Play is for all with Find Some Flow

All over Pittsburgh, kids of every age are getting out, being active and playing fun and creative games, some of which you’ve never seen before!

Ian Neumaier is the creator and founder of the nonprofit Find Some Flow, which aims to bring free play and playfulness to the masses. Neumaier defines “flow” as being completely immersed in an activity, or being “in the zone,” so to speak.

“It can happen during knitting, juggling or any other activity,” he says. “The activity doesn’t have to be intensely active. You just have to be energetically engaged in what you’re doing.”

Since its inception more than a year ago, Neumaier’s idea has taken off, and the organization continues to spread its mission throughout Pittsburgh. StoneHenge, a new game developed by Neumaier and his partner Nicole Barczak, embodies the vision of Find Some Flow.

StoneHenge is a three-team inclusive game for six to 12 players. It brings able-bodied players and disabled players together on one “court,” working as a team to problem-solve, move around, build, destroy—and always—laugh. Teams race to collect pieces and to build and defend structures, which just happen to resemble Stonehenge.

StoneHenge was first played at the Pittsburgh Adaptive Sports & Fitness Expo in February. And it was a hit, inspiring participants with and without wheelchairs. Since that time, the Find Some Flow team has been testing and modifying the game to make improvements, increase its level of inclusiveness and educate the public about the limitations of those who struggle with physical disabilities.

“I completed high school without ever having the opportunity to share an experience with a peer in a wheelchair, with blindness or deafness,” Neumaier says. “That means that, because of my able-bodied privilege, I remained completely and comfortably ignorant of any of the special challenges that my differently-abled comrades were facing.”

With StoneHenge, Neumaier seeks to change this reality, which he believes limits all kids—not just the able-bodied ones. His vision and ultimate goal is to have the game become a part of every school’s physical education department.

Another triumph of Find Some Flow is the Loose Parts Playground, which Neumaier describes as “little more than a heap of cool stuff, that, when mixed with a little curiosity might turn itself into something beautiful, or, into a simple machine.” The Loose Parts Playground is not a playground in the typical sense. It’s not a permanent location, but rather a play concept that can “pop up” at any time.

Neumaier and the Find Some Flow team keep repurposed parts, trinkets and lots of cardboard—pieces like gutters, tubes, pipes, joints, boxes and balls of all dimensions, foam pieces, woodblocks, corks, spools, wheels and tape—at the ready. All of the items have been play-prepped, so they’re safe to use and can be dropped and toppled without hurting anyone. In a loose-parts playground, pipes and tubes quickly turn into tunnels, floor molding becomes a ramp and many pieces combine to make Rube Goldberg-like inventions.

This summer, while conducting the Kids Play program in Market Square, Find Some Flow’s loose parts inspired several creations. For example, a team of young inventors created a “super highway,” in which a ball released at the right spot could travel through 10 yards of tubes, ductwork and pipes propped onto stacks of cardboard boxes, before reaching the ground.

With loose parts and some imagination, the possibilities are endless and the play experiences are always unique. Find Some Flow often creates these Loose Parts Playgrounds at events at which they are involved, but “$25 could build any family an entertaining loose parts play set,” Neumaier says. He recommends strong duct tape, and paint and fabric to make the parts your own. “You’ll use a lot of tape and time play-prepping your materials, but the creative process is totally worth the time!”

Parents with questions about creating their own Loose Parts Playground or who are interested in getting more information on StoneHenge, should follow Find Some Flow on Facebook. And, check out the latest and most inclusive version of StoneHenge in action, on Into Pittsburgh, a program on PCTV21 on Sep 11th.

Featured photo: Kids and Find Some Flow team members celebrate after playing StoneHenge: The Inclusive Game. Photo courtesy of Find Some Flow