One a Penny, Two a Penny - Special Edition
International Day of Play
Dear Everyone,
Today is…
…THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PLAY!
This is an important day, and it should be made a global holiday! A day when we are all encouraged to play! Let’s remind our bosses and families, neighbours and friends, that playfulness encourages happiness, kindness and energy!
Children all, come out to play,
The moon doth shine as bright as day.
Leave your supper and leave your sleep,
And join your playfellows in the street!
Come with whoop,
Come with a call.
Come with a good will,
Or not at all!
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You bring milk and I’ll bring flour
And we’ll have a pudding in half an hour!
The origins of this rhyme are obscure, but it dates at least from 1708 and has been used in many different contexts, including politics, entertainment and satire. Some researchers suggest that it dates from when children had to work in the daytime so were encouraged to play at night, in the moonlight. Others imply a darker meaning, that the faeries are calling children from the safety of their beds into the dark forests, with the promise of a faerie pudding!
Remember the contrasting Scottish nursery rhyme, ‘Wee Willy Winkie’, who runs through the town, making sure all the children are on their beds because its after eight o’clock! This was originally a five-verse poem, written by William Miller and published in 1841.
Nursery rhymes are an important part of our literature and learning, and encourage children to develop rhythmic, interactive and other play skills. There are also many important lullabies which really do make difference at bedtime. We shall be featuring ideas for meltdowns and bedtime routines in future newsletters. These will be in the free section and available for everyone.
There are innumerable online resources now for children’s stories and play. I would like to recommend one called ‘Words for Life’ which has an abundance of creative ideas: poems, nursery rhymes, stories and lots of ideas.
To mark the International Day of Play, we are launching a weekday version of our online Diploma course on Neuro-Dramatic-Play. People can sign up for day or evening versions and leave their weekends free for playing!
To enable us to celebrate International Day of Play, there is a 20% reduction for all those who take up an NDP Diploma course during June and July 2025. So, we are looking forward to seeing you, wherever you reside!
And as always, I finish with a story, which I send you with love. It is a story about generosity, love, warmth and light; my thanks as always to the many cultures that allow us to share their stories.
How Grandmother Spider Stole the Sun for the Cherokee People
A Story from Native America
In ancient times there was total darkness and people bumped into each other. There was no light and everyone was very cold, and of course they had to eat their food raw. Fox said that on the other side of the world people had a bright sun which was very hot, but they were too mean to share it.
Possum said that she would go to the other side of the world and hide a piece of this sun in her bushy tail and bring it back. Sadly her tail caught fire from the sun and completely burnt off all her fur, and Possum forever had a bare tail.
Vulture said that he would try to bring back some sun, and would carry it on his head so he could see where he was going. However, the sun burnt all his feathers on his head and neck, and Vulture has had no feathers on his head to this very day.
Then Grandmother Spider said that she would give it a try. First of all she baked a thick pot with a lid. Then she spun her web right to the other side of the world. Quietly she ran across the web and placed the Sun in her thick pot and closed the lid. She was so small and quiet, no one noticed her slip away home across her web.
Everyone was delighted with the gift of light, warmth and heat and their frowns turned to smiles. They felt so joyous at the gifts of the Sun and fire. Grandmother Spider also taught them how to make their own pots, so now they could cook their food and keep it hot.
Reflections and activities (EPR):
1. Research Native Americans and their stories.
2. Everyone moves round the room as if they are cold and it is dark (no touching).
3. Now the sun comes out, everyone begins to feel warmer and skips round the room.
4. Draw a picture of a spider’s web or dreamcatcher.
65 Choose whether you are Possum or Vulture or Grandmother Spider, and create a scene of trying to steal the sun in small groups.
7. How would you celebrate when you were successful at getting the sun?
8. Discuss how you could make this story into a play.
Be kind to yourselves and keep playing!
Dr Sue
