about playology©
hi there!
My name is Hannah, welcome to Playology. Thanks for coming by! I was raised in Seaham Harbour and spent many of my childhood days exploring our beautiful beaches here. Long days filled with sea glass & sand, jumping over waves, climbing rocks and exploring caves.
I have been highly interested in researching the benefits of children’s learning and developing through play, and a self-acclaimed ‘Playologist’ for ten years, after receiving a BA (hons) in Early Primary Education from Northumbria University in 2010 and successfully teaching and leading in early years and key stage one ever since.
My work with children in early years has been disseminated Nationally and Internationally by educational consultants and conference speakers, which naturally progressed to my delivery of training, talks & CPD workshops on various early learning topics for teachers and other early years practitioners. As an experienced teacher and senior leader within schools & also a qualified L3 Beach Schools Leader & MD of Playology Limited, I am now looking forward to completing my book on ‘Hands On, Feet in Learning’.
I hope we’ll meet soon!
Tell me more…
Play is joy; a physical embodiment of everything it is to be a happy child, and ‘ology’ represents the scientific study of something. I believe that play in itself is a scientific method; it is evident when observing children at play how they are testing out theories and ideas, hypothesising, planning, evaluating and making links.
Starting out as a total passion project for my own children, I aimed to develop an inspirational place where I wanted to take my boys; with really unique, high quality baby classes and adventurous outdoor activities that were active akin to the many sports clubs, but driven by play & discovery. I also wanted to provide a space where children can be creative and enjoy the process of their creativity, instead of outcome-focused crafts. Playology was founded in 2019 to offer children, their educators and their families an opportunity to engage in meaningful and developmentally appropriate creative playful experiences, both indoors & out, which spark learning, ignite the imagination, cultivate creativity, grow hearts, promote wellbeing, get lots of fresh air in their lungs, and fill their eyes with the beauty and wonder of nature.
why playology?
• Small groups: less is truly so much more. Fewer children within the learning environment equals more high-quality creative play and learning, with more time and attention for each individual child.
• Our beautiful learning studio is situated at the beach, offering a unique, picturesque experience to draw upon nature and its resources.
• Offering a range of beach school experiences, creative play programmes, various workshops and events for children and their families, process art adventures, STEAM sessions and much, much more.
• Programmes are designed and delivered by an experienced early years lead teacher, passionate about children’s learning & development through irresistible, authentic, creative playful experiences.
• With programmes for children and parents, school or nursery groups, as well as training and CPD for early years educators, there’s something for everyone.
kind words from training attendees…
"Fantastic, interesting & inspiring, made me reflect on my own setting, it’s not “just” play!”
"Great ideas shared, learned lots. Practical and informative, lots of food for thought. Made me excited about going forward reinforcing the importance of play. "
"Excellent, very thought provoking. Expert experience on moving learning forward while keeping children at the heart. Gave me confidence to go back & make it more play based.”
"Very motivating. So much knowledge about leading play and leading change. This gave me lots of inspiration to make play the focus in my learning area.”
albert einstein
“play is the highest form of research.”
Questions?
“Playology is a very rare and special place. My son has thrived in its nurturing environment and the staff care deeply about ensuring children become the best version of themselves whilst, most importantly, having fun. It truly is education as it should be and is a breath of fresh air in comparison to more traditional learning.”
Playology Beach School is located at the waterside within the beautifully picturesque Seaham Marina, which lies on the Durham Heritage Coast.
Playology Beach School Souter Lighthouse is located within the old lighthouse keepers cottages at Whitburn, on the Leas.
Playology Forest School Castle Eden Dene is located within Oakerside Dene Lodge at the entrance to the ancient woodland that is Castle Eden Dene.
For directions, click on the map below.