Sky Play, The Out of School Way

The overall aim of the "Sky Play, The Out of School Way" proposal is to use the legacy of previous STFC and ESERO-UK resources including Down to Earth (D2E), "Is There Anyone Out There?" (ITAOT), and develop a delivery mechanism suitable for Out of School clubs in the United Kingdom. The project will inspire children aged 4-14 years old to engage with STEM subjects in a fun way learning through play. This will be achieved by running a pilot project in South Wales through this funding and, following a successful evaluation, applying for further funding to roll out across Wales with a view to extending to the rest of the UK in the future.

The project will not seek to "re-invent the wheel" but will instead make use of previously funded resources (by STFC, UKSA, ESERO-UK, RAS, ESA, IOP etc) which will be adapted for the informal learning through play environment of Out of School Childcare Clubs.

We know that this approach works as we have previously developed similar bilingual packs - Nature, Culture, Play and Youth with a number of them being mapped against criteria for The Children's University and all of which are used in clubs. The bilingual packs can be used by both adults and children and provide a basis for ideas around different themes and seasons. The packs are easy to follow and allow children to learn more about the world in which they live whilst having fun. The packs can be added to and children can extend ideas further by exploring, researching and talking to friends, families and their community.

The Sky Play, The Out of School Way activities will become part of a science activity pack that we will be looking for further funding to develop.


The specific aims of this project are:-

1 To review current resources and adapt 20 activities to ensure the 'fun' element is at the forefront to ensure the children have fun learning through play
(Playwork Principles - www.playwales.org.uk/eng/playworkprinciples ).
2 All activities will be written bilingually
3 To ensure that all adapted activities meet the Low cost, No cost, theme and that all comply with Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDGC)
4 To run a Train the Trainer course for 10 training facilitators and facilitated by Paul Smith - AstroCymru Project
5 To run 2 pilot Playworker workshops with 10 Playworkers on each to introduce the Playworkers to the activities and the piloting process to ensure evaluation consistency
6 To work with the same 20 Playworkers, in their clubs located in areas of multiple deprivation in the South Wales , to pilot the adapted bi-lingual resources. 10 clubs will pilot 10 of the activities with the next 10 taking the next 10 activities
7 To make all resources freely available online through the Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids' Clubs (CPCKC) website
8 To monitor and evaluate the activity pilots and to consult with the children involved to identify that the activities are fun and enjoyable. The activities will then be designed and formatted in the CPCKC style and included in the Sky Play Astronomy section of the bilingual Science activity pack.

Awareness raising, dissemination and networking
We will raise awareness of the project by the following mechanisms:-
The adapted astronomy activities will be put on the CPCKC website so that all 1,650 clubs, 45,000 children and 5,000 Playworkers can access.
We will promote through a wide variety of networks including other childcare organisations, Local Authorities and others
There will be a quarterly project update in 'Y Bont', our membership magazine which goes to members, AM's, MP's, Local Authorities and other organisations promoting the funder and the new activity pack to a wider audience across Wales
E-promotion and social media e.g. Facebook, Twitter will be used to promote the Playworker events, the project and the funding
We will network with the Cardiff University to promote the project and encourage the inclusion of Out of School Childcare clubs as a means to disseminating 'Science'.