Planning For Outside Area

[Guest]

Hi

 

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to develop outside play area. We are fairly well resourced and their is good provision for physical development but now need to widen provision to bring in other areas of learning, particularly CLL and MD. I mainly need ideas on independent choice activities for children but any ideas would be welcomed.

 

Thanks

[Magenta]

Sally Featherstones 'Little Books' have some good ideas.

 

www.featherstone.uk.com

[Helen]

Hi Cazza,

How about clipboards, pencils, measuring tapes, metre sticks, and things to construct with like planks, bricks, pipework, guttering, etc The children could get really busy with the maths and language involved in setting up a construction site.

When the national numeracy strategy came out, I remember seeing on the video examples of chalk-drawing on walls for maths-type activities, eg large triangles, circles and squares for target practice, or numbers on the walls for other games that could be adult or child-initiated.

[Susan]

hi Cazza & welcome,

this is a pertiment question and one I find quite difficult to address because I find the children are often reluctant to do anything other than engage in free choice activities, particularly physical play, so have found small focus groups/ activities almost impossible to implement! However, we continue to try!

 

We have used our outdoor area successfully for whole class activities although that to can be difficult as children often find it difficult not to do their own thing! Perhaps this is because my outdoor area was also the main school playground and the one the children use at lunchtimes, when there tends to be less structure?

 

There are some excellent maths outdoors ideas on the Leicestershire LEA website.