We are thrilled to announce three screenings with the Boston Children's Museum, a leader in advocating for children's play! Join us throughout the Summer and celebrate the Power of Play.

On June 11, 2pm - be there for the film and a vibrant panel discussion about play and healthy risk taking with:

Anna Housley Juster, Ph.D., Senior Director, Child Development Boston Children's Museum

Erin Davis, Filmmaker

Carole Charnow, President and CEO, Boston Children's Museum

Michael W. Yogman, M.D., Chairman Boston Children's Museum

Janice O'Donnell, former executive director of Providence Children's Museum and founder of Playcorps.

July 28, 6pm RSVP - Panelists to come!

August 20, 2pm RSVP - Panelists to come!

Learn more about the events and RSVP for a day that works for you at the Boston Children's Museum. See you there!

In Sweden, an Experiment Turns Shorter Workdays into Bigger Gains, NYT 5/20/16

Meanwhile retirees in the US are finding it harder to let their work lives go... completely. These retirees attempt to balance paid work with volunteer contributions in their communities and build connections with grandchildren. 

Work a Little, Play a Little: A New Retirement Strategy, NYT 5/20/16

Often work and play are presented as opposites when in fact they are more like cousins, sisters. Playworker and scholar Brian Sutton-Smith said, "the opposite of play is depression." Self-directed time and space is valuable and healthful for the individual and the society and should be enabled, across the lifespan. 

Register your interest here. No spam, no commitment. Just a few details to support the organizers. See you in California in February!

Balanced and Barefoot: How Unstructured outdoor play makes for strong, confident, and capable children WOHOOO!!*

In Balanced and Barefoot, Angela Hanscom gives adults permission to release the reins without fear. Her expertise as an occupational therapist affirms what so many of us know intuitively: children thrive when they have access to rich, self-directed play opportunities.

Available now!  (Use it for good, not evil!)

*ok, the wohooo is ours... not part of the actual title...

Our film THE LAND was launched through a successful kickstarter campaign and we know first hand how small pledges of support from $1, $5, $10, $100 -- whatever you can give -- MAKE the difference.

We believe in and support play:ground and hope you will too!  Pledge today and play on!

Order soon for Christmas delivery!

Planning to tuck The Land DVD into someone's stocking this year?  Place your order for home DVD by Tuesday December 15 at 5pm for Christmas delivery. Order now. 

As always, you can screen The Land in your classroom or with your community group by ordering any time through New Day Films. 

Wishing you a peaceful and playful new year!

The Land is proud to be included in their Short Film Showcase for a new generation of learners, travelers and more. 

In their words: The Short Film Showcase spotlights exceptional short videos created by filmmakers from around the web and selected by National Geographic editors. We look for work that affirms National Geographic's belief in the power of science, exploration, and storytelling to change the world... more!

Play on!

At our Ithaca screening a gentleman raised his hand during the Q/A with a comment that has stuck with me.  To paraphrase, he stated to the crowd: 

'I heard about The Land film and wanted to come see it, but I didn't really know why.  My kids are grown, I'm not a teacher or anything. But now that it's over I realize why - we don't see children playing anymore, in our neighborhoods and communities. And I sense that and I miss it.  The lack of play affects everyone.'  

He shared this film with us and now I share it with you.  Play on. 

Thanks to all who came out to see The Land and launch the Atlas Obscura Cinema Club at Videology Bar & Cinema. Parents, play therapists, teachers, future teachers, filmmakers, children's museum exhibit designers and more playful and curious folks all in one room. Plus booze. Onward!

THE LAND will screen in Burlington Vermont  in Columbia, Missouri!  Catch us the Lunchtime Shorts program on Wednesday October 28, 2015 at NOON. 

For ticket information and directions visit VIFF.  Director will be in attendance for a Q/A!

THE LAND is honored to be a part of the 2015 Citizen Jane Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri!  Catch us the shorts program on Saturday October, 24 at 5pm. Make a weekend of it and spring for a festival pass! 

Tickets are available now through CJFF. 

THE LAND will screen in Providence, Rhode Island on Thursday October 22nd at 6:30pm at the Providence Children's Museum. Tickets are FREE and open to the public when you RSVP. 

Please join us after the screening for a lively discussion about the film, adventure play and the benefits of risk to kid's physical and emotional development.  Panelists include director Erin Davis, Janice O'Donnell, creator and executive director of PlayCorps and educator and filmmaker Michele Meek who will also share a sneak-preview of her work in progress, a new film about adventure play. 

For more information and to register for the event, check out the Providence Children's Museum's website and plan a visit! Don't forget to RSVP for tickets... See you there!

THE LAND will screen in Brooklyn, NY on Monday October 19th at 7:00pm at Videology Bar & Cinema. Tickets are on sale NOW! 

This special screening is brought to you Atlas Obscura celebrating the launch of their Obscura Society Cinema Club.  This premiere event will feature two documentaries about unusual realities of the contemporary world. Filmmakers Erin Davis (The Land) and Hannah Jayanti (Gasper & Son) will join audience members for discussion after the films. Please join us!

Videology: Williamsburg, BK - 308 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11249

For more info and tickets clickity click here. 

THE LAND will screen in Ithaca, New York on Friday October 2nd at 7pm. Tickets are free if you've registered for the Play Symposium and available for individual sale HERE.  Please join us for a discussion afterwards with a dream team of panelists including Joan Almon from the Alliance for Childhood and Morgan Leichter-Saxby of Pop-Up Adventure Play. 

For more information about the Ithaca Children's Garden Play Symposium: A Gathering of Change Makers Working to Foster a Culture of Play visit their website. 

Director Erin Davis will be talking play & playwork in Burlington Vermont on Thursday September, 24 at the Burlington City Hall PechaKucha Night! Details and tickets available now!

Play advocates UNITE at the second annual Play Symposium at the Ithaca Children's Garden featured on NPR, Katie Couric's Katie show and, of course, home of The Anarchy Zone adventure playground.  Meet and hear from kindred spirits making play happen all over the country.  

We'll be there listening and learning and screening the film.  Registration is open now!

San Francisco! THE LAND will screen on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER, 16 at 6:30pm as part of The Architecture and the City Fest. Tix are free but you have to register in advance.  We wish we could be there. Enjoy this wonderful event at the Main Public Library!

Editor of THE LAND Eric Risher will be in attendance for a Q/A!

Also don't forget the Berkeley Adventure Playground is just a hop and a skip from the screening, where it has been for 37 years!  Consider a visit. Play on. x

Director will be in attendance for Q/A, tickets and passes are available now.  We hope to see you!

Mark your calendars, tickets are available at the door for $11. But consider a festival pass as the lineup includes extremely excellent films that you'll be thinking and talking about for weeks like APPROACHING THE ELEPHANT, THE WOLFPACK and ALMOST THERE.  All details at the website!

NEW YORK CITY 
August 4!

An ENCORE presentation with Rooftop Films. 
Tickets are FREE WITH RSVP!

PHILADELPHIA
August 12!  

The Infill Philadelphia: Play Space initiative welcomes THE LAND at the Center for Architecture. 

Tickets on sale now!
*Director in attendance for Q&A.

SAN FRANCISCO
September 16!

The 2015 Architecture and the City Film Festival  is all about PLAY: Design in Action.  

Mark your calendar and get on their mailing list! Tickets and more details to come as the date draws near. 

We are proud to announce our upcoming screenings with AFI Docs in Washington, D.C.!

Friday June 19, 12:15p

Sunday June 21, 7:00p

Tickets available now!

We are thrilled to have our New York premiere with Rooftop Films!  Outdoor screenings all Summer long.  See you opening night for "This Is What We Mean by Short Films!"

FRIDAY MAY 29, 8:00pm

INDUSTRY CITY  
(North Roof & South Roof)
SUNSET PARK
220 36th Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11232
D, N, R to 36 St

TICKETS!

My eternal thanks to the children and families of Plas Madoc and the staff and supporters of The Land adventure playground, especially Claire Griffiths, David Bullough, Luke Sutton, Nicola Milburn, Natalie Sear & Aaron Jones.

And heartfelt thanks to the incredible filmmaking team: Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar, Liz Cambron, Erick Stoll, Eric Risher & Jim Klein.

One more special shout out to the INCREDIBLE audiences at Full Frame who traveled from near and far! Thank you for your energy and questions. Play on!

This is a huge honor and we are beyond thrilled. Thank you to everyone who supported the film from the very beginning and who found us along the way. Special thanks to the children and families of Plas Madoc, to Claire Griffiths, Dave Bullough, Luke Sutton, Natalie Sear, Nicola Milburn & Aaron Jones for welcoming our crew, teaching us and sharing this special community and space. Your work is a model for so many around the world. 

If you are in Durham, mark your calendar for the afternoon of April 10th, we hope to see you there!

I was lucky to spend the Summer with Albert Maysles in 2011 before leaving New York. His work reminds me that viewers are patient, compassionate and smart, and should be treated as such. Also that there is transcendent beauty in the smallest, tiniest movements and moments that should be deeply relished. What a gift. x

Saturday March 21, 2015
11:00am 
West End Cinema
Washington, DC
TICKETS on sale soon. 

A panel discussion will follow with Hanna Rosin, author of The Overprotected Kid with Rusty Keeler, designer of The Anarchy Zone at the Ithaca Children's Garden and director Erin Davis. Can't wait to see you there. x

I mean, WOW.  It's so warming to hear from others tapping into the world of playwork and child-directed play.  Permission goes a long way.   Onward!

Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to the good vibes and great ideas, and who has supported and inspired us along the way (looking at you, folks at The Land & Pop Up Adventure Play!) Onward! ‪#‎playwork‬ ‪#‎playrev‬ ‪#‎anarchyzone‬

The Pop-Up Adventure Play Playworker Development Course has a couple of spots left in their remote study program!  Immerse yourself with fun, smart and experienced playworkers who've worked with kids and families in the UK and the US. 

Get $100 off your registration with code FREEPLAYMOVIE while spots are available, deadline Sunday, September 28, 2014. x

Check out the lineup. We'll be there talking about the film and more.  Hope you can make it!

The most exciting thing about the Hands on Nature Anarchy Zone at the Ithaca Children's Garden is how the play team talks about the playground as a space that is evolving. They are observing and responding to the kids and families of Ithaca, finding their footing with the practice of playwork, and experimenting with sustainable models for employing regular, well trained playwork staff.  

Like Plas Madoc (home to The Land), Ithaca is a very playful community, and for that reason, the AZ is an exciting and inspiring model in the US. Peter Gray makes important points in this piece, essential critiques that the AZ would probably not deny. But as Suzanna Law aptly states, we can't go "from zero to chainsaw."  And in the spirit of Bob Hughes, the defining quality of a good playspace should be CHANGE.

The Anarchy Zone is constantly changing. It is staffed and informed by Playwork. It is a baby, 2 years old, in the right place at the right time. Pay attention! It's the real deal.

We've received dozens of photos from throughout Europe and want even more!

Any era, anywhere in the world.  See below for details. x  

St. Paul's Adventure Playground

Bristol, England 

Photo courtesy of Tom Williams

Stewarts Road Adventure Playground

London

Photo Courtesy of Grant Lambie

Crumbles Castle Adventure Playground

London, since 1976

Photo courtesy of the Islington Play Association.

Attention! The Land documentary seeks still photographs of adventure playgrounds from around the world, from any era, for possible inclusion in the upcoming film. 

Photo courtesy of Nancy Rudolph

The Anarchy Zone

Ithaca, NY, USA

Since 2012

Photo by Erin Davis

The Land

Wrexham, Wales, UK

Since 2012

Photo by Erin Davis

If you have pictures up your sleeve, please email up to 3 high resolution images of your favorite adventure play site to erin [at] playfreemovie [dot] com with the following information:

• The name of the playground (as it is known to the children).
• The city where it's located.
• The year the playground was established.
• To whom should we credit the photo.

Deadline: Friday September 19, 2014. But don't wait, send them today!  Now extended!

Direct questions to erin [at] playfreemovie [dot] com.  Play on!

Via @NPR. x

A taste of our own medicine, getting grilled about adventure play by Katie Couric! Shout out to Rusty Keeler for repping The Anarchy Zone so brilliantly and for Kate for her playful support. What will America think?

And thank you, of course to Katie Couric!  It is such an honor to be on the show and share the story of The Land.  Have a great week, all!

For infrequent updates with the most important news about The Land documentary, our official mailing list is up and running!  Sign up and send us a shout. For more frequent links and happenings, we're on Facebook & Twitter. x

Taking risks is essential if a child is going to learn about the true nature of life on earth.  Risk, in play as in life, is not only unavoidable, it is everywhere. 

Bob Hughes, Evolutionary Playwork. 

We are officially one degree of separation from ELMO, wee!!

Play on. x

Seen in full at the NYTimes.

In this interview, creator Cas Holman talks about the child centered philosophy in her design process. "One common comment I hear from parents ... is 'kids love building wheeled Rigamajigs- you should include an axle,' and I reply 'but then the wheels wouldn't fall off!" She continues, "It's not about a final product. It's the playful process."  Amen!

"Is it madness, or a model for the future?" Cast your vote by sharing the story with teachers, parks departments and advocates in your community. 

As seen on the PBS News Hour - Judy Woodruff speaks with Hanna Rosin, author of The Overprotected Kid, about the benefits of risk in play and features our footage of The Land! 

I want to give credit to author Jay Griffiths whose idea I referenced when I spoke about children being free spirits, drawn to adventuresome characters like performers and cowboys. Jay writes about this in her incredible book Kith: The Riddle of the Childscape which I evangelize at every opportunity.  

In thinking about this idea, I'd like to add Harry Potter to the list of magic-infused, inspiring risk-takers.  Who else do children admire and mimic in their imaginative play?  Sports heroes... who else? 

Thanks to everyone who viewed and shared the clip and Q & A at The Atlantic.com making it one of their most watched videos.  We continue to get daily emails from around the world from teachers, parents and advocates wanting to learn more and see the film.  We can't wait to share later this year.  Play on!

• Bruce McLachlin, the New Zealand principal who banned rules on his playground, resulting in decreased bullying. 
• A pre-school teacher with a hammer and nails offering in her classroom & 
• Roger Hart on anarchy as self governance among children and more.

It's a great conversation starter if you're advocating for play.

Link not working?  Google: " CBC Freedom to be a kid " 

P.S. Link not working?  Google: " CBC Freedom to be a kid " 

P.P.S. A note of clarification: children at The Land are not "encouraged to play with sharp tools and run around with pointy sticks."  They do, however, have permission to use tools and other objects including paint, bikes, tires & palettes etc., as they wish.  Safety is a high priority at The Land.  However, an important distinction is made: safety involves removing hazards.  It doesn't involve removing risk. 

photo by Suzanna Law

This weekend in Phili I reunited with Pop Up Adventure Play for one of their final tour stops at the Smith Memorial Playground.  One of the first warm nights of the year, we had a lovely workshop with parents, teachers and play staff on the porch of Smith's historic mansion. 

I screened a scene in progress, which happens to feature some advanced fire play and playworking by Dave.  Impressive stuff.  It was a thrill to see the footage projected for the very first time and gave me chills to think of the many more backyard screenings to come.

On Saturday there was playworking in action as Morgan and Suzanna did their thing in the Pop Up Adventure Playground.  I flexed my own playwork muscles and became, essentially, a tape ripper for a few hours (duct tape is hard for little hands, but PERFECT for cardboard swords). Kids had access to all sorts of stuff and could make or do anything they wanted. "Is this a science club?" I was asked more than once.  "Nope. Just go for it."  And they did.

Pop Up Adventure Feather Box @ Smith's Pop Up Adventure Playground.

Yes, that's the office - on the left. 

In a play space that is constantly changing there is one thing that is firmly planted, not going anywhere -- The Office.  The green shipping container at the far end of the playground is where children first stop after crossing The Land from the main entrance, before digging into their day's play.  

The office sits empty when the playworkers are busy with the kids outside.

Inside is where Claire sorts receipts and tabulates the budget.  Where playworkers write and file risk assessments (below) and graffiti the walls with quotes like, "through play we become human."  

Frequently throughout the day, constantly even, heads pop through the door.  "Hiya." "What are you doing?" "Where's Dave?"  "Have we got a saw?" "Can you build me a den?" "What time is street play?"  

Dave files a report after putting a band-aid on a scraped knee. 

And despite an inch of muddy slush, a sofa, and piles of loose parts (broken umbrellas, loose papers, a box of foot-long stickers of the number '6', two silver trash cans, and a pack of socks to rescue cold, wet toes...) the playworkers squeeze in each evening to share a brew (tea!) and reflect after a long day.  The slimy view of an ever-changing playspace cannot be beat. 

Sit back and enjoy.

Cozy in its disorder, there always seems room for one more.

There are many powerful moments in the article including reflections by Hanna as she watched her young son play at The Land for the first time.  A great read. 

You can find the clip on The Atlantic Video Channel and here:

Play on!

Play is fun, the picture declares, but deeply serious. (more)

Levitt’s consistent and canny framing of play-scenes makes the picture itself into a space of play. (more)

Play on, all - in whichever form you choose!

Two Children Teasing a Cat

Annibale Carracci (Italian, Bologna 1560–1609 Rome).

Was thrilled to see this risky moment at the MoMa recently.  "Two Children Teasing a Cat." 

The picture may well carry a moralizing lesson similar to our expression "playing with fire." One of the children will surely get scratched. (source)

Somehow I doubt the message was intended for the children depicted in the painting. 

Also featured is a delightful audio doc, Thirteen Ways by Pejk Malinovski that beautifully illustrates children's imaginations through (sonic) poetry.  Listen to both!  

Thank you, ABC Radio National!

When I first came back from The Land, I showed some rough footage to a few kids I know.   They were hypnotized, oohing, awing, asking:

"What do you do there?"

"Anything, really"

"oh... [lightbulb] AWESOME!"  

Later, I realized the 8 year old had slipped away.   I found him in the play-room building with a cardboard box he'd dragged out of the garage, some other items from the recycle bin, blankets and pillows -- he'd even taken some pictures OFF THE WALL to create the boundaries of his fort. Permission and possibility, they translate quickly.  

This piece premiered on Transom.org 

Listen to the full version at Transom.org. 

Dennis keeps a close eye on our progress. 

During the day audio excerpts from the film will be broadcast through the the once booming, now busted car speakers via low-power radio. I'm thrilled to participate in this whimsical project that breaths new life into forgotten objects.  

 "This isn't junk... this is a story."

Special thanks to the curator of said audio, the talented and inspiring (and backer of this film!) Ann Heppermann for including us.  Now go, go, go if you can and enjoy!

Thanks to Morgan Leichter-Saxby for pointing out we were named dropped - not bad! 

So thrilled The Land is getting the attention it deserves.  And I can't wait to see what comes of the visit for the US.  

Read the full story here. 

 Adventure: The Value of Risk in Children's Play  

Inside you'll recognize several photos of The Land. The more adults that take an interest in self-directed play, playwork and risk... the smilier my smile gets.  Add it to your library, or give one to your favorite principal...  

Have a great week! 

Just when I thought I'd googled every variation of play, play deprivation, playwork (very few results by the way), playgrounds and "are we all going to rot and become robots for lack of spontaneity, and joie de vivre...?" I found my library.  And oh what a good one it is.  This is just the beginning. 

Have you listened yet?  Take a break, put on headphones, dim the lights and visit the land yourself.  What makes you feel uncomfortable? What makes you swoon? 

The contrast between what the mainstream provides for children, and what they create when left to their own devices is telling us something. Shouting to us! Listen! Listen!

“Enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person’s capacity to act.”

For an abbreviated experience, this is the article that led me to her book: The Politics of Play (Orion magazine March/April 2013). 

Perhaps Lady Allen's greatest legacy is expanding adventure play opportunities to children at all levels of ability.  The language in this film is dated, but the ideas still seem ahead of their time.  

Enjoy!

We're all drawn to fire, aren't we?  It's warm, magical, turns objects to ash... it sparkles, crackles... is just cool.  (Or, "mint," as I'm learning to say.)   When we were kids, I remember melting candles on the porch for hours on summer afternoons - lighting the wicks and dripping wax onto wooden boards pulled out of the garage.  

Fire play is a common and important element in adventure playgrounds.  Above is a time lapse test from an afternoon at the fire pit - a hypnotic and beautiful bit of space on The Land.  

Fortrait #3: "Adventure Fort"

"Adventure Fort" was part 3 of a 4-part series of "fortraits" by Encyclopedia Pictura.  Here are the others. They are a delight. 

Fortrait #1 "Driftwood Cabin"

Fortrait #2: "Camping Rafts"

Fortrait #4: Subterranean Breakfast Nook

Don't they make you want to look around? Pick up a stick? Tie it to another with some grass? Stack rocks? Paint? Draw?  Look to the sky? To try something silly?  Delight in creating?  Yes. Yes, they do.  Me too. 

I wonder what a playworker might say about the play drive here - that feeling that the films trigger inside of us.  If I had to guess, based on what I've learned from them all so far, I might say that these films give us permission to play.  And permission, it seems, is sometimes all it takes. 

snowball fight

adult supervision

This was not here yesterday. 

The playground doors are open and things are going great. Every day is new, a surprise - for everyone at the site - always!  xxo 

More evidence.  Everyone was snowed in.  We couldn't get off of our lane.   Playworkers couldn't get to work and the playground was closed.   

Stranded in the lovely village of Caergwrle (pronounced Kai-GIRL-ly) we walked to the local sledding hill.  Some friendly sledders lent us their best board and luckily we had a GoPro.  They'd built quite a ramp (Thanks, "Pigeon" and company!)

- please be advised this video contains strong language due to sledding induced fear.

And they're off!

The friendly gentlemen who lent us their sled!

More soon, all. xxo 

This makes for a beautiful LANDscape.  But sadly for us, the playground was closed to kids for the day and the crew was snowed in at the apartment - with heavy branches fallen all down the drive.   It did make for a great opportunity to interview our gracious and friendly hosts here about their own risky childhood memories.  Hearing stories like these, from the woods, the junkyards, the fields played in years ago, is one of the great pleasures and privileges of making this film. 

Also, have you read this?   Prepare yourself - you may be compelled to shout "amen" from the rooftops. 

We've dug ourselves out and are tucking in for the night.  To be continued! xoxo

photo by Claire Griffiths

The temps have since dropped and the crew and I are expecting snow overnight.  We're not sure yet if the playground will be closed tomorrow due to the weather but Claire and I are in touch and all of our fingers are crossed!  Here's hoping for an epic snowball fight on the first day of shooting for The Land! 

Thanks all, more soon!

Dave doesn't have to be at work until 3:00pm.  But one day I arrived around noon to find him hauling a van full of donated wooden pallets - his palms scraped and scabbed from a minor crash on a speeding scooter the previous afternoon.  I would often find him like this, before the workday, digging a waist deep hole on the playground, assembling a rudimentary shed, or rigging a den in a neglected corner.  Playworkers call these "sensitive modifications."  The changes are left to be claimed and re-imagined by the first child who finds them.

He laughs, telling me about a recent shenanigan in which the kids painted his co-worker green (like... head to toe, glasses, jeans, jacket...) and got him to chase them them through the surrounding neighborhood like a monster.  Neighbors and parents peered through their curtains, shook their heads with a smile and scooted their own children out the front door.  "That about sums it up really," he says. 

But Dave takes this work seriously and acknowledges that playwork is not always silliness and games.  Supporting play can challenge adult sensibilities and demands reflection, and humility.  Here, Dave speaks about the darker side of play, and why it's welcome at The Land.

Claire Griffiths runs the "The Land" Adventure Playground. She grew up in Plas Madoc, the neighborhood surrounding the play-site, and as a child played on the plot where "The Land" now lives. Her daughter, Darcey, is a regular now as well (you'll recognize Darcey as the girl in the opening shot of the trailer playing with fire). 

For our interview, I asked Claire where she'd like to sit.  I suggested the picnic table, maybe on the bridge... we looked around and Claire came to this lovely spot, under a tree, right in the grass unaware of the swinging hammock full of children just over her shoulder.  The playground is grafittied with tributes to her from the children.  Even her boots are scrawled with "I love Claire!" from a playground attendee. 

I asked Claire, what does she see when she looks around the play site?  "Possibilities," she answered.  Please take one minute to hear more from Claire below about play, playwork, and the starting point.

New Yorker cover, October 2010

If you look closely, the magazine is speckled with observations of the experience of being a child.  Here are just a few. 

Take a closer look at the whole campaign here. 

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