Mainers take it for granted that the more we and our children and grandchildren play happily outdoors, the healthier we are. Folks who know about Bedrock Play would agree. Bedrock Play is the licensed provider of TimberNook programming for Greater Portland, located in Gorham, and is a leafy, light-hearted child-space that takes play seriously.
Offering high-quality programming focused on active free play outdoors as a prescription for improved sensory and motor development in children, Bedrock Play is now growing from a solid school year and summer camp base into supportive curricula for parents and caretakers as they meet childhood developmental challenges.
For the past six school seasons, under the professional eye of Director Beth Wilkins, OTR/L, kids aged 18 months to 12 years have learned to figure out what it means to make new friends, overcome fears, take risks, and regulate emotions, all outdoors.
Wilkins, as a young woman in her South Florida early years, prepared for a life in marine biology. When her environmental awareness expanded, Wilkins found a similar calling in a preschool teaching career and later trained with Angela Hanscom, pediatric occupational New Hampshire-based therapist who has been recognized as the founder of many TimberNook programs across four countries.
Although Bedrock Play counts approximately 75 children as enrolled in different groups, that number will increase as some Friday openings are filled. “Our registration form is designed for parents to go into detail about their children’s needs. The option for parents to become part of the active learning group is new this year,”
Wilkins says. “One-on-one coaching and workshops are now available.” This support comes at a time when our youth and their caregivers are eager for alternatives to screens, sitting, and zoning out. “We’re flooded with interest in the ways we offer outdoor play versus the stress of the mainstream.”
Free play for these children began on a typical day in the 9 a.m. “circle,” playing games, singing songs and eating their snacks while hearing a story. During two creative, independent hours, stories were spun, and art supplies were available, along with costumes, tape, rope and large canvases.
Wilkins says that the kids aren’t formally directed during this time. She and her staff, occupational therapy (OT) interns, and parent volunteers simply, “step back and tune in.” They are present but not hovering–a delicate balance designed to encourage kids’ cognitive development, confidence, and social skills.
If some kind of “mediation” is needed, it is seen as a way to draw the group into a calming, collaborative next step before play begins again. And Wilkins lets the play begin again, because in the end it’s play that matters most.