Bini Birdies

Play and Storytelling Workshop:

Noticing the Extraordinary in the Everyday

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What if a magic wand could turn you into a pencil, a chair, or a kettle? What happens when two everyday objects meet and begin to talk? What new ways of seeing emerge when we start to notice that stories are all around us, hidden in the most ordinary places?

At Bini Birdies, we approach play as a vital mode of learning, meaning-making and exploration. In a recent storytelling and play-based workshop hosted at the Alex Education Committee’s Saturday School, co-hosted by Refiloe Moahloli and co-facilitated by Corinne Rosmarin from Book Tree Talk, Refiloe set the tone by reading from her book Let’s Play, inviting children into a playful mindset from the start. Children were then encouraged to reimagine the world around them using simple props, storytelling prompts and a lot of curiosity.

The session drew from our (Play)cemaking approach: designing spaces and moments that encourage children to explore their surroundings with curiosity, take the lead in shaping narratives and develop cognitive and social skills through open-ended play. By transforming everyday materials into story-rich prompts, children were supported to shift perspective and build confidence in expressing their ideas.

Rooted in the research that learning through play supports emotional development, language acquisition and problem-solving, the workshop also aimed to cultivate wonder by encouraging children to slow down, observe and imagine differently. 

Workshops like these celebrate children’s ability to create and connect, showing how powerful play can be in shaping meaningful learning and shared experiences.

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Client : ChangeX

Where : Alex Education Committee Saturday School, Waverly Girls, Johannesburg

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