— This experience reminded us once again why we do what we do.

Last March, the Grapat family traveled to Italy to share a few very special days with Seminastorie, a space where books, play, and stories support growth.

We had the opportunity to host three workshops: two with families and children, and one dedicated to adults. The sessions with children were an invitation to play without words, without explanations, allowing the materials to speak for themselves.

Watching how children engage freely with play is often the clearest way for adults to understand its full potential.

With the adults, we explored a different process: first play, then share and reflect together on the experience — giving space to listen, to observe what had emerged during play, to put words to sensations, discoveries, and questions, and to connect the lived experience with a deeper understanding of how open-ended play nurtures children’s development. When adults allow themselves to explore without seeking immediate answers, a deeper, more connected understanding emerges. When they simply allow themselves to play — without trying to rationalize what children might learn from one material or another — something truly shifts. Through time and direct experience, adults begin to understand how free, open-ended play can enrich their children’s lives. It is then that the quiet magic of open-ended materials reveals itself.

They were days of connection, exchange, and care, in an environment that breathes beauty and authenticity. We return with the feeling that when play is free and shared, it becomes a universal language.

We carry this experience with us as another seed in our creative journey.