Playful Learning Lab Launches “The PlayLine”
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
After the success of the virtual LEGO Conference and 24-hour Create-A-Thon, the Playful Learning Lab was inspired to gather educators virtually and, in collaboration with performer Carly Ciarrocchi and LEGO Research Fellow Garrett Jaeger, launched The PlayLine.
The PlayLine is an educational resource feed that hosts live meetups for educators. Amidst constant changes and the spread of online learning, the Playful Learning Lab created The PlayLine as an opportunity for educators to collaborate and discuss our role as educators. We gather educators for daily, 30-minute virtual Coffee Breaks at 9 am CDT and Decaf Coffee Breaks at 9 pm CDT to discuss changes within education and how we can help each other for tomorrow. We will also be offering a small list of resources that are PlayLine-team-approved!
With everything changing rapidly, we are learning and adapting as we go. If you have suggestions or ideas, we would love to hear from you!
Want to see what it’s all about? Check it out here. Consider this an invitation to join us!
Carly Ciarrocchi is a performer, writer/creator and morning enthusiast. She is best known for her work as a host and writer for the live morning show for preschoolers, Sunny Side Up (Sprout). Other hosting credits include Snug’s House and The Big Fun Crafty Show (Universal Kids). All three shows have earned Daytime Emmy nominations. As a musician, she's written tunes for Sprout/Universal Kids and is a vocalist/songwriter on Tim Kubart's Grammy Award-winning children’s album HOME. In the quickly expanding space of audio for kids and families, she hosts Don't Break the Rules, an improv game show podcast for kids (Pinna Audio). Other favorite collaborators include Sesame Workshop, Dodo Kids, Audible and the Story Pirates.
Prior to her work in television, she taught at an early childhood enrichment center in Chicago and worked with elementary schools as theatre/storytelling teaching artist. As a performer and content creator, she meets her audience where they are and keeps things just the right amount of weird. Her work combines authenticity, comedy, curriculum, resilience and surprise. She recently wrapped production on a new TV project and is mid-production on a new podcast for preschoolers.
Garrett J. Jaeger, Ph.D. is a Research Fellow at the LEGO Foundation in Billund, Denmark. His research focuses on mapping exploratory behaviors to better understand links between play and creativity. He previously studied exploratory play in children’s museums as a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Santa Cruz and as the Thomas Murphy research fellow at the Center for Childhood Creativity at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. As a former teacher in preschools, secondary schools, and universities, Garrett continues designing and facilitating playful experiences where children inspire adults, ideas lead logistics, and evidence checks intuition.
AnnMarie Thomas is a Professor in the School of Engineering and the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas. She is the founder and director of the Playful Learning Lab, which explores ways to encourage children, of all ages, to embrace playful learning. She and her students created Squishy Circuits. She is the author of "Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation."
AnnMarie earned Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech, and an S.B. in Ocean Engineering (with a minor in Music) from MIT. Additionally, she completed a professional certificate in Sustainable Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
AnnMarie co-founded and co-directs the University of St. Thomas Center for Engineering Education (CEE), which offers engineering courses for P-12 educators and conducts research on engineering at the pre-collegiate level. She served as the Founding Executive Director of the Maker Education Initiative, where her team established the national Maker Corps program and laid the groundwork for this nonprofit.
AnnMarie lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband and two daughters. She is an amateur aerialist, specializing in static and flying trapeze, as well as juggling and cyr wheel.