'Play in a Suitcase' handout by Phil Waters from I Love Nature

1. play in a suitcase
Phil Waters – I Love Nature
In this workshop you learnt how to create playful and physically active adventures using only
string, rope and a wacky story. Enlisted as special agents on a mission to save our cute fluffy
friend from a fate far worse than death, you had to escape rope handcuffs, a rope prison,
clamber through a field of string and bling, before finally removing hazardous waste materials.
You learned how to create temporary playgrounds on a budget with simple and easily
accessible resources; the sorts of objects you might find at home in the cupboard, garage
or garden shed. And you experienced first-hand the power of story for creating adventurous
family play activities.
Things you learned:
How to inject adventure into various landscapes
How to support family and community engagement using play and story
How to create temporary playgrounds using cheap, even free resources (loose parts)
How to risk/benefit assess a site and activity quickly
How to create a playground in a bag
Things you might need, based on the story themes:
Rope Handcuffs
Strong string or rope, preformed into handcuffs, with knots that don’t allow the cuffs to
slip tight around the wearer’s wrists, and with the capacity to be removed easily. Knots
have to be strong, and softer rope is less abrasive. Do not use garden twine, especially
plastic types that can cut the skin.
Instructions: you cannot remove your or your partner’s cuffs. You cannot untie them, or
cut them. During this activity you were given the opportunity for three clues. First clue:
you do not have to twist and contort your bodies to escape the handcuffs. Second clue:
the solution has something to do with the wrists and the loops around them. Third clue:
one person has to make a new, third loop and do something with that to escape.
Rope prison
A length of rope, long enough that everybody can hold on to it while forming a circle.
From the circle position everybody faces inwards while holding the rope. A volunteer
leaves the room, while the group ties itself into a knot by walking under each other’s rope
until all are bundled up. The volunteer enters and has to untie the group without breaking
the chain.

2. The electric field
Rig up a space with different coloured string or rope, crossing over at all sorts of angles.
Have easy ways through and more challenging ways through. Tie noisy things like bells,
and bits of rags. Participants must clamber through, under, over the obstacle course
without touching the string or rags or making the bells ring. Participants can work
together shouting instructions.
The laboratory
Your mission is to remove the hazardous materials and free the victim before the
laboratory doors closed for good. You have to work as a team, changing positions when
asked, and removing the items without dropping them. Resources include ropes knotted
together with a hook in the middle, milk cartons with hazardous materials written on
them, high-vis vests and rubber gloves.
Things you might need, based on the story themes continued: