APE (Adventurous Play Experience)
Aim: To enable children to explore their own potential and that of recycled materials and the environment, through adventurous play with recycled items of various shapes, sizes and materials.
KIDS!
Available to all young people in the Bradford District up to the age of 18 years. The aim of the project is to be culturally neutral and suitable for all abilities.
JUNK!
A mixture of scrap, waste and recycled materials from a variety of industrial and domestic sources. We rescue them and make them safe so they can be played with instead of going to landfill!
FUN!
Activities include play, relative expression, outdoor pursuits and imaginative play, or anything you can think of that’s fun and enables learning.
Available to all young people in the Bradford District up to the age of 18 years. The aim of the project is to be culturally neutral and suitable for all abilities.
JUNK!
A mixture of scrap, waste and recycled materials from a variety of industrial and domestic sources. We rescue them and make them safe so they can be played with instead of going to landfill!
FUN!
Activities include play, relative expression, outdoor pursuits and imaginative play, or anything you can think of that’s fun and enables learning.
The APE project sources materials from the street,
skips, scrap stores and local firms. These items are then cleaned up, made safe and then given the name “Loose Parts”.
Loose Parts is the term that was coined in 1971 by Simon Nicholson for scrap items found in streets and on waste ground which could be used as play things. Comprising of items such as big reels, pieces of wood, carpet tubes, tyres, milk crates and breadbaskets, the loose parts are a weird and wonderful collection of items.
The project provides sessions and loan packs to schools, playschemes and out of school clubs. We aim to increase session deliveries and the loaning of packs to an ever-growing range of ages, abilities and settings. The project’s remit is to deliver sessions to young people up to the age of 18 across Bradford MDC. The service is free and can be tailored to specific needs.
The activity can take as long or be as short as required, within reason, and can cater for a maximum group of 30 participants per pack, per session depending on staffing. Larger groups can be catered for subject to additional staff being made available by the user.
Services Provided by APE:
Play Sessions
Play sessions using scrap both as general and themed activities. A programme of activity has been developed that guides understanding and experience of the potential of scrap as a resource for all ages, abilities and spaces.
Sizes, shapes, textures and weights all vary and we put them together in as interesting a combination as possible to enable maximum scope for creativity in play. The packs can be themed to enable as much creativity as possible therefore we aren't providing flat-pack play, but a small universe of possibilities. As well as the parts, we provide a range of fixing materials from sticky tape to nails to create temporary or permanent structures.
Activities include the use of small scrap to large and guidance is provided by our staff who lead the sessions.
Loan Packs
Packs of scrap are available for loan by settings who are comfortable in leading their own sessions. This enables settings and groups to have a deeper experience of the materials and so get more out of it. Those who have loaned packs report that children are endlessly inventive with them and most of our loan packs end up getting ‘played to death’ where the resources are no longer usable, they are so well used. This serves not only to embed fully the use of scrap in play but also to underline the environmental message of reuse and recycle. We deliver and collect packs so the only thing that a setting or group have to work out is where to keep it!
Training/Workshops
Instruction and guidance regarding how use scrap 
in play, how to source your own scrap, health and safety issues and risk assessing, the value and importance of risk-taking and challenge in play, advice on storage solutions and the principles of free and adventurous play is available.
This is flexible and can be tailored to audience, need and circumstance/setting. Training sessions can last from 20 minutes to full days, for lunchtime supervisors, childminders, teaching staff, play practitioners and parents/carers.
Information/Signposting
The project provides information about how to access scrap (directly from suppliers or scrap stores) and local waste networks. The project also provides signposting to other environmental activities, education materials/resources and projects/practitioners.
Craft and Scrap Store
As part of the APE project a craft and scrap store, called Scrap Magic! has opened in Bradford where individuals or groups can buy craft materials and scrap resources for activities at low cost. More information about the store is available on the Scrap Magic! page.
For more information and to make bookings please contact our office and ask for Claire or email us directly at claire@bcep.org.uk.
Potential benefits from playing with Loose Parts are found in the areas of;
- Exploration of self, others and materials
- Awareness of recycling/environment issues
- Self-expression
- Team-building
- Health and well being
- Confidence-building
- Communication and negotiation
- Practical, social and cognitive skills
- Citizenship
- Having fun!
Funding Body:
Early Years and Child Care Commission