Twin Cities Orthopedics and Playworks Minnesota team with Turtle Lake Students for Day of Play

  1. Updates

Twenty-eight Values Champions, employees who are ambassadors of TCO’s culture and exemplify the organization’s values, teamed up with Playworks to teach students the power of safe, fun, and healthy play at recess. Students learned inclusive games and team-building activities in a classroom setting, and participated in a recess period with volunteers to practice what they learned by playing games such as wiffleball and gagaball, a variation of dodgeball.

“It’s really important for kids to learn through play in elementary school because that’s the foundation for how we interact with each other as we move through life,” Playworks Program Director Abigail MacLaren said. “One of the special things that happens when we get to bring community members to schools is actually seeing the adults join in and play. Adults often don’t take time to step out and play, and when they do they remember what it’s like to be a kid.”

Turtle Lake Elementary School is committed to providing rigorous academic learning opportunities while nurturing the social and emotional growth of every child. Playworks helps kids grow as leaders, giving them the social and emotional skills needed to thrive inside and outside of the classroom. At a Playworks school, every student is included regardless of athletic ability, academic skills, or background.

“It’s so inspiring for kids to see adults playing, and it makes them want to play even more, especially the kids who are getting older and feel they’re too cool to play,” MacLaren said. “There are so many different ways to play, and we want to encourage them all.”

Volunteers from TCO received Playworks training and community learning time before the activities.

“What a great opportunity for TCO and Playworks to partner together in this event,” TCO Culture and Engagement Manager Todd Berg said. “All of our Values Champions had a wonderful time engaging with these students and left feeling energized.”

 

 

More Updates


three people with Playworks shirts
three people with Playworks shirts

July 28, 2022

A year of social and emotional learning ›

“You can’t do SEL, trauma, or equity work without each other,” Jennette Claassen, Head of Evaluation, Playworks. As Playworks continued to progress on our equity journey, we explored a critical question: what are the intersections between play, social and emotional learning, physical activity, and trauma? A working group focused on this question decided, among other…

August 24, 2021

Playworks Founder Jill Vialet Publishes ‘Why Play Works’ ›

Play brings out the best in every kid. Over the course of 25 years since Jill Vialet founded Playworks, she and her colleagues, as well as researchers and play experts, have demonstrated precisely how and why play works to help kids learn and grow in the most positive and healthy ways. Jill gathered stories from people…

March 25, 2021

Top 6 Games to Play Physically Distant with No Equipment ›

As more and more schools transition back to in-person learning, we know educators are looking for games that are physically-distant and don’t require equipment. The need for play is more important than ever due to the isolation that our kids have endured during COVID-19. Play encourages creativity, flexibility, teamwork, and other critical social skills. We’ve…