This site was last updated on 19th June 2010
THE KINGDOM OF PLAYLAND
- Information for teachers and schools

I am thrilled and honoured to be a contributor (in a way) to the constitution of this noble land and its creative inhabitants. Live long and prosper!
(Jean Greenwood author of Activity Box)

My relations and I are very honoured... Good luck with this exciting project!
(Nils Nyman, grandson of Astrid Lindgren)

Playland is such a novel idea - and such fun for its 'residents' - great work!
(Michelle D. Macy, co-author of Teaching ESL/EFL with the Internet: Catching the Wave)

Thanks for the opportunity to see some real and really brilliant work
(Gavin Dudeney, author of The Internet and the Language Classroom)

 It is clearly extremely motivating for your learners and pioneering in terms of using technology effectively in the communicative language classroom.
(Andrew G. Scott, Editor of the International House World Organisation Journal)

 
 

Welcome to the Kingdom of Playland, the world's first ESOL micronation! What began as a fun language learning activity one year ago, has since become an international project involving young language learners around the world.

In creating their own 'nation', learners have taken part in activities which have not only been fun and inspiring but also cross-curricular. These have appealed to a host of learning styles and intelligences, including those which can sometimes be difficult to involve in a language learning class, such as the spatial, naturalistic and interpersonal. The best part of all perhaps is that these activities have been self generating - i.e. the more the learners do the more there becomes for them to do!

Language and development psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, argued that 'learning is much more than mirroring, it always involves the learners creating their own representations of new information'. In Playland, young learners have been able to do exactly that. They have enthusiastically written documents and letters, become numismatists and ministers, designed and chosen symbols for national recognition and 'spoken' to (through a secure chat programme) English language learners in other countries. They have built lasting friendships, one example being Smudge Barham MP, Minister of Grub, who lives in England but thanks to Playland, now has good penfriends in Lithuania and Portugal. Playlanders have been thrilled to hear their work mentioned on national radio, they have read about it in journals and they have been recognised by well known personalities in both micronationalism and ESL publishing for their efforts.

"I've just spent quite a bit of time in Playland and I take my hat off to you - fantastic work, and I became quite immersed in the Kingdom. This is exactly the kind of project that teachers would love to be involved in - you should be out there telling them about it!"
(Gavin Dudeney)

When I'm asked if Playland has a political or religious goal, the answer is always no. Playlanders are firm advocates of the freedom of choice, religion and racial tolerance. If however, Playland can be instrumental in making the voices of younger people heard at the same time as providing them with a bit of fun then we are more than happy. The King of Playland exists in cyberspace alone and the nation’s only heroine remains Astrid Lindgren, a famous storyteller from Sweden, who fought for children’s rights through the power of fairytales.

While the Kingdom of Playland is the creation of the learners, the work is supervised by schools who have chosen to be part of Playland (dubbed Embassies) and their teachers (Ambassadors). Accepting a Playland passport does not mean surrendering an original passport - the constitution states that any disrespect to a nation of residence or first nationality is viewed as an act of treason to the Playlanders and citizenship is revoked.

All Playland citizens select a second name to protect his/her identity and any communication is via the school through an Ambassador.

Why not join in the fun and make your class or school a Playland Embassy?
For more details, please contact me:

Andreas Grundtvig
andralma@gmail.com

Hamburg
Germany

IH Journal of Education and Development
Spring 2007
Andreas Grundtvig writes about 'Playland as an ESOL Micronation.
More...
 
BBC Radio Kent
20th July 2006
The Kingdom of Playland is mentioned on the Dominic King Show
Listen...
 


 

Reproduction of any of this material without written permission from the Playland Government is prohibited.
© 2006 The Kingdom of Playland, All rights reserved.

 

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