IPA USA 2024 RIGHT2PLAY, RIGHT NOW: Full Schedule

Welcome to the IPA USA 2024 Conference, The Right to Play, RIGHT NOW! To ensure ease in registration, here are a few tricks.

Once you have purchased your ticket for the conference, you will be directed to a Registration Form. This form is not just a document; it’s a key part of our planning process, and your participation is highly valued. Please complete it to help us track attendees for each of the special events.

If you wish to enhance your conference experience by adding a T-shirt or the Saturday Evening Celebration, you can do so by visiting this page: https://ipausa2024right2playnow.sched.com/?iframe=no

To add the T-shirt or the Saturday Evening Celebration to your registration, click on the ’Reserve Tickets’ button and select the option/s you want to add on.

If you want to attend the Pre-Conference, please follow the link below to register.

PreConference Session – Wednesday, September 25 – 9:30-2:30 pm
Connecting Children with Nature: A Practical Workshop for Educators
Follow this link to register for the preconference——https://events.humanitix.com/connecting-children-workshop

Looking forward to seeing you in Greenville, SC

Deb, President, IPA USA

9:30am EDT

Playful Learning in the University Classrooms

Thursday September 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

"Learning has to be meaningful in order to be memorable." That was my "take-away" from years of conducting memory development research. Through years of university teaching of students from many different countries with different cultural backgrounds, from teaching while on a Fulbright in South Africa, and from teaching while on a Fulbright in South Africa, I learned that play and the creative arts bring people together and help them to process the meaning of what you want them to learn. Examples will be provided.

Presenters

Darlene DeMarie

Retired Professor, College of Education & Fulbright Faculty Advisor, University of South Florida

Darlene DeMarie, Ph.D., is the Fulbright Faculty Advisor & Fulbright Campus Liaison for the University of South Florida (USF World). She semi-retired as Professor of Educational Psychology in the College of Education at USF. Her research with children shows the value of play in schools... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 9:30am - 10:30am EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Session

10:45am EDT

Empowering Childcare Staff to Embrace Outdoor Play: A Pilot Project

Thursday September 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Early childhood education often emphasizes indoor, teacher-led activities, neglecting essential elements like daily movement, deep play, and nature exploration crucial for children's optimal development. Additionally, many educators lack access to training and resources to prioritize outdoor play in our field. Through photos and stories, outdoor play consultants Elizabeth and Susan will share their Outdoor Learning Environments (OLE) Pilot Project that provided free OLE concept designs and comprehensive staff training to 6 licensed childcare centers in Pennsylvania. They will also share the implementation tools used to more fully address the project goals unique to each site.

Presenters

Elizabeth Marcello

ECE Technical Assistance/Play & Nature Based Coach, Community Connections for Children

Elizabeth has been a Coach for Keystone STARS, Pennsylvania’s quality rating system for childcares, preschools, and before and after school programs, since 2016. She holds a BS in Child and Family Studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an MS in Applied Developmental... Read More →

Susan Chlebowski

Susan Chlebowski is a Montessori teacher, forest school leader and PARS Playwork Trainer who studies and teaches research-based models of living and learning that honor a child’s right to play and experience nature as part of a healthy, happy childhood. Her focus work is outreach... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 10:45am - 11:45am EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Session

1:15pm EDT

More Than Mud

Thursday September 26, 2024 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

"In this session, we will discuss the common arguments revolving around muddy play and how we can approach each activity from start to clean-up & each family’s comfort level through all the age groups. We will discuss the negative stigma mud play has with teachers & parents & how we can make it a norm. We will dive into mud to create art and investigate your own relationship with mud play. There is a deep thrill to getting dirty & messy play is extremely important for a child’s development. Messy play provides children with an exciting tactile & sensory experience that inspires their curiosity. Mud can decrease behaviors, regulate emotions, and nurture cognitive development within every age. We will explore how as adults we can foster and create opportunities for children to foster their development. It allows them to explore the world around them & enhances learning by creating intentional play. You will learn how to set up a mud kitchen from upcycling materials and the benefits of providing natural materials.

"

Presenters

Darcia Witherspoon

My name is Darcia Witherspoon, and I work with the Vanderbilt, Child and Family Center in Nashville, Tn. I have been a Teacher of the Acorn School since 2018. I am currently working with 3-year-olds that I have transitioned with as a three-year study to determine the benefits of continuity... Read More →

Jennifer Strange

My name is Jennifer Strange. I have a bachelor’s in special education from East Tennessee State University (1999). My master’s is in Elementary Education from Trevecca University (2006). I have been an Early Childhood Teacher at Vanderbilt University since 2005. The last five... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 1:15pm - 2:15pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Session

2:30pm EDT

All Children Deserve Play

Thursday September 26, 2024 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

"My session would support the theme of this conference, “The Child’s Right to Play,” because I will be focusing on
how, no matter a child’s situation (financially, culturally, physically, or developmentally) they can all be given the same rights and resources to play as equals. While focusing on nature-based play and other forms of therapy play for young children, this
topic really leans more towards the resources, rights, networking, and advocacy that is necessary for play to be an equitable opportunity for all children. Working directly with children who have endured emotional and physical trauma, who are houseless, hungry,
non-English speaking, refugees, in the ASD community, foster-care, and in unhealthy situations, I have come to find a deep passion and need for making sure children always have play in their daily lives. This session will talk about how this can be achieved
for children who may not have the “normal” life of their peers, and the importance of creating community within this play.

"

Presenters

Mattie Hallett

Director, Family Center of Washington County

Mattie is an early childhood program director with a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education teaching and adminstration. With a bachelors in art history and one in creative writing. She grew up in northern Vermont and now resides and works in central Vermont. She is extremely passionate... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Session

3:45pm EDT

Storyacting: Taking stroytelling beyond the spoken word

Thursday September 26, 2024 3:45pm - 4:45pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

This interactive presentation focuses on the power of storytelling and storyacting. Inspired by the work of Vivian Paley, participants will engage in a session that combines personal storytelling, collaborative storyacting, and theoretical insights. They will explore the benefits and practical implementation of storytelling and storyacting, enhancing their abilities to create meaningful learning experiences. Through reflective discussions and experiential activities, this training aims to empower educators with storytelling tools to inspire and engage the children in their lives.

Presenters

Laura Shea

Little Stories That Stick

Laura is a former public school teacher turner entrepreneur, passionate about play-based learning and storytelling. As the founder of Little Stories That Stick and host of the Stories That Stick podcast, she brings a wealth of experience to her work. When she’s not immerses in website... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 3:45pm - 4:45pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Session

10:45am EDT

Pledge to Play

Friday September 27, 2024 10:45am - 11:30am EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Description: Lifecrafting imagines a world where social health flourish s through play, empowering individuals and communities to make meaningful connections and thrive together.

We will launch “Pledge to Play” movement at the IPA Conference, inviting everyone to Play through creative prompt-based experiences and end with a “Pledge to Play” badge where everyone writes a personal pledge to play statement! We also record their pledges to create a digital catalogue series of Play Pledges.

Friday September 27, 2024 10:45am - 11:30am EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

11:45am EDT

Exploring the Outdoors in Urban Spaces

Friday September 27, 2024 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

"Participants will be presented with case studies from urban early childhood programs that have successfully integrated nature-based play. These examples will serve as a basis for discussion, allowing participants to explore the challenges and successes experienced by these programs. Participants will be encouraged to design their own nature-based play strategy or modify existing ones to better suit the needs of urban early childhood education settings. This collaborative effort aims to foster creativity and practical problem-solving skills. At the end of the session, participants will be guided through a reflective exercise to identify key takeaways and develop a personalized action plan. This plan will detail how they can implement nature-based play principles in their own professional contexts to support the Child's Right to Play.
"

Presenters

Ozge Metin Aslan

Associate Professor, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University / University of Minnesota / Founder: Nature Playosophy

She has been international research scholar since September 2023 at University of Minnesota. She is also associate professor at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University in Turkiye. She is play researcher and also free play activisit. She believes that free play is only way for learning... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Session

2:00pm EDT

Play as a Relationship Nurturing Experience in the ECE Classroom

Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

The role of play in the lives of young children is shown to be the most beneficial and credible strategy in regard to their learning. Play as a developmental opportunity for children involves learning social skills and negotiation processes as well as important cognitive skills. This session will focus on preparing a physical environment to encourage developing relationships, as well as creating the social and emotional atmosphere to allow connection, growth, understanding and empathetic progression.

Presenters

Sharon Jackson

Consultant, Curating Play

Dr. Sharon R. Jackson is an early childhood advocate and seasoned professional with presentations for international, national, state and local conferences. Retired from over 20 years in a school district Early Education program, Dr. Jackson now consults with programs nationwide and... Read More →

Beverly Alford

"Beverly Alford, PhD is a staunch advocate for play. An Associate Professor of Early Childhood, her focus is on children, birth to seven years. She is fascinated by how children develop in play-based settings and the effects of standardized practices on children. Her background is... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Session

3:15pm EDT

How to Start a Toy Library in Your Community

Friday September 27, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT

Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

"I will present a short course on how I took inspiration from a TASP 2017 presentation on the Rochester NY toy lending library and started a toy lending library in Nederland, CO, a small mountain town near Boulder, CO. Workshop participants will develop their own plan to do the same in their community. Workshop participants will learn about other successful toy libraries across the US, create an action plan for their first steps, and have the opportunity to brainstorm with other participants. I will walk through the steps of developing our model using the public library system and explain how my background as a speech-language pathologist and play specialist impacted the partnership. I will explain how to get buy-in to do a pilot. I will share the best advice given to me.

Session description: Conceptual Framework
Creating a community-based toy lending library, free of charge for all and reflecting the unique needs and interests in the community, provides an outstanding opportunity for offering an equitable play space in communities large and small, urban and rural, and inclusive of age, gender, socioeconomic status, ability, and culture.

This is a short course on how to combine the resources of a local public library for management and distribution of the toys, combined with the input from a play specialist for choosing the toy inventory to offer. I will share my experience of starting a successful toy lending library at Nederland Community Library in Nederland, CO, a small mountain community near Boulder, CO. Participants will fill out an action plan template as I talk them through the step-by-step process of taking my vision to reality.
"

Presenters

Susan Elling

Founder/Executive Director, Boulder County Toy Library

"After “achieving distinction” as “Most Fun To Play With” in 7th grade PE class, my path to play continued at the University of Colorado-Boulder graduate school in speech-language pathology, where my stated goal as a professional clinician would be “to combine discipline... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Children's Museum Rm Imagine It LOWER LEVEL

Session

IPA USA 2024 RIGHT2PLAY, RIGHT NOW

From $20.00