Guest Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 Hello everyone, my situation is a small school with no grass only 3 playgrounds that are shared. I have just got a fence put in place so i dont have to put everything away at both breaks and lunch like i had to last year. i have also invested in resources and equipment and have been on a fab outdoor course with ros bailey. only now i have my outdoor area and new resources im spent! where do i go next in really making my outdoor area fabulous!?!? any ideas would greatly be appreciated x x x
Guest Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 My feeling is that simple and natural resources work best outside. For instance, planting some daffodil bulbs in pots now and watching them grow. Catching some insects to study or just giving out chalks so that the children can make marks on the tarmac. Obviously messy things are great outside and we are having a massive junk modelling session next week, making a giant castle and painting it. Photos as well if you have a digital camera.
Guest Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 One thing my kids love playing with is 'magic paint' It's water with glitter in - its dead basic, and can be used on the playground so ideal.
Guest Spiral Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 I love the magic water- what fun!!! Just made me think that we could use magic water with brooms and mops outside too or even footballs (spongey ones) so they leave a glitter trail! Off to buy some glitter now, Spiral
Guest Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 I agree - natural is great, you can grow allsorts in growbags and pots. (Also potatoes work well in a big dustbin.) Growing stuff up your walls will soften your edges and provide somewhere for all those mini beasts to set up home! You could have targets painted on the wall/numbers.What about using your fence for some weaving? You could put up a washing line to hang paintings, ribbons, old cds, big pieces of fabric for a tent or curtains for a show, or anything else that takes your fancy really. Carpet off-cuts or tiles can make a soft area for sitting.Really huge cardboard boxes are fab if you can get them - they cost nothing but are worth their weight in gold and can be collapsed easily or discarded guilt-free once they fall apart or get soggy! (remember to check for big staples tho and cover) One of our big successes this year was buying a large number of those woggle/noodle long foam things for swimming - we got them from the pound shop so they were a bargain too. The children used them for all manner of play which we would never have dreamt of, and evevn when the boys(usually boys!) decide to give each other a whack it does minimal damage. Hope this helps a bit, I'm sure there will be loads more people along with inventive ideas. Good Luck it sounds like fun!
Guest Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 these ideas are really fab! now i just need to get my head round the day to day running, do you have daily/weekly activities, do ou display these actvities? how do you set up your outdoor are? do you have rough plan of the space? do you put the same sets of things out everyday? sorry its all questions x
Guest Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 Hi, I have seen lovely examples of re-cycled resources such as old tyres used for planting bulbs or used as play apparatus for children to use a stepping stones, jump in and out of. I have also seen setting use pieces of guttering for water play, rolling balls along, real builders bricks and off cuts of logs for children to build with, stack, make paths and roads with to support their play outdoors. I really like the idea of using loose parts for play, old sheets, pieces of rope, ribbons, junk modelling materials etc. Happy days!
Guest Posted September 24, 2009 Posted September 24, 2009 We are lucky to have quite a large outdoor area which is shared between nursery and reception. Nursery has free flow for almost the whole session, Reception have staggered times to access as otherwise we could have up to 90 children out all at once and it just wasn't working. We have role play, water, writing, digging, quiet,sensory, music and construction areas. There is a track with a one-way system for wheeled toys and we have balls,hoops,cones,etc.There is also a big climbing frame/slide affair. We don't have a maths area as such, it's really integrated into the other areas. There are old tyres and crates too. This is pretty much our continuous provision, to which we add enhancements as suits or remove ones which are past it or under-used. The main elements stay out permenently and we just put away those things which the weather would wreck or are worth nicking! I know it sounds wonderful on paper but it takes a lot of maintainence and sometimes it feels like it's a loosing battle! It doesn't always look pretty but the children love it and learn so much from being out there - this is the real world after all! We don't have a fixed way of plnning for outside, some weeks we will plan to have an activity which evolves over a week, sometimes the same one twice to catch all our children when they are in, sometimes there is a focus for each adult outside to promote in their own way and sometimes we observe. It seems to suit us and it's my favourite plce to be at work - even on a wet Feb afternoon!
Guest Posted September 27, 2009 Posted September 27, 2009 Love the idea for magic paint! Was looking for some ideas for outdoor writing, I think the children will love this. Have just tried it out with my 2 year old son in the garden. If anyone has any other new ideas for encouraging writing outside I will be very grateful......OFSTED are on their way!
Guest Posted September 27, 2009 Posted September 27, 2009 thank you everyone i really do appreciate it x those ieas are enough for me to be getting on with for a while i think
Guest Posted September 27, 2009 Posted September 27, 2009 OUTDOOR_PROVISION_ideas_sept_09.docYour post set me thinking about everything id like to start getting together (will need to get money from head first ) for our outdoor learning area. I went off and made a list five minutes ago. Maybe we could start a whole thread of outdoor ideas for people to add to. Ill attach my ideas here - I hope. Does anyone know how to set this up so that its spotted/accessible and updated by all? Here goes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! where's it gone??
Guest Posted September 27, 2009 Posted September 27, 2009 I know - but how do we make it so it can be easily pulled up and added to - I havent a clue!!
Guest Posted September 27, 2009 Posted September 27, 2009 no idea i can only 'post reply' and do a smiley face... see x
Guest Posted September 27, 2009 Posted September 27, 2009 About the same as me. Look x Maybe someone really talented will come along and see it.
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