A lot has been said about the role of play in learning. All educators know the value of play but few schools give it more than a token space in their learning ecosystem and ethos because of several reasons.

Prof's Notes...

Let's play!

"Wholistic" education is a promise of almost every other Academy in Kenya. Yet, they will not have a wholesome conversation about play. Educators and child development experts have identified play as the single most important activity in a child's, cognitive, emotional, physical, creative, social and sensual development, NOT school. There can be no wholeness in a child without play. Yet, play is the first casualty of private Academys. Established in residential houses, plots and even shipping containers, Academys have not just removed play from childhood, they have stripped education of conversations about play to the extent of redefining childhood. I am committed to returning play to childhood and learning, its proper place as the principal and only way that children learn. At Intaspordiasm we say, “Let's play, coz when it comes to play, we don't play”.

The Play in Crisis in Kenya

Modern Kenyan children are not having enough play due to certain modern pressures and constraints.The basic one is an academic oriented curriculum. That is purportedly being sorted by the CBC curriculum. Play is the heartbeat of children. Play is who children are. It is their language. It is what makes them feel happy, alive, connected with their spirit and to the world around them. We have made success more of a priority than feeling happy. We are training our children to live stressful lives at the cost of their well-being. Let us at the very least let children play because it's what makes them feel good. At the end of the day isn't that what we all want?Vince Gowmon There is an understanding (more among parents than among schools) that pursuit of co-curricular activities is an integral part of a learning ecosystem. It is this recognition and needs among modern parents that Intaspordia^sm seeks to build on. If you appreciate the role of play in the intellectual, physical and psychological development of your child, let's play!

The other reason for reduced play for our modern children is the increasing trend of both parents working fulltime demanding and draining jobs. The number of hours children spend outside with their parents continues to decrease. Parents just don't have the energy to manage a full time career and household, and then go outside with their children after work. The demands of our work are creating greater separation within the family unit and less time and opportunity for play for our modern children. It is time for a school that thinks about these challenges to modern parenting and seeks to mitigate them. It is why Intaspordia^sm .

The urban lifestyle and architecture especially in Kenya is another huge problem on why our children are not getting enough play. Our living spaces are now sprawling urban centers of concrete. There simply is no space for our children to play. We are endowed in so many other things @Intaspordia^sm, but we are unequalled in terms of sheer space and options for kids to play.Sprawling estates are built with norecreational facilities or fairly crowded ones which are not conducive or safe for children to play in. One only needs to take a tour around Nairobi and see the nature of the estates and apartments coming up. Bringing up kids in these environments is like bringing them up in a jail.

There is also less green space and less room to roam in urban centers. Generations past would not have to travel as far to find an open field or forest, but today it's not as accessible for almost all urban Children.

This is where Intaspordia^sm is head and shoulders above every other Private School in Nairobi and probably in the country. We are situated in a sprawling Campus in Man'gu, that provides your child with all the space he/she will ever need. We are endowed in so many other things, but we are unequaled in terms of sheer space for kids to play.

Prof's Notes...

A place for exploration.

Ken Robinson, a renowned educationist and an advocate returning creativity to learning and transforming education paradigms has said, “Overactive children are not suffering from any psychological disorder, they are suffering from childhood...” An ideal school is not where children sit neatly and quietly, its a place like Intaspordia^sm, designed for children to jump out and do childhood, to explore.

The other reason why play has diminished and our children are not getting enough of it is, ironically, technology. We the modern parents are not inclined to initiate or model play. It has therefore become easy and convenient to allow technology to become a substitute playground. Technology is now taking over the minds of children at an alarming rate. You only need to go to a public place and you will see a bunch of children with their family and all of them are on their gadgets totally oblivious of anything else. This is not only done with the parents consent but often the parents feel like they have no choice.

While it is true that technology teaches analytical and problem-solving skills, it will never replace play as a source for creativity and relationship skills building. It's also not good for our children's health.

Yet the modern parent feels trapped. Options for play have become less and less and options in technology have become more and easily accessible. The advancements of technology are not going to stop. Our task is to find ways to stay grounded and connected to the earth and others within the maze of technological influences and temptations.

At Intaspordia^sm , you as a modern parent don't have to choose between the two. We are about both. It is possible to harness both for the well being and development of your child. Talk to us, we know how!

Why Play?

You would be justified to ask, why have we chosen play as one of the pillars of our modern pedagogical ecosystem. Many schools pay lip service to the aspect of play and at best are tokenist about it. At Intaspordia^sm , it is a main pillar for several reasons.

1. Play is the foundation of academic learning.

   Play teaches social and emotional intelligence skills that reading a book and learning to count to 100 cannot. It is this social and emotional wellbeing that is the foundation for using our intellectual capacity in the world. Research is showing that our modern children's problem solving, communication and social/emotional development skills are lower than ever, a decline that can be attributed to the reduced opportunities for play.

2. Play is training for our new emerging world.

   The new world that we are living in requires not just intellectual capacity, but innovation, adaptability, collaboration and the ability to thrive in uncertainty. While our children would need to have convergent intelligence to know that 5 + 4 = 9 they would also need to explore the many imaginative ways they can use blocks or sticks or play dough (divergent intelligence).

   Benefits of unstructured play on child development:
   • It provides opportunities for children to master elements of the world on their own terms.
   • It develops self-determination, self-esteem, and the ability to self-regulate — all vital elements of emotional development.
   • It fosters social competence, respect for rules, self-discipline, aggression control, problem solving skills, leadership development, conflict resolution, and playing by the rules.
   • It stimulates the senses and allows children to discover the different textures and elements in the world.
   • It provides fertile ground to cultivate creativity and imagination.
   • It builds strength, coordination and cardiovascular fitness and moderates childhood obesity and its associated health complications.
   • It sees boredom as a vehicle for children to create their own happiness, enhance inventiveness, and develop self-reliance.
   • It enhances cognitive understandings.
   The world isn't as linear and predictable as it used to be, and organizations will increasingly be interested to see that job applicants thrive in both convergent and divergent intelligence. It is play that will provide the training for the latter.
3. Play is the heartbeat of children.

   Play is who children are. It is their language. It is what makes them feel happy, alive and connected with their spirit and to the world around them. We have made success more of a priority than feeling happy. We are training our children to live stressful lives at the cost of their well-being. Let us at the very least let children play because it's what makes them feel good. At the end of the day isn't that what we all want?

When it comes to play, we don't play!

Prof's Notes...

Age disaggregated play.

I insist that spontaneous age-disaggregated play is perhaps Intaspordia^sm 's greatest value proposition for any kid in this region. A school where 4 & 5 year old's have to contend with 10,11, 12, 13, 14 year olds in the same playground is not a school, it is a breeding ground for bullying and lifelong childhood trauma.

We have created a play-oriented campus…our idea was to create a learning paradise for our learners that revolves around play, inside and outside the classroom. When it comes to children and play at Intaspordia^sm we don't play. We take child's play very seriously and on several levels:

1. Spontaneous Play: Play for mental and physical Health

   We already know that play promotes a child's emotional development. Emotional intelligence is vital for a child's resilience and mental health. Our Campus has been intentionally designed for spontaneous play. Once a kid arrives there, they have no choice but to play. Pay us a visit with your child.

2. Spontaneos facilitated play: The school environment at Intaspordia^sm is constructed to facilitate play.
3. Structured Instructional Play: Play for learning. Our teachers are continuously trained in the use of play as an instructional methodology so that even when in the classroom, students are engaged in structured play for learning.
4. Structured Skill-Scouting Play: Play to identify budding sporting skills. Sporting skills are identified in play. Being a Sports Academy we have coaches on Campus identifying abilities and constantly advising on possible directions for our learners.
5. Structured Competitive Play: The other word for this is sports...play to nurture and develop sporting skills. When it comes to play, we don't play!This is the reason we have created a Sports School. It is for those children who want to progress from play to sports. Needless to say, this is a progression that is not available in your average primary or even secondary school in Kenya. It is not just available @ Intaspordia^sm it is the reason we exist and the reason we are different.

Play and 21^stCentury Learning Skills Interface.

There is another very significant reason why we place play as a key pillar in the Learning ecosystem at Intaspordia^sm Play is the best vehicle to deliver in the 21 ^st Century learning skills. These have been defined as Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking. Schools may try to integrate these into their learning and instructional design, but play naturally renders itself as a facilitator of these skills. Harness play, and these skills will come naturally as a package. Only @ Intaspordia^sm