New exhibit explores the ‘nature of play’

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on August 10, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Lethbridge Plays has partnered with the Helen Schuler Nature Centre to develop an exhibit that explores the world of play and its benefits, through interactive play stations.
The exhibit “The Nature of Play” will be featured in the Helen Schuler Nature Centre’s main gallery until March 2024.
Manager of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre, Coreen Putman spoke to media Wednesday morning about the exhibit and said it was developed by multiple organizations from across the city which make up Lethbridge Plays.
“The exhibit is designed to provide great play opportunities and we’ve seen tons of visitors coming down, from really young to grandparents that are enjoying spaces with their grandkids,” said Putman.
 She said the exhibit is also designed to build awareness about why people need to take time to play regardless of their age.  
“The way the exhibit is laid out it looks at different forms of play, so we have a section that looks at pretend play, which is a form of very social play and imaginative play that looks at some of the benefits and what’s happening in terms of children’s development and brain development as they are engaging in pretend play,” said Putman.
 She said another station offers physical play through a horizontal climbing wall and stepping stones, to provide opportunities to move not only the body’s muscles but also the brain muscles required to coordinate the physical play.
 “We also have a section that looks at object play or loose parts play, so we have smaller loose parts play where people can be creative, that space in the exhibit will change out monthly and will have something new in that space every month,” said Putman.
 She said the exhibit will also feature outdoor components to offer opportunities for people to play that may visit the Centre while is not open to the public.
“The first day that the exhibit was open was Thursday, so we’re onto about Day Five right now. We’ve already seen multiple visitors that within that five days have come back for their second and even third time,” said Putman.
 She said some parents have actually struggled to get their kids out of the exhibit, which for them it indicates a play win.
 Such was the case of Kristi Schooten and her daughter Collins, who visited the exhibit Wednesday as their second time around.
 “We were here on the weekend actually as well, and I had to pull her out of here because we needed to go, so I think the flexibility of play is something that’s really important for her age group, she is four years old,” said Kristi.   
 On Wednesday Kristi and Collins played at different stations and Kristi said her daughter enjoys being able to play however she wants.
 “I appreciate the open-endedness of it, there’s no rules, it doesn’t tell them what to do, she can come here, she likes to explore, there’s lots of things to do,” said Kristi.
Putman said while speaking to the media that she has notice the difference it makes for children when they have adults engage in play with them while visiting the exhibit.
“It’s incredible to see the difference in the children and how they engage in the play when they’re playing just on their own versus when they have those adults playing with them, and so this space has been really inspiring in that way,” said Putman.
Coordinator and research associate of Building Brains Together and co-chair of Lethbridge Plays, Vicki Hazelwood said around six years ago a number of people from the community went to the international play association conference in Calgary, where they launched their play charter and had the opportunity to learn about how play is essential for all humans for healthy development and wellness.
“We wanted to see that become a priority here in Lethbridge, so launching the play charter back in 2018 and having that success of the council on board gave us the opportunity to really focus on educating the community around the importance of play,” said Hazelwood.
Lethbridge Plays represents over 20 local organizations that came together to prioritize play in our community and they are celebrating their fifth year anniversary this year.
Visit LethbridgePlays.ca to learn more about the science behind play and how to get involved. The site also features a Blog with articles explaining the growing body of research demonstrating the importance of play.

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