The Popular Buskers Guide Series
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The complete set of Buskers Guides
The 'Buskers Guide' series take a separate subject close to the hearts
of many people working in play and boils the theory down into easily digestible bite-size chunks. Every
book is written in a light-hearted style and many people have reported laughing out loud - not bad for
theory books!
Get the complete set for the price of £65.
The set includes The Buskers Guides to... Playwork (the new edition), Behaviour, Inclusion, Playing Out,
Anti-Discriminatory Practice, Risk, Participation and The Big Buskers Guide to Leadership.
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Order Form
The Buskers Guide to Playwork
Shelly Newstead
'Playwork - you mean you get paid for playing with children?'
 What is playwork?
What do playworkers do - and what don't they do?
Why is playwork different to working in teaching, early years settings, youth work...?
The Buskers Guide to Playwork gives readers an accessible introduction to playwork the art and science of
facilitating children's play. It outlines the fundamentals of the playwork ethos and gives readers practical
guidance on how to apply this when working with children.
You can download an excerpt here. Please contact us for the password.
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The Buskers Guide to Inclusion
Philip Douch
'Inclusion? I don't think we could cope.'
What is inclusion?
What isn't inclusion?
Why is inclusion important for all children?
And how do we go about making it happen?
The Buskers Guide to Inclusion explores what inclusion really means in a lively and down-to-earth way. It begins
with some of the pitfalls to be avoided and identifies some important principles for good practice. It clearly
demonstrates how these principles are equally applicable to working with every child, and how we can shift from
seeing some children as 'special' to developing settings in which all children feel they truly belong
Published by Common Threads in association
with KIDS - the disabled childrens charity.
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The Buskers Guide to
Anti-Discriminatory Practice
Shelly Newstead
'Equal opps? No problem - we do all the festivals here..'
What is anti-discriminatory practice?
What should we be doing - and not doing - about it?
And why good intentions can sometimes turn out to be more trouble than they are worth...
The Buskers Guide to Anti-Discriminatory Practice sets out to dispel some of the myths that have grown up around
this important but often misunderstood topic. It looks at skills and abilities necessary for anti-discriminatory
practice, identifies ways to avoid some of the pitfalls, and also suggests ways of avoiding and reacting to
discrimination in settings.
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The Buskers Guide to Behaviour
Shelly Newstead
'Why don't children behave anymore?'
What is behaviour?
Why do adults get involved with children's behaviour?
And why don't we need 'behaviour management' anymore?
The Buskers Guide to Behaviour takes a unique look at the theory and practice of working with children's behaviour
in group settings. It sets out a new approach to thinking about 'behaviour' and how professionals can help or hinder
children to meet realistic and reasonable behaviour expectations. The book introduces the idea of behaviour leadership
and is written in a light-hearted style with great original cartoons by Chris Bennett. The Buskers Guide to Behaviour
pokes gentle fun at some of the old chestnuts of behaviour management and gives practical advice on how to put behaviour
leadership into practice.
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The Buskers Guide to Risk
Shelly Newstead
'You just can't let them do anything anymore you know... '
Why is risk important in children's play?
How can we protect children's play needs and protect children at the same time?
What is risk assessment and how can it help - rather than hinder - adults to provide great play for children?
The Buskers Guide to Risk explores why risk shouldn't be a four letter word when it comes to children's play.
It starts from the need and right of children to play in a way that involves not only physical, but also social and
emotional risk, and encourages adults to think in practical terms about how to balance the need to protect children
with the benefits of play.
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The Buskers Guide to Playing Out
Philip Waters
'Outdoor play? Oh yes, we've bought some equipment for that..'
Why is playing outside important for children?
What should adults do and not do when children play outside?
And why is playing outside different to outdoor play?
The Buskers Guide to Playing Out helps adults who work in childrens play to think about the real meaning of
playing outside for both themselves and the children they work with. It explores the importance of children having
free choice about what they play with and how they play with it, and how adults can help or hinder children to get
the most out of the great outdoors.
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The Buskers Guide to Participation
Philip Waters
' 'Participation? Of course we do - every Wednesday without fail...'
What is participation?
What's the difference between 'adult-led' and 'child-led' participation?
And do we really need to do it at all?
The 'Buskers Guide to Participation' sets out to challenge our values and reasons for undertaking participation with children and young people. It describes authentic participation as the ways in which we support, interact, engage, include, involve and communicate with children and young people on all levels. It encourages a shift away from 'doing' participation, to seeing participation as a 'way of being' and offers practical suggestions on how this can be achieved.
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The Big Buskers Guide to Leadership
Shelly Newstead
'Well there is no leader as such - we all just get on with it!'
What is leadership?
Why is leadership all about the children in our settings rather than the adults?
What do leaders need to do to ensure really good practice in their teams?
And why leading is not the same as doing?
The Big Buskers Guide to Leadership looks at the role of the leader in providing really great services for children in their settings. It focuses on the need for leaders to be clear about what it is that their setting should achieve for the children who go there and how to communicate this to the rest of their teams. It emphasises the need for leaders to be able to influence the practice of others in their settings and looks at some of the skills that leaders need to achieve this.
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...packed with insight and inspiration, all boiled down into easily
digestible chunks. The books are light-hearted and very down to earth, using examples of situations
that 
