Inspiring Inclusive Play has been produced following a two-year Play Inclusive (P.Inc) Action Research project looking at the ways in which play fosters inclusion, understanding and participation between children with a range of needs and abilities.
The handbook is designed to encourage similar work practices to those undertaken at Scotland Yard Adventure Centre in Edinburgh (The Yard).
It contains step-by-step guidelines on how to implement themed play, including what resources to use and what type of inclusive play each activity promotes. A section entitled 'Why it worked' gives colourful anecdotes detailing how staff met these objectives.
Theresa Casey, freelance play consultant and author of the P.inc pack, said, 'The handbook is user-friendly and visually appealing. It contains tried-and-tested techniques, showing how spontaneous and imaginative play can be generated in all play settings.'
'It was lovely to see children pairing up to paint each other's faces,'
said Ms Casey of theTepee playtheme. 'It encouraged trust and co-operation and all of the children were keen to have a costume to help them inhabit their role more fully.'
The P.Inc handbook comes with a detailed research report and a poster stating, 'Have a go! Keep it simple, have fun'. It also provides examples of how to work together as a team, with tips on how to take away the fears associated with play.
The P.Inc research was funded by a grant from the Scottish Executive's Innovations in Special Educational Needs Fund, which ran from May 2002 to March 2004.
Further funding has been secured to run a series of one-off starter workshops in schools across Scotland throughout 2004-05 and also to carry out a new three-year research project into the benefits of inclusive play for children, settings and communities.
The new project, P.Inc Connections, hopes to establish inclusive play practices in a wider context through a national programme of support in Scotland, linking schools, out-of-school and community provision.
The P.Inc pack will be launched on March 16 by Euan Robson MSP, Scottish deputy minister for education and young people. Packs are on sale for 20 plus postage and packaging.
Primary schools, special schools and units across Scotland will be able to request a free copy of the pack.
For more information, contact Theresa Casey on theresacasey@playforlife.fsnet. co.uk or The Yard on info@syac.org.uk.
