#PlayAfricaStories #PlayAfricaCOVID19Stories
I am at home with my three children, ages 9, 7 and 6. I was introduced to Play Africa by a friend in March last year. I was WOWED and absolutely impressed by the resources that we saw. We live in flats and in my children’s schools they don’t have anything like what we saw at Play Africa. Their playing resources are very limited.
In the year we have been visiting, I’ve seen my children’s imagination grow so much. Nothing goes to waste in our house. A box of cereal turns into a house, giant feet, an aeroplane – anything. Toilet rolls turn into cars and verkykers (binoculars). Even when they wake me up early on a Saturday morning to go to Play Africa, I don’t mind anymore because I know where we are going is worth our family time. The fun doesn’t even stop when we come back home.
My feeling since Play Africa closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak is… STRESS. We do everything inside the house. Play Africa has been our only outing where I feel my children are safe and happy. I don’t have to worry and wonder like I used to do when they’d ask to go play outside. In back of my mind I’d always ask myself: What are they are up to? Are they disturbing the neighbours or messing up somewhere?
As sad and necessary as is, at least they understand why we are indoors. I am glad I came to Play Africa because if they were playing like they are now, before I understood this kind of play, I would have stopped them from cutting boxes, making forts and dinosaur fossils. Even during this lockdown, my children are happily playing indoors.
I’m not active on social media because I do not have a smart phone, but if I did, I would love to show my kids the creativity that Play Africa comes up with. My kids have a favourite play and learning facilitator they love to see when we visit Play Africa. His name is KG. Since the lockdown, they miss KG a lot.
#CoronaStories #Coronavirus #COVID19 #SouthAfricaLockdown #Lockdown #Quarantine #COVID19SouthAfrica #Children #Education #Teachers #ChildrensMuseums #Museums #Museum #play #homelearning #playmatters #SouthAfrica #Africa
Goethe-Institut Johannesburg Constitution Hill (South Africa) Rand Merchant Bank Association of Children’s Museums
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