PLIX Play Cafe: (In)visible Self!

[ada]

Welcome to the PLIX Play Cafe series of (In)visible Self!

We’ll be using the forum as a space to share our creations, ideas, and reflections to support asynchronous connections, inspire each other, and grow a resource for the larger PLIX community.

For July 12’s Play Cafe, these are some of our playful activities:

• Having tea and snacks (fruit leather!) together
• Zoom Background
  Download and use these graphics we made for your zoom background!
• Zoom Play:
  Doodling together
• PLIX Activity:
  “Let it go” and bring a friend to life!
• Wonder:
  What are the ways you sense what’s going on in your body?

Here are some ways our pen pals may share on this thread:

• Pictures of your version of the activity
  During or after the Play Cafe <3
• Pondered Wonderings & Resource links
  To our question above
• Playfulness
  Emojis, ideas, stray thoughts, and more <3

[ada]

This week,

• We doodled emotions together in zoom! This is what we look like when we stub our toe on something:
  

  

• We also let go of something by writing it down on special paper (in the envelope) and dissolving it in water

• made a friend to hold on to something we’re not ready to let go of, and gave it a heart of gold.

Here’s my friend and it’s heart of “caring community”:

[leilalib13]

Oh, I’m so sorry I missed this week! My stub your toe emoji would be like this:

[leilalib13]

[adodd]

Haha! That is great, @leilalib13. You may not have been there but your stubbed toe emoji fits right in!

[viviangarcia]

On Wednesday we created little friends to hold the things that we’re not ready to let go of and the things that make us who we are. I decided to make my little buddy double sided, with one side reflecting my playfulness and the other representing more of my vulnerable, inner child. I put two little hearts inside with phrases that go with both of these personalities as well! I have my little buddy on my desk now as a visible (hehe) reminder to nourish both of these. Thanks to Ada and for everyone that joined the Play Cafe!

[cielle]

I’m so sorry that I had to miss it, but meetings . It sounds like a great session. Hope to see everyone next time.

C. L.

[LissaMonster]

This is my little friend. They have a blue heart full of love for the thing I am not letting go. And for me. They are hanging out on my makeshift desk, where their sparkly hat makes me smile.

[ada]

Hi everyone,

This week,

• We doodled what goes on inside and outside our bodies using zoom,
  
  
• Explored the textures of the different materials in the envelopes and on our desks, and found what we liked and disliked! Most of us didn’t like the rough texture of the piece of felt in the envelope.
• Gifted a trinket that reminds us of our childhood/summers, to our box friend.

For mine, I gave my friend a cow figurine, which was a gift from my sister. I saw her in person twice this summer and it’s alway a joy to see her. We always love teaching each other what we’ve each learned recently. She’s also born in the year of the cow so it’s especially sweet and meaningful to have cow items in my home.

[ada]

Hi pen pals,

At this last (In)visible Self Play Cafe, we:

• shared the textures of things we love touching, which included a fluffy wrap, a giant squishy blowfish, some fake french fries, rabbits, cats, and more!
• doodled pathways to feelings, with supports (see our doodles below!)
• and shared something we would want to express, track, and encourage, on our checkered wristband, filling in the boxes with a sharpie in our favorite color.

Feel free to use this forum to share what you’d like to track with your wristband, for collective accountability!

[viviangarcia]

Yesterday, we shared some of our favorite textures and I was happy to find that I was not the only one with a deep attachment to my stuffies (thanks Peter!). We also bonded over our need to set time aside for video games and other important goals that we have and how we want to get there. It was wonderful to see other people’s goals and the different ways we’d like to get there (honorable mentions are riding towards our goals on a dragon or as fast as the flash). Thanks everyone!

[Jean_Daley]

The email said to bring a picture of our favorite thing to touch. I’m so sorry to have missed it! I was cracking myself up because I wanted to bring a picture of…my husband! However, here’s my favorite other thing to touch. He’s very soft!

If I still had any of my stuffies, one of them would have made the grade. But when I was younger I was involved in a flood and lost everything from my childhood. (No worries, I’m well over it!)

I also LOVE video games. Zelda is my favorite! I hope to be able to join in next week.

[ada]

Thank you for sharing such a happy picture of your dog!

I love that your top favorite thing to touch is your partner. (I also love giving physical affection ). Humans have so many textures and it can be very soothing to touch your hands or hair or scratches on a bumpy bug bite .