By Bill Powell, Philadelphia’s Parks and Recreation

Imagination games were the first seeds which spread throughout the eighty one sites in Philadelphia’s Parks and Recreation (PPR)  afterschool programs.  Watching the children interact with one another in a series of three to five minute games quickly led to laughter, movement & unexpected quirks and twists that could only spring from the spontaneous mindset of youth.   Especially in this digital age, these individual and group activities help develop the brain neuron connections that fuel and develop creative skills.

And what fun!

With the aid of the Knights Foundation, PPR has expanded its performing arts program to reach and teach a greater number of afterschool children about the joy and benefits of dance, drama, music and theatre in their lives.   Taking these programs into the neighborhood playgrounds where the children live, school and play enables each child a chance to safely explore and push their expressive boundaries as they work in tandem with peers and adults.  Watching their emerging self-confidence grow as they practice with fellow actors and dancers for their upcoming performance is just as much fun for the teachers as the students.