Play Africa is a groundbreaking, community-connected children’s museum based at Constitution Hill, Play Africa is a shared public space that champions children’s rights, inspires children and strengthens family relationships by offering unique three-dimensional learning experiences. Based at the iconic Constitution Hill, Play Africa transforms and re-casts the former prison into a joyful hub of play, learning and discovery. Through unique exhibits and programmes with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths, Play Africa ignites curiosity and a love of learning in young people, building the next generation of South African inventors, problem-solvers and innovators.

Imagination Playground - Creative ideas come alive as children and families use special big blue blocks to make and build whatever their minds can imagine. From time machines to castles, motorcycles to kitchens, children take the lead as they innovate on one another’s ideas

Rigamajig - This large-scale building kit for hands-on free play and playful STE(A)M learning lets children use wooden planks, wheels, pulleys, nuts, bolts and rope to follow their curiosity through play while learning 21st century skills. There are no right or wrong answers; the act of playing and building is the goal

Marble Run - Children learn the basic design and testing concepts critical to engineering, and build larger-than-life marble runs using inexpensive materials and masking tape

Farm to Market - Children and families get to play make believe while planting, harvesting, selling and buying vegetables and fruit. This fun exhibit lets children learn numeracy, literacy while having fun

Children's Theatre - Children and families pull back the curtains to express themselves as they play pretend on stage using a range of props and costumes

Children’s Planetarium - Children and families can explore South Africa’s night sky together inside our portable planetarium, supported by a Play Africa facilitator who will introduce basic vocabulary and indigenous stories about the stars that have been through the ages

Children's Maker Space - In this flexible, versatile exhibit, creativity comes alive as children choose from a range of everyday, recycled materials, wood offcuts and recycled e-waste to make their own creations Tell a friend.

Join us for stories aimed at children from 4-8yrs. Play Africa is a children's museum that have partnered up with Assitej SA and Goethe Institute to bring you this new online program in response to the Covd-19 crisis.

May 05: Jabulani and the Lion
May 12: Khuluza's dream
May 19: Greedy Anansi
May 26: The Needle Tree

Tell a friend.

Nov 7: MESSY GOES TO OKIDO: MEGA POWER (5-8yrs)
Loveable monster Messy brings science to life as he embarks on adventures with his best friends Zoe and Felix. In this episode, the band the Oki-dokis are about to perform when OKIDO runs out of electricity! Will Messy and his friends find a way to power the concert for their favorite band?

Hands-on activities related to energy include:
- Potato Power: Make energy using real potatoes
- Experiment with solar energy
- Design and build a model windmill

Nov 9, 14 and 21: RALPH & THE DINOSAURS: (9-11yrs)
Did you know that some dinosaurs had fur? Has anyone ever told you that the Tyrannosaurus wasn’t the biggest
flesh-eating dinosaur, and that each year we discover new species of dinosaurs, even though they have been
extinct for millions of years? Follow Ralph's adventures to learn about dinosaurs.

Hands-on activities related to dinosaurs include:
- Make your own dinosaur and place it on a timeline
- Become a paleontologist - Excavate and make your own dinosaur "eggs

Nov 14 and 30: MESSY GOES TO OKIDO: NIMBY GOES TO THE CLOUD CLUB (5-8yrs)
Silly monster Messy unlocks the wonder of science with his best friends Zoe and Felix. In this episode, Nimby is too nervous to do his first 'Cloud Club Badge'. Messy and his friends come up with a plan to help Nimby overcome his nerves and save OKIDO from some mysterious accidents

Hands-on activities related to rainbows include:
- Make rainbows using water and reflective mirrors
- Experiment with osmosis using paper and felt pens

Nov 16 and 21: BODYPEDIA: BRAIN (5-8yrs)
This humourous series explores the beauty and mystery of the human body by using cute animated organ characters and high quality 4K/8K microscope images.

Hands-on activities related to the brain include:
- Use yarn to understand connections in the brain
- Build a model of a brain
- Create a robotic hand from cardboard

Nov 23 and 28: WARM BATH: A SOLAR HEATER DEVELOPED BY XOCHITL (9-11yrs)
Learn about 8-year-old Xóchitl Guadalupe Cruz López, a girl who lives in the Mayan area in the South of Mexico,
who invented an award-winning solar water heater from recycled materials,

Hands-on activities related to invention include:
- Design thinking and ideation
- Maker Space: Inventing real-world solutions with solar and wind energy

Nov 28 and 30: LITTLE HERO (9-11yrs)
Disappointed that his mother does not want to play, a little boy gets captivated by a butterfly. He sets out on an
imaginary and magical adventure, where his mission is to rescue his mother from the tedious prison of work and
worries.

Hands-on activities related to empathy include:
- iHero Yothando: Make a model of your own superhero
- Create superhero attributes to help others Tell a friend.

Parenting is hard work at the best of times. But parenting in the midst of a global pandemic is infinitely harder.

That's why parents in South Africa and around the world are invited to join Play Africa for either one of our two online discussions with independent play therapist Nonhlanhla Biyase and Explorare founder Kate Rowe. This conversation will be moderated by Play Africa play and learning supervisor Mpho Tsele. Audience members will be invited to comment and ask questions. This is a safe space designed to support you as parents!

About Play Africa Connects
Play Africa Connects is a series of unique online dialogues for South Africans to connect with compassion through technology.
Live on Play Africa's Facebook page Tell a friend.