Supporters
Love Outdoor Play needs you!
We’re leading a movement to get everyone to take action to make sure more children can play outdoors more often. To strengthen our message and help spread the word, the Love Outdoor Play campaign needs you!
To show your support and keep up to date with all the latest campaign news, email us with your contact details – if you’re an organisation, send us your logo too and we’ll add it below.
Our supporters include…
Nick Hurd MP, The Minister for Civil Society
Ian Mearns MP, Member of Parliament for Gateshead
Meg Hillier MP, Member of Parliament for Hackney South and Shoreditch
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Trackbacks
- Help us to snowball! « Love Outdoor Play
- Help us to find 100 supporters by midnight « Love Outdoor Play
- Why a sticker? « Love Outdoor Play
- Authors, explorers and charities unite to revive outdoor play « Love Outdoor Play
- Love Outdoor Play – The campaign we started launches today! « The Geography Collective
- Last year « The Geography Collective
- Milky Milky – Love Outdoor Play goes BIG on the Isle of Man « The Geography Collective
- How important is outdoor play to the early years??! « Love Outdoor Play
- Can you spread the Love Outdoor Play message this Valentine’s Day? « Love Outdoor Play
- Can you spread the Love Outdoor Play message this Valentine’s Day? « Love Outdoor Play
- Love… Outdoor Play! | Nature Kids
I really hope that this campaign takes off. It’s one of those things that could really work for communities with a little investment.
The campaign is a fantastic idea. Getting kids (and adults) outdoors and away from CoD is one of the most important things we can do. And, obviously, it’s also great fun. Time to reclaim the play spaces. Best of luck.
fab campaign!
What a fabulous campaign. I couldn’t agree more with the mission and passionately believe in the importance of children being outdoors with freedom to imagine and play. If you haven’t already, read Michael Chabon’s The Wilderness of Childhood. It says it all.
As a teacher, Mountain Leader and technology enthusiast, I fully support this campaign.
Good luck
As a parent and a teacher – I think this campaign is fantastic! Children should be encouraged to be outside and be explorers in their environments!
I am all about the outdoor play love!
:-) Bethe, aka The Grass Stain Guru @balmeras
As a teacher, parent and grandparent I think this is an excellent idea.
Excellent campaign. We need to get kids outside and playing again! I made mud pies in my parents back garden and went exploring in the woods! Maybe I’m just being naive.
Bring on a flood of stickers! As a 6 year old, I cycled round my neighbourhood, built dens in the woods and had a great gang of friends from my street. My parents felt confident that I could play outside and I loved the freedom it gave me. So come back hopstoch and all that entails – our neighbourhoods, and our children, need you!
yes to outdoor play – but looking at the weather outside, maybe not today :)
Rain doesnt stop play!
Great idea! Love it! I try to get my kids outdoors everyday when I get home from work!
Fun in the sun and pain in the rain, it is all good for kids outdoors. Mine is hardier than me and will be out in all weathers.
In Bristol we are trying to re-ignite a culture of street play through organising short, after-school ‘Playing Out’ events, with road closures stewarded by parents. We would love this idea to go viral and evolve. We’re aiming to launch our website by the end of September, which will provide inspiration and instructions for anyone interested in doing this in their own street. Watch this space!
Big support for this campaign – outdoor play is the best way to learn about the world around you!
I love outdoor play so fully support it for everyone else too!
Catherine
As an artist and parent I’ve been amazed and appalled by the phenomenon of the indoor play barn! My 3yo has only been to one once but has a full set of industrial strength waterproofs which get a LOT of use! All power to your elbow!
Fab campaign. Both my kids would love to play out in the street, and I would love to be able to let them go out independently. Just one problem – TRAFFIC and no laws protecting children from adults in motor vehicles. While walking, cycling, playing kids should have priority and legal protection on all residential roads as they do in The Netherlands.
This campaign is so necessary !
Encouraging outdoor play is what I’m all about! It’s where kids belong, and grownups too.
There’s a fab school where the head bought all the kids waterproofs and wellies so that they could play outdoors – whatever the weather #inspirational And an interesting article: http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6702250.ece
As soon as Kate Jr. is born she’s going hiking!
Very best of luck with th campaign
Love outdoor play <3
Fantastic campaign.
Brilliant campaign!!
It’s the best idea – I’m going to help my neighbourhood go sticker crazy. Let the good playtimes roll (with mud and blackberry juice too please)…
Fully suport your aims. A generation of children are growing up who don’t know how to manage themselves because they are not allowed the freedom to play.
Fully believe everyone should have lots of access to outdoors… currently training to be a forest school leader, so hopefully can get a few more children outdoors having fun!!
Happy to sign up. I work for an adventure playground, in 2011 whispers of cuts have already reached our door, we have no idea how hard they could hit. Some folk don’t always see the positives of out door play these days, so this is a wonderful campaign. I hope more people sign up to this. Have you also approached Play England and London Play as potential supporters of your campaign?
Play Scotland works to promote the importance of play and works to make the child’s right to play a reality in Scotland.
We support this campaign in getting children and young people outdoors to PLAY!
A must for all however old!!!
Delighted to add our name to this list. We work with the resortative and therapeutic benefits of outdoor play and can see huge benefits from children from even the most challenging life circumstances. Thank you for starting this campaign – we wish it every success.
The Institute for Outdoor Learning will be pleased to support this campaign. Well done on getting it going.
Outdoor play and education are vital for young people to learn through experience – outstanding campaign
Genius. Outdoor play and education are key – its a no brainer – and completely worrying that we need a campaign to get more young people outdoors to learn and play. Nuts – which makes your work so much more important. Good luck, I stand in support as should everyone!
Fantastic campaign! Playgarden are passionate about outdoor play… whatever the weather!!
Great campaign and wholehearted support from myself and Digital Explorer
Brilliant campaign. This white van lady can’t wait to put a very large sticker on the side of the van!
Great stuff! You may find this Sustrans project ties in very well with what you are promoting:
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/assets/files/liveable%20neighbourhoods/1008_DIY%20Streets_project%20review_2010.pdf
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/liveable-neighbourhoods/diy-streets/diy-streets-resources-and-links
It would be great to take the street away from the motor car and give the shared space back to the residents promoting play and community.
We need exciting challenging play areas where children are pulled away from electronic toys and are given the chance to experience fun outdoors with a bit of educated risk.
Looks like a great idea. Hope it goes well!
All the best… kids should be encouraged to get away from their computers and learn to love exploring outside.
I spent my whole childhood outdoors and loved it …..my daughter hasn’t this I don’t see as progress.
Superb idea and I wish you every success in your campaign. My 22yr old daughter’s generation is full of wishy-washy boys, brought up in the ‘elf and safety era. Many of them can’t even drive and rely on their girlfriends to take them out!
Let’s go play!
I work for a large organization for girls as the outdoor program director. It is surprising and sad how girls tell me that they do not play outside that much. We used to love playing outside all day as children and it helped me find and develop a strong connection to my outdoor environment. Getting kids outside for play is a very important element in conservation.
I wholeheartedly support your efforts.
What a fab idea! I will definately be making sure people I know get the stickers in the cars!! And the Play Rangers can stick them all over their van too!!!
A great way of getting the message out that children should be able to play out – and not always with an adult
Kidsinthegarden is pleased to support this campaign. Kids need to be outdoorable.
It’s a great campaign, please keep pushing the boundaries.
This year we were able to convince the council they can have swings and an arial runway attched to the trees in the park for our local playday event. See our website for more info http://www.londonplay.org.uk, especially under the natural play heading.
More than happy to show my support from Australia to this initiative!
As a Play Ranger in the West of Cornwall I love outdoor play!!
We’re an Isle of Man based Children’s Charity and championing the right for children’s outdoor play on the Island. Love the campaign and would love to have our logo on the site to further show our support.
The very best of luck with your campaign! Getting children and young people outdoors is so important for their, and our, future.
What a sad place the world would be if we lost those magical moments, and learning, so often present when playing outdoors!
Again, the best of luck!
Hi,
This looks like a great campaign and one we at Atlantic Trampolines would be very happy to support. We are a firm believer in encouraging active children and so think it’s a great way to get children out and having fun whilst keeping an active lifestyle.
We would also love some stickers if you have any that we can help distribute, please feel to get in touch with us if you want to talk things through.
Steve ( steve@atlantictrampolines.co.uk )
As a children’s author, passionate about getting kids outside and connecting with nature, I would love to help this marvelous campaign. Well done guys!
We would love to see more children eschewing the lure of the TV and DS and getting back into the great outdoors. Outdoor play is essential to child development and to health.
Get muddy, climb trees, make dens, climb hills, plant seeds, make dams, chase butterflies, smell wildflowers… create a childhood of wonderful memories!
As a designer/builder of outdoor play spaces we would really like to see more children shunning the lure of the TV & games console and getting outdoors. Outdoor play is essential to our children’s health & development. We need to let them get mucky, climb, swing, run, make dens, plant, chase butterflies, smell the flowers… create a childhood of wonderful memories!
Okay Guys, there’s gonna be a LOT of linking between us if we’re gonna get this off the ground. Let’s get the OutdoorPlay link and post it wherever we can!!!.. 100 by midnight???… Come on… Let’s make it 1000!!!!.. I dare you!!! :)
What a fantastic site! So great to know so many of us are on the case. We need to move out of classrooms and into the natural environment to ensure a future generation of people who are physically and mentally able to care for the world around them.
Happy to support such a valuable campaign.
Great site we love Outdoor Play. In fact today our HomeFront youngest has had a lovely time at three o’clock getting very wet playing in a big puddle. After having five children I can say that the best play is outside getting dirty and having lots of fun and learning too. Keep on raising awareness of what a great childhood should be about lots of Outdoor Play.
Love your campaign. Wish I was in the UK to join in but I will carry on spreading the word over here in Denmark.
Count me in.
I’d love to support this spine tingling campaign. Add my name to the list of supporters…
Regards
Ripley
Fancy seeing you here! :o)
Something I’m trying hard to do in Berkshire (Reading & Wokingham) is get kids to sample fresh air and get dirt under their fingernails.
I’ve just done a 38km walk to school to try and encourage junior school kids to walk and let Mum leave the 4×4 at home. Details here>> http://blethyn.blogspot.com/2011/01/walk-to-school.html Later on I’m going to be wild camping (on school sites, so nothing to adventurous) the plan being to get kids playing and loving the outdoors.
Hope you don’t mind but I’m going to link to this site via my web and blog.
Yes, let’s crowd source those stickers! Great campaign. I know I live in a good street because children play out in it, take themselves off to the park and generally can be seen wandering adult-free. Let’s hope this campaign helps shift some adult attitudes.
At Serendipity our Staff and Children Relish Outdoor Play – We may as well not even have an indoor space! Were too busy outdoors building dens, making mud pies and creating water courses with our drain pipes, we can’t have that much fun, make that much mess and shout so loud indoors! If we weren’t in such a built up area, we’d love a forest school – The way the School has no boundaries… and why? The children wouldn’t want to leave as they are having too much fun! I can hand on heart say I agree with that statement Children just love to be OUTDOORS!
I came across this campaign by chance. Its a fantastic idea, shame its not that publicised. Isn’t it amazing how we seem to follow America – we seem to be 10 years behind them in so many things – including obesity. Our kids don’t go out and play enough. It almost seems to be a chore. I remember when I was young my firends and I lived outside – climbing trees, playing footy, playing armies with action man. I can’t remember being inside too much. I’m proud of the fact that my company supplies and installs outdoor canopies allowing children to play outside no matter what the weathers doing. Outdoor play is an essential part of life and we need it to be a priority – good luck love outdoor play!!!
this sounds like a great opportunity to promote outdoor play and reconnecting the world with nature. im in! :)
Being a big kid who tends to play outdoors quite a bit, it’s only right that I support you more than I do already. Now, where’s those stickers :o)
Plymouth City Council supports Outdoor Play and understands the importance of playing in your local environment. What a great campaign best of luck with it.
Joy Davenport (Play Officer PCC)
Hey Ken, leave the trolling to us pro’s.
Hugely inspired by Sue Palmer’s book “Toxic Childhood”, I set up a local group (see http://www.newsomeouttoplay.org.uk) here in Huddersfield to try and get everyone talking about and acting on outdoor play. In two years we’ve achieved a lot and I really think it’s making a difference – more kids playing out in the areas we’ve targeted and a really happy atmosphere over this summer. One of the main actions has been an annual Playday (www.playday.org.uk), which has brought everyone together around the topic and been huge fun for everyone.
On a personal level (my children are now 6 and 3), the best thing I ever did was to knock on doors of new families moving into the area – we are now best of friends and the kids are growing up playing together all the time – whether in our homes or increasingly out and about. I never miss an opportunity to get to know any really local families, as it is those sorts of contacts that make us feel safe giving our children the growing freedom they need. The happiness this gives to children is truly beautiful!
Grazes on your knees, grass stains on your trousers, dirt under your fingernails, twigs in your hair, moss caught in your hood, allsorts down your wellies and of course mud on your face. Do you remember your mums face when you got home that look of horror of how messy your child could actually become, but the next day you pulled on your already holey trousers and were encouraged to set off for another great adventure. Because that is what children did.
Today it is not quite the same that is why campaigns such as this are so important to break down barriers and remind everyone what play actually means. Keep up the good work.
Fantastic campaign. If we are going to have rounded informed environmentally responsible adults of the future we need to encourage where ever possible a childhood immersed in play and the outdoors.
An inspiring website with a wealth of important and useful links
As the UK’s leading garden trampoline supplier we are fully in support of what you are trying to do. Children these days lead very home centred lives, often centred around computers and the television. The trampoline is a useful counter to this, attracting young people into the garden for exercise and play. Our new iPhone app called iTrampoline is available to download free and helps to motivate bouncers to take more exercise aswell as being great fun – it teaches a bit of geography too. We also supply an range of exciting accessories, like a trampoline circus tent.
Everyone should support Outdoor Play – it is so important yet sadly on the decline. As Forest School Practitioners we are behind you 100%
We agree with your philosophy of encouraging outdoor play. Trying to pull children away from play consoles ,computer games, tv and the internet is a task in its self these days. It was all so different when we were younger. I remember going out after breakfast and coming home in time for tea .No mobile phones then for mum and dad to check up on me ! Children need some freedom but also some exercise which is fun .Our trampolines offer exactly this. The OctaJump is also safer so mum doesn’t have to keep such a close eye on them. Plus by adding one of our play dens to a trampoline makes a whole new dimension for creative play, plus the bad weather cant stop play as they’re fully waterproof!
http://www.jumpforfun.co.uk
Peter (peter.guntrip@iipgroup.co.uk)
Fantastic campaign , GLS Play supporting all the way
I started doing research fro University a few years ago about the benefits of outdoor play and when we changed our early years setting to continual indoor/outdoor play we more than halved the sickness levels of the children and we were highly commended at the Nursery World Awards 2010 in the Enabling Environment category. It was then that I found my youth again and left the nursery to set up my own company and spread the word about how great the outdoors is for our children and how important it is for our wellbeing. “I Love Outdoor Play” :)
Great to hear your story! Thanks for supporting
Hi I am currently working on my dissertation which is about outdoor play and how it has changed from the last generation, how children are spending more and more time indoors. If anybody has any information that could help my research I would really appreciate it,
Abeda