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Opal West Midlands

@opalwestmids

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5 years ago, I joined the OPAL team and started supporting schools in the West Midlands to improve their playtimes. Now, alongside the wonderful Amy and Ruth, we are supporting around 160 schools- roughly 64,000 children to embrace child led, adventurous play every day! So proud of our @opalwestmids team! Happier children, happier staff and happier schools. 🤸‍♀️ 🤸‍♂️ #opalschools

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Outdoor play kitchens made for OPAL schools and for the whole primary school, not just EYFS.

These aren’t just mud kitchens. They’re open-ended spaces for imaginative, creative, sensory, social and exploratory play - becoming cafés, restaurants, potion labs, campsites, woodland kitchens and whatever else children can imagine.

Built for Reception through to Year 6, they support intergenerational play, giving younger and older children opportunities to play together.

We build using reclaimed pallet timber and repurposed materials wherever possible, creating something robust, characterful and sustainable. Every kitchen includes a sink and water, plus ingredient trays for soil, sand, bark, pine cones, leaves and whatever natural materials you want to provide. We can even incorporate a nearby digging area so children can source their own ingredients.

And the best bit? We can usually build a kitchen in around two days, meaning we can transform your playground over a weekend, ready for children to discover on Monday.

Not just a kitchen. A place where children can imagine, create, collaborate and play.

🌿 Want to transform an area of your playground? Get in touch:
www.theparakeetstudio.com

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The playground is the engine room of the school.

Hidden from the timetable but essential to its movement, it generates the curiosity, agency, imagination and social understanding that propel children’s learning forward.

In play, children make meaning, test possibilities, build relationships and develop the curiosity, confidence and creativity that power every classroom experience.

Join @outdoorplayandlearning and see the difference for yourself.

Reimagine playtime as a powerful part of your school culture, building happier children and a stronger school community.

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What a year of play for our @opalwestmids schools! 🎉

Congratulations to all of our fantastic @outdoorplayandlearning schools. You’ve created the most amazing, exciting opportunities for your children to experience all the benefits of free play.

You’ve embraced the joyful chaos of child-directed play and resisted the urge to control or curtail children’s freely chosen, intrinsically motivated play. Your hard work in creating the systems, culture and training that underpin the OPAL programme is paying off.

The reward? Happier children, improved behaviour, calmer afternoons, and school communities where play is truly valued at the heart of a happy and healthy childhood.

Thank you for your passion, commitment and belief in the power of play. Here’s to another incredible year! 🌟

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The children pictured gathered a collection of old laptops and keyboards before setting up camp beside a busy football match to become the VAR officials. Completely unprompted, they created their own officiating station, scrutinising imaginary replays and debating decisions. It’s a perfect example of a type of nomadic role play – children taking their play to where the action is, adapting loose parts to fit the context and creating a rich play narrative from the world unfolding around them.

#opalschools #worldcup #roleplay #playworkersofinstagram @opalwestmids

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Our year 6 children were cooking up a storm in the mud kitchen this week - had to capture it! 👨‍🍳 #mudkitchen #opal

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Practicing what we preach at the annual @outdoorplayandlearning work away! These fabulous creations massively enhanced by the fab @makedo tools

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Eeeekkk…still buzzing! 💭🥹

I had the absolute joy of being invited to Birmingham to be the official host of the play makers conference championing children’s rights and the unstoppable force of PLAY in our communities in Birmingham!

This wasn’t just any gathering… oh no. It was a vibrant constellation of play organisations, local authority leaders and joy‑makers all coming together to explore how play shapes the heartbeat of our neighbourhoods!

And honestly? My soul is still doing cartwheels 🤸🏽‍♀️

I had the delight (and let’s be real, the utter thrill) of being the chair of the Q&A with the phenomenal Professor Helen Dodd from @uniofexeter a woman who speaks about play with the kind of wisdom that makes your brain fizz.

Then I got to panel lead a gorgeous conversation with the brilliant Emma Bearman from @playfulanywhere.fun and the wonderful Sarah Ribbons, CEO of @the_springfield_project two women who radiate community engagement energy!

And a HUGE congratulations to @magic_of_play.ltd @roam_kids @opalwestmids @_parakeet_studio what a well‑deserved celebration of your incredible work!

Feeling grateful, energised and sprinkled with glitter from such a delightful invitation 💌

Birmingham, you were a dream 💛✨

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Packing up the party bags for tomorrow! #playmakersbrum

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We are so excited that we’re now fully booked with almost 100 fabulous play makers attending Play Makers Brum on Friday! It’s also an absolute joy to announce that the wonderful Amber Ogunsanya-William @playworkeramber will be joining to host the conference with her infectious energy! We are so looking forward to a day of playful learning and collaboration… who’s joining us?

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