This article is about the workshop “Top secrets of the spinning tops” at the HOPE Congress 2025 in Dublin. This is a workshop with lots of practical activities, which you can easily do with students with medical or mental health needs of all ages. The Dutch poet Hieronymus van Alphen (1746 — 1803) once wrote the beautiful sentence: “My playing is learning and my learning is playing.” In this workshop you will learn how to play with a lot of fun.
Why does a top that is standing still, falls over and why does a spinning top stay upright? All participants of this workshop will spin about 20 different spinning tops and explore the limits of the skills of their arms and fingers, so all hands on the desks. A wake up call. Never throw away an old alarm clock, because it contains a treasure trove of tops.
You only need your own two hands for this workshop, all materials and tools are ready for use by everyone. Each participant in the workshop will make three wooden spinning tops themselves, with very few special tools (a saw, a hammer, a pencil sharpener and a piece of sandpaper). Everyone can take these three self-made spinning tops home for free.
Here are some wise advices for playing with spinning tops. Ready, steady, go and if you want to go fast, go slow. Fast and furious looks fine, but slow and steady win the race. Be quick, but do not hurry. Make haste slowly. Know thyself. This is a workshop for people who like to be challenged and who are not afraid to push their boundaries, while discovering the top secrets of the spinning tops.
I wish you all the joy you can wish.
Jan Haverkate (President of HOPE)
