have you been attending a community group, maybe with a bunch of kids, and you need something to entertain them while you wait? Or perhaps you have some siblings involved in group activities, and others are not?
How often have you thought, ‘I could do that if there was a way to keep my child actively busy, preferably doing something enjoyable and good for them?’
It is acknowledged that family pressures can lead to less time for hands on experiences and learning through play. Less chances to be curious and imaginative and socialse.
Child Friendly Spaces: Loose Parts for Community Groups
Imagine if you could create an instant child friendly environment to make adult events family friendly…. and give children an experience they will remember.
What would you say if I told you there was such a thing?
An all-inclusive, innovative resource exists that replaces the need to be near a playground. It can provide hours of play and learning with infinite possibilities. This resource is research proven and suitable for ages 3-12 and can be used by up to 30 children at a time.
The Nüdel Kart
Nüdel Kart is a portable and mobile playground made of natural and non-toxic materials, filled with loose parts. It is self-directed and needs very little supervision; just 1 adult. Suitable for spaces big or small, indoors or outdoors, it is easily assembled and packed away with no infrastructure or power required.
ALL INCLUSIVE
Nüdel Kart has been tried and tested in a wide variety of children’s situations around the globe. It’s truly all-inclusive, with specific disability and special school context and occupational therapy contexts. It is multi-cultural and works across a broad age group. The Nüdel Kart is also non-gendered and non-themed.
STEM
It also provides authentic challenges and endless learning opportunities. In educational settings it is used to develop skills increasingly in demand in our rapidly changing world in disciplines such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
LOOSE PARTS
Highly engaging, the Nüdel Kart encourages creativity, confidence, resilience and a sense of wellbeing. This loose parts play kit enables what our rushed modern world has often limited –student agency (child-initiated learning).
Loose Parts for Community groups. Who can benefit?
There are so many different settings, groups and activities within the community, that would benefit from the types of play possible with Nüdel Kart:
– Sports teams, eg footy, basketball, soccer
– Before and after school care
– Living and learning centre groups
– Craft groups, eg knitting
– Political groups
– Welfare groups, eg Rotary activities
– Community farms
– Volunteer groups, eg CFA
– Religious groups
– Cultural groups
– Refugee support groups
In three words, a Nüdel Kart is adaptable, portable and flexible.
Instantly change a community group or event into a family and child friendly environment, where kids can play and learn for hours on end – simply by introducing a Nüdel Kart.
Play is fun while learning and when children love learning, they thrive. What’s to lose?
Jeni Wilson
References
Sewell, C. Wilson, J. Laing, B. and Veerman, M. (2020) Nudel Kart Teachers Manual (2020)
https://www.playaustralia.org.au/sites/default/files/LibraryDownloads/loose-parts-toolkit.pdf
