Play Pilipinas - The Philippines' First Play Festival

With gadgets, adults not knowing how nor having the time, unsafe environments, parents' fears, inadequate play spaces, premium on educational achievement and poverty all compromising the quality of play (source), Paul and Sigrid Perez (of Project Brave Kids)> have come up with Play Universal, a coalition whose mission is to 'promote, enrich and cultivate the benefits of play at home, school and in communities.'



As a first major project, Play Universal is bringing the first Play festival in the country.

Play Pilipinas will be a three-day event happening on October 21-23, 2011 at the SMX Convention center. There will be a Play Forum for all three days, targetting educators and school operators as audience, with distinguished experts tackling issues like Magic of Play (Dr. Honey Carandang), Play at Home (CEFAM), Creating Inspiring Play Spaces (Hitoshi Shimamura), Nutrition and Active Play (Kay Gibbons) and many others. The fee for the 3-day conference is P15,000.

There will also be mini workshops on music & play, arts & play, nutrition, traditional Filipino games and many more. These will cost around P3,000. Perfect for homeschooling families, no?

Then, there is the playground design challenge that is open to students and professionals alike. The top ten winning designs will be brought to life at Play Pilipinas for the public to enjoy.

And then there are the fairs: Toy Fair (over 50 booths, each featuring the latest tools and toys for active play organized by age bracket.), Book and Magazine Fair (latest and best titles covering play and child development), Children's Nutrition Fair (sample & shop for food that makes for fun, delicious and healthy eating for kids), Children's Fashion Fair (exhibition of outfits fit for active play and other children's activities), School Fair (a venue for schools or institutions to showcase their programs and the ways they integrate play into their curriculum/activities) and World Toys Exhibit (exhibition showcasing toys and games from around the world).

So, if you're an educator, school owner/administrator, Psych or Early Childhood Education student, parent, doting aunt or kid or vendor who wish to be part of the fair... mark your calendars and come to Play Pilipinas. You may also contact them directly at:
Play Universal Co.
9F Pacific Center, 33 San Miguel Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Telefax: +63 634 0416
Email: playnow@playpilipinas.com
http://playpilipinas.org