Pat Rumbaugh, founder of Let’s Play America, returns for another conversation on PlayGrouding! Affectionately known as “The Play Lady,” Pat is well-known in her home of Takoma Park, Maryland, for organizing play days for people of all ages.

Since we can’t meet together to play in person right now, it might not seem like a relevant conversation. But we have to keep dreaming our culture forward – as we learned from Scott Froschaur a few weeks ago. While we’re locked down, those of us who might consider ourselves play advocates can take some time to dream even bigger than we might have before, because we have time to dream and plan ways to help your community become more playful. And that’s exactly what Pat can help you with.

Learn How to Create Your Own Play Day

Let’s Play America has a new e-book called The Play Day Handbook, which is an amazing, step-by-step guide for how to create play days for your community. It could be a small gathering, like a group of neighbors, maybe even now, with people you’re locked down with and trust. It could be a little bigger, like at a school, public library, or a place of worship. Or if you like to dream big, you can plan a city-wide event where your member of congress leads everyone in a game of Simon Says! That happened for Pat! The sky is the limit.

Play Days Aren’t Just for Kids

Another important note – when it comes to play, we often make a distinction between play for adults and kids – and for good reason. But Pat and her team really bridge the divide. Their play days, and all the advice in the Play Day Handbook, are relevant for kids-only play days, play days at nursing homes, and more importantly, play days for all ages to play together.

About Pat Rumbaugh

Pat Rumbaugh has an M.A. in Sports Psychology taught physical education and coached children’s sports for 30 years. From this experience she learned that everyone could benefit from unstructured play.  In her new identity as The Play Lady she has conducted over 130 play events since founding a play committee in 2009. The play committee led to the development of the non-profit Let’s Play America (http://www.letsplayamerica.org/) that targets people of all ages; abilities and backgrounds with play days, streets closed to play and other play events. 

In 2018 Pat received the National Youth Development Award, the Heisman Trophy of Play.  Pat promotes play regularly to community groups, conferences and writes a quarterly column for the “Play and Playground Magazine.”

Don’t Miss Let’s Play America’s Upcoming Play Day!

Let’s Play America is planning their 12^th Annual Play Day on September 26. It will be a day of blended virtual and in-person community play! Follow them on social media and use the following hashtags to share your participation in at home activities on the 26th: #12thAnnualPlayDay #LetsPlayAmerica.

If you would like to contribute ideas or lead activities remotely for our 12th Annual Play Day, please contact us by emailing info(at)letsplayamerica.org.

The Links You’ve Been Waiting For:

• Visit the Let’s Play America Website
• Pat Rumbaugh featured in The Washington Post: “You don’t need a team for active fun. Just ask ‘the Play Lady.’” 
• Let’s Play America Handbook Order Form 
• Listen to Pat’s first PlayGrounding Interview, “Free Play – Trusting Kids to Choose Their Own Fun”