This week was a special milestone — my very first Playful Works workshop in Lancaster, and I was thrilled to run it as part of an exciting creative initiative with The Gregson.
Together, we turned a room full of cardboard boxes into a thriving, imaginative Cardboard City — and what a city it was! In just two hours, the children dreamed up not just houses, but shops, castles, community centres, factories, a well, and even a cardboard Titanic sailing across the floor.
Children, parents and grandparents got stuck in. We painted inside the boxes to create secret rooms, crafted ducks to swim in cardboard ponds, and cut toilet roll flowers that bloomed along the streets. It was wild, wonderful, and full of heart.
Throughout the session, we explored:
How to cut, fold, and construct with cardboard
How to bring ideas to life through colour and detail
How to collaborate, share materials, and co-create a world
This workshop reminded me why I started Playful Works — to spark creativity, build community, and encourage playful exploration in kids (and their grown-ups too).
A huge thank you to The Gregson for hosting and supporting this magical afternoon, and to all the families who came, created, and imagined with us.
This is just the beginning — more workshops to come very soon!