Orleans Cultural District Stages Free Play Event

ORLEANS – As a volunteer with the Cape Cod Toy Library in Barnstable, Bonnie Campbell-Runyon helps organize a “creative room” where children come and play in their own way.

“It’s very open ended,” she said. “It’s not like ‘Here’s what we’re going to make, here’s how you’re going to make it.’ It’s kind of free exploration.”

Over time, Runyon, a retired preschool and art teacher, began thinking about how to bring a similar concept to Orleans.

“So I finally bit the bullet,” she said.

During school vacation week on April 16 and 17, the Orleans Cultural District, of which Runyon is chair, will host a “Make, Rattle and Roll” pop-up at the Orleans Community Center at 44 Main St. During the free event, which will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. each day, children ages 2 to 12 are invited to come in and play with toys and materials lent by the toy library for the event. Runyon, who is also a member of the Drumma Queens, said drums and percussion instruments will also be available for kids to play with.

As with the toy library program, the Orleans pop-up is driven by the concept of unstructured free play, Runyon said. The goal is to allow children to explore and learn how to play in their own way.

“It’s how children learn,” she said. “If you continue to tie a child’s shoelaces, they’ll never learn how to do it. It’s the same thing with toys. It’s kind of like their job. That’s how they learn to think critically. They make decisions and if it doesn’t work out, they think about ‘Well, what do I do next? How do I change that? I don’t like that. Why don’t I like that?’

“If you want your children to learn and grow, you give them the experience to do it for themselves and make mistakes and try different things,” she added.

Runyon said the pop-up is a family event, noting that all children must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver. The event also allows children to play with, interact and learn from one another, she said.

The event is a first in Orleans, and Runyon said it remains to be seen whether or not the cultural district will turn the pop-up into a recurring event.

“I’ll be really curious to find out what the feedback is about this,” she said.

Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com