We don't do traditional teaching OR traditional memberships around here!
What is The Not So Traditional Play Membership?
I created The NOT SO TRADITIONAL Play Membership to get your play energy reignited with a membership community that is like nothing you've ever been a part of. If you are anything like me (and I have a feeling many of you are because you sought out a different way to teach and learn alongside children *play*) you crave new, creative and novel ideas to implement into your play based environment.
I've conjured up for you a new and untraditional approach to a monthly membership community. You can expect one part choose-your-own-adventure, one part sorority/fraternity house, one part box of chocolates, and one part YOU.
Hey! I'm Kristen.
It wasn't so long ago that I was working hard in my play based learning program to get others to hop on the play train. Fast forward and that is what I do now, but on a much larger scale all over the world. I've been teacher, director, family childcare provider and founder of a program. I've worn allll the traditional and play hats so I know the ins and outs of alllllll the things. I always wished for a community that could come together, work together and play together. So I'm creating that for us now!
I feel you, I am craving a play community too...
I scroll through the social media channels and get inundated with educators in early childhood that are selling worksheets, pre-packaged curriculum, behavior management systems 🤮, and other things we don't need. I am SO tired of trying to convince others that PLAY is the MOST developmentally appropriate way to teach young children. I want my days filled with ideas, progress, creativity and adults that are willing to reflect on their teaching practices.
And many of y'all have told me the same things too! I sent out an email awhile back asking people to reply with their two biggest struggles when it comes to implementing play in their ECE programs. You came back with a resounding "admin/parents/guardians/co-teachers DON'T GET IT!"
In order to make change and impact the ECE world, we have to come together and build a force that unstoppable and undeniable. And, we can't do it alone. We need a positive and uplifting place to congregate. This is what The Not So Traditional Play Membership is all about!
Here's what you can expect inside
The Not So Traditional Play Membership...
MONTHLY MEETUPS
⚡️My schedule is untraditional and so we won't have meetups via Zoom on regularly scheduled days of the month. I will let you know at the beginning of each month what dates we will meetup. Our meetups will be planned like a box of chocolates - each meetup is unique and can be replayed at any time. The information presented will all revolve around play and early childhood, but, in the words of Mr. Gump, "you never know what you're gonna get!" Sometimes we may do a coworking session, maybe a mastermind sesh, a training, or an ASK ME ANYTHING session. Sessions will be held at different times of days and days of the week to accommodate all time zones!
⚡️You can expect one meetup a month with me! And more meetups in your houses (read on for more info on that)
⚡️Replays will be available if you can't make it live!
COMMUNITY
⚡️We will be utilizing the community feature in the platform that I host all of my courses in! You will have to download an app, but it will be easy breezy to check in and create a community there!
⚡️This hub will be the Villa Villekulla (any Pippi fans around here?) for all of your questions, thoughts, ideas and inspiration! (For the peeps that aren't Pippi Longstocking fans - Villa Villekulla is the name of Pippi's house and I equate it with breaking the status quo, creativity and play!
⚡️I will be in the group frequently to answer questions and give you info about meetup times, links and all the box-of-chocolate goodies!
⚡️You will connect in Villa Villekulla for your houses as well to schedule meetups and anything else you want to jam about.
Monthly Play Provisions to help you show parents/guardians that play is learning! 🍫
⚡️Each month I will give you a bundle of resources on a given topic - school readiness, risky play, process art, loose parts, circle time etc to help YOU understand those topics better as well as help others outside the classroom understand them better!
⚡️Each month in the Play Provisions bundle you will get:
- a research digest highlighting actual research on each topic with key takeaways pulled out for you to make it easy to understand!
- an on-demand training (led by Kristen) with a PD certificate
- a short podcast episode to share with parents/guardians about the topic
- Canva social media templates for you to use on your own social media to teach others about the month's topic
- A newsletter template to send home each month with info about the monthly topic
- a letter to send home to parents/caregivers explaining the month's topic
- a curated read aloud book list pertaining to the month's topic
‼️if you are already (or was in the past) a Play Provisions Club Member, please check your email for a special discount code for this membership!! If you didn't receive that email, please reach out to [email protected] and we will help you out!
The Box of Chocolates 🍫
⚡️Each month I will give you a box of chocolates (not literally) that you can open up to find all the goodies to satisfy your play based sweet tooth! These are your, extra curated resources to help you on your play based journey!
⚡️When you join this month, you will find your box of chocolates already in the membership for you! Here are the mouthwatering morsels you can expect in September:
🍫 A Spotify podcast playlist with curated episodes of podcasts about DAP from other play advocates in the field!
🍫An interview with Dr. Peter Gray about the 5 characteristics of play!
🍫An interview with Lisa Murphy about what being Child Centered is all about!
🍫A pdf of the parent handbook Kristen wrote for the program she founded.
🍫a big ol' surprise just like that gross coconut chocolate you think is going to be caramel. But this surprise is a good one.
⚡️ In the upcoming months you can expect curated resources for you like: a peek into the program Kristen founded to see what a group time looks likes, a guide on the best loose parts to find at thrift stores, group time ideas, morning checkin ideas, book recommendations and more surprises!
HOUSES
⚡️Think Harry Potter Sorting Hat or sorority/frat house vibes here. Except there is no rush week and ALL are welcome (why did JK Rowling have to ruin it for me?)
⚡️We will sort ourselves into houses based on our role in our early childhood. (We will be looking for volunteer house leaders when the time comes to sort!) Some houses that come to mind - administrators/directors, family child care providers, classroom teachers, parents/guardians, forest school teachers, and maybe even a house for play beginners and one for those farther along in their play journey!
⚡️You can be in more than one house!
⚡️Houses will meet up once per month (or more if your house decides on that) and can create their own magic and ideas for their meetups!
⚡️If you feel you would be an organized and motivated house leader and want to volunteer for this position - please head here to fill out this form!
MONTHLY THEMES 🫣
⚡️I KNOW, I KNOW! I am not an advocate for theme based teaching. However, I do think it will be a great way to keep us all on the same page each month and work towards a common goal!
⚡️Our first month together, we will be tackling the buzz words DAP and I will be throwing resources at you and bringing in an ECE leader to help us make sense of what Developmentally Appropriate Practice REALLY means.
⚡️Themes could be anything and everything from DAP to unpacking school readiness, risk, getting others on board (advocacy), reflective practice, observation/documentation, or maybe even full months dedicated to the environment itself or loose parts play! Our options are endless and you can bet that I will flood your brain with all the tools, resources and information to inspire and motivate you!
So what makes this THE play membership you should join?
✅ Join us if you feel like you need a community to bounce ideas off of, a place to ask for advice, want to collaborate with others, and want a kick ass community of rad play peeps.
✅Join us if you need help explaining the benefits of play to others - our Play Provisions will be GOLD for you.
✅Join us if you are sick of other memberships or courses that you join and never login or finish. I am going to lovingly hold you accountable.
✅Join us if you feel alone and stuck in your play based journey and feel like you want to pull your hair out when others don't 'get it". We get you.
✅Join us if you need play friends. You will make amazing connections here!
✅Join us if you want interesting and creative professional development - Kristen knows how to have a good time, tell a good story and won't bore you with bullet points and charts.
✅ Join us if you get overwhelmed in other memberships with SO much information you get overwhelmed. We keep it simple and organized for you so you can easily find what you need once the months start piling up!
Let me in the club!
When you join The Not So Traditional Play membership you will get:
✅ Access to a monthly meetup/training with Kristen that includes Q&A time!
✅ Replays of all Zooms
✅ The Villa Villekulla community
✅ A house of people in similar roles as you to form your own little sub-group. Have book clubs, brainstorming sessions, or maybe someone in your House will want to host a training!
✅ A curated set of resources (I'm calling it a Box of Chocolates) for each month's theme! We will put together book recommendations, podcast episode recs, and let you have access to past on-demand trainings, downloads and interviews I have done on the month's topic! We will over-deliver for you!
✅ Monthly Play Provisions that will help you teach others about play (and maybe even help you understand it better!) All the work is done for you! This bundle of resources alone is worth $27 per month!
AND IF YOU WANT CLOSER ACCESS TO KRISTEN'S ENERGY AND KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN JOIN KRISTEN'S INNER CIRCLE!
This tier is called Kristen's Inner Circle and includes everything in the membership PLUS:
✅ One group laser coaching session per month that is only for inner circle members (you can hand me a problem and I will throw out possible solutions or help guide you in the direction of resources to help). This is one part mastermind and one part happy hour.
✅ One day per month dedicated to "Kristen's Helpline" where you can Voxer me back and forth with any questions you may have! (Voxer is like a walkie-talkie app!)
✅ BONUS for anyone who joins Kristen's Inner Circle!!!! You will get access (lifetime) to Camp Play, Kristen's on-demand, digital masterclass all about play based learning ($397 value)
NOTE: Because I want this tier of the membership to be lasered in on each of you, I will only be accepting a limited amount of people into this tier!
All those extra, curated resources for you that I mentioned? Here is what is inside your bonus Box of Chocolates when you join...
(You will get an email with them as soon as you join!)
🍫 A Spotify podcast playlist with curated episodes of podcasts about play from other play advocates in the field!
🍫An interview with Dr. Peter Gray about the 5 characteristics of play!
🍫An interview with Lisa Murphy about what being Child Centered is all about!
🍫Access to the parent handbook Kristen wrote for the program she founded.
🍫There is a surprise goodie waiting in there for you!
Remember: You will get a new box of chocolates each month based on the month's theme!
I Can't Wait!!!
What is in store for you in October?
Even though you are signing up in September, we don't start our live events until October! However, you will get a bonus September Box of Chocolates right away when you join and will get access to the community!
October is all about DAP...
⚡️Here's the deal. When I travel around the globe to talk with early childhood educators about play based learning, I ask how many of them could define DAP (Developmentally Appropriate Practice). Only about 5% of people can define it. That has to change so October is all about diving deep into DAP!
⚡️ Join Kristen for a LIVE version of the "That's Not Developmentally Appropriate Hotline" for one of our monthly meetups. Jean-Mari Dagarin (DAP expert) will join Kristen to answer callers' qualms about things they see being done that are not the most developmentally appropriate for the age children they are working with. Will Kristen talk with a really bad southern accent and wear a funny headset as the operator of the hotline? You bet. Bring your popcorn and prepare to laugh your behind off.
⚡️Kristen's Inner Circle Members will get a more intimate zoom session with Kristen and Jean-Mari to really get into DAP!
⚡️Your curated Box of Chocolates will contain melt-in-in-your-mouth resources that will help you get a better understanding of what Developmentally Appropriate Practice really is.
⚡️ We will get you into the community portal ASAP so you can start sorting yourself into your houses so you can start connecting with others!
