Andrew WWCC 

Photo Policy

Yes we take photos of the PLANKS constructions in our workshops, not of the faces of the participants. We do this for a range of reasons – celebration of creativity, a record of what can be made, and it allows us the chance to retrace our steps and apply curriculum outcomes to different types of construction and open ended work/play. We have a policy of not including children’s faces in our photos if they are taken in a school or mandatory attendance situation.

Our photo albums can be found HERE.

Potential Dangers

Many schools require a safety assessment of all activities.

We feel it necessary to include these points to help you with this requirement.

(Our staff will explain these IF they arise; we avoid “RULES” where possible)

Risk:

• Tall dense towers near to neighbouring participants,
• Loose PLANKS on smooth floors and running children,
• Lack of safety consciousness when building ‘tall’ towers, (ie. standing on multiple chairs)
• Throwing PLANKS during clean up,
• Excitable behaviour during “tear-down” time,
• Avoiding splinters during clean up,

These risks are dealt with through a mixture of timely announcements and roving supervision.

In our 7+ years of Workshops we have only had 3 incidents. Two were related to excitable behaviour and one to a toppling tower. None of these injuries were regarded as critical, either at the time nor since.

Our Staff regularly discuss potential dangers within our workshops but are always keen for your feedback. 

Staff Participation

PLANKS play is a school-based experience where different age groups can authentically play together and all learn something from the experience. We encourage teachers to actively play with the PLANKS; either by themselves or with the students.

Such modelling is important and has the potential to increase a teacher’s social capital with their students and to scaffold sophisticated engineering and problem solving.

Exclusion as Punishment

Please do not prevent your students from participating in our workshops as punishment.

Often these are the students who need to practice the types of social capabilities that our workshops provide.

To exclude from a workshop for actions during that workshop is a different matter however we ask that teachers do not make the exclusion permanent and allow the participant the choice to sit out permanently or to adjust their behaviour and re-join the workshop.

Thank you for your help with this. 

Background

Inspired by Melbourne’s progressive schooling movement of the 1960s and influenced by the field of Playwork, Green Hat Workshop emphasise a play-based, participant led, activity model, where possible. We create and provide resources and environments that first and foremost authentically engage participants and engender fun and play.

We acknowledge that we are in partnership with our participants during our workshops, enabling and encouraging their natural instinct to play with pattern, aesthetics, order and symmetry, representations of narrative and the world around them, shelter & cubby building and role play as well as comparison and intrinsic challenge.

Green Hat Workshop’s approach is to work within existing school cultures to empower the natural curiosity and creativity of all students, with as few instructions and rules as possible, thereby engaging all participants at their own level of cognitive and physical ability, be they adult or child, neurotypical or diverse.

We do not write programs that emphasise content or specify a valued outcome but rather value authentic participant-lead programs that provide resources & environments optimum for shared creativity.

Green Hat Workshop provide simple, abundant, impermanent resources where possible, as we believe this encourages individuals to experiment, share and explore.

We believe:

• Fun and engagement come first
• Children come to us with knowledge
• Self-directed play is the best way to learn
• Humans learn when they are ready and cannot be compelled to do so
• The goal of every teacher is to become obsolete

About the role of Facilitator

Artist, science communicator, assistant, demonstrator, teacher and psychologist all rolled into one, Facilitation at Green Hat Workshop can be equal parts understanding curriculum, Playwork theory and cognitive development. Safety and the Independence of the workshop participant is the priority however in some situations Facilitators scaffold potential uses for resources, create environments where creative challenges are accessible for all ages, support participants’ own ideas, manage hazards and help out when needed, preferably without directing or controlling. We provide opportunities for creative expression linked to practical learning and within the constraints of timetable and environments of our clients and their institutions.

PLANKS at your school

Purchase orders can be sent to admin@greenhatworkshop.com for immediate delivery