Following the success of our recent collaboration with Boom Clap Play on the development of the Wiggle Room, an interactive and immersive playroom, we were delighted to join forces once again on two new projects.

Rewild Play is a co-design research project aimed at refining processes for working with young audiences and creating more meaningful interactive experiences. PlayBoard supported Boom Clap Play to explore co-design frameworks with children, including those from under-served communities.

Staff co-facilitated three workshops with children from Thornfield House School to explore the concept of ‘magic’ through the creation of imaginative rooms. We encouraged the children to express their preferences using different sensory experiences.

The children used loose parts, LEGO, dough, art materials, and natural materials to make magical wands. In our final workshop, they had the opportunity to play with the prototype that they had worked on with Boom Clap Play, exploring the idea of making music with their bodies. It was great fun working together and hearing the impact of sitting down on different chairs, each producing its own unique sound.

PlayBoard also supported the delivery of three Art Clubs – open-ended creative workshops for children aged 4-11 years held at Portview Trade Centre in Belfast. The workshops featured a different local artist each week who presented their work to a group of children, inspiring them to create their own masterpieces based on what they had seen.

Throughout the sessions, the children designed characters, created prints using a printing press, and tried patterned life drawing. The focus was on playful making, flow, and sensory exploration.

PlayBoard facilitators ensured that the children felt safe, had opportunities to make friends, and were comfortable expressing themselves creatively.