Posts by Ilse
Fun with car tires
If you ask an adult “What can you do with a car tire?” your answer will probably be “roll, sit” . It turns out that the tires at SpelenmaaR can do much more than serve as seats or roll around. Watch and be amazed. With every SpelenmaaR there is another surprising application. With all the…
Read MoreProfessional Advisory Board Inclusion Matters
Empowerment by Playing and Inclusion Matters have known each other for almost 10 years. The first contact was made because of an Inclusion Matters (IM) project in Ecuador. In April 2022, I (Ilse) visited Inclusion Matters in Los Angeles. After all these years finally a real meeting and thus joint Inclusive Play adventures. IM works…
Read MoreTypically SpelenmaaR
SpelenmaaR is on tour in Wageningen. Little by little people know us. How we know? Some children come to play for the second or sometimes even third time! These experienced Playmates know what we have in the trailer, grab what they need and get to work right away. We ourselves are also getting the hang…
Read MoreSpelenmaaR Leeffestival Wageningen
On Sunday 3 July 2022, part of the market square in Wageningen was the domain of children. SpelenmaaR had descended on it for the Leeffestival. The market was littered with all kinds of loose items. Cloths, boxes, planks, tyres, sticks, pots and much more. All these items were accompanied by the sign “Children are the…
Read MoreInspiring live meeting SamenSpeelNetwerk
Yesterday (30 June 2022) was the first live meeting of the #SamenSpeelNetwork. The previous 5 meetings were online and really inspiring, but meeting each other gives so much more. How I missed the unexpected encounters, the conversations of others that you catch and which you can just join in on. The unexpected topics that pop…
Read MoreWelcome in our Inclusive Playground!
This year, 2022, Utrecht celebrates 900 years of city rights. From 2the of June to 11 th of November, the city will be bustling with Utrecht900 festivities. The theme of Utrecht 900 is “Beyond walls”. Let people from Utrecht who have never met meet each other. Such a theme fits in perfectly with ‘SamenSpelen’, Inclusive…
Read MoreOrganization of the sixt meeting of the Samenspeelnetwerk
Empowerment by Playing organises the content of the sixth meeting of the Samenspeelnetwerk on behalf of Ruimte voor de Jeugd and the SamenSpeelNetwerk. The meeting takes place on Thursday 30 June at Playground33 in Amersfoort. The theme of the meeting is: From playground to inclusive play. The previous five meetings were due to covid restrictions,…
Read MoreOpening of the renovated schoolyards of primary school KSU de Spits in Lunette, Utrecht
Friday 17 June was the festive opening of the renovated schoolyards of primary school KSU de Spits in Lunette, Utrecht. De Spits – KSU (ksu-despits.nl) The squares have been greened and have become much more accessible and playable for children/adults with disabilities. De Spits wants to be an inclusive school and that includes an inclusive …
Read MoreSuccessful kick off SpelenmaaR
Saturday 18 of June was the official kick-off of SpelenmaaR at playground Tuindorp. The playground was the scene of the annual midsummer festival that day.A lot of children started working with the loose materials. Huts appeared and disappeared again, an elephant was let out, inventions were made, sword fights were held and much more. Besides…
Read MoreWorkshop Inclusive Play SBB Gagelbos – Utrecht
SBB, is the Dutch State Forest Conservation organization. SBB has 56 “Speelnatuur” areas. Gagelbos in Utrecht is one of these. Access to the Speelnatuur is free. But access isn’t easy or even possible for everyone. SBB wants to make the Speelnatuur more accessible and playable for visitors with disabilities. SBB wrote its own guide to…
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