Outdoor Help!

[emz321]

Just wondering if anyone has any wow ideas for the outdoors. The children in my class never seem to want to go outside even though we have free flow to the outdoors and child initiated access to the equipment and shed. I have tried asking them why and they just say its too Cold. I go outside and then end up coming back in as no one will come out without force sometimes a few boys come outside but all they want to do is ride the bikes or roll cars down the guttering. I have extended this play with them but they always revert back to whizzing cars down the pipes. I have tried getting things out of the shed as i thought they might not know what we have and i have tired small group times and introducing the children to the outdoors and how to access the resources. My class last year always wanted to be outside. I feel i am not developing their KUW as they don't want to go out. Unlike inside where they start up ideas and come back to them, outside they do something and forget about it.

 

Just wondered if anyone had any good ideas of things i could set up or have outside that might entice then out for ideas for adult small group that i could do outside and hopefully they would then follow up like they do inside.

 

Maybe i'm stressing about it too much! thanks in advance

Em

[Guest]

My children really enjoy den building and what could be better than making a nice cosy child friendly place to hide! I put out clothes ,tents old duvet covers and sheets we fix the den together with pegs and string - great for creativity and working together.

[Guest]

Just wondering if anyone has any wow ideas for the outdoors. The children in my class never seem to want to go outside even though we have free flow to the outdoors and child initiated access to the equipment and shed. I have tried asking them why and they just say its too Cold. I go outside and then end up coming back in as no one will come out without force sometimes a few boys come outside but all they want to do is ride the bikes or roll cars down the guttering. I have extended this play with them but they always revert back to whizzing cars down the pipes. I have tried getting things out of the shed as i thought they might not know what we have and i have tired small group times and introducing the children to the outdoors and how to access the resources. My class last year always wanted to be outside. I feel i am not developing their KUW as they don't want to go out. Unlike inside where they start up ideas and come back to them, outside they do something and forget about it.

 

Just wondered if anyone had any good ideas of things i could set up or have outside that might entice then out for ideas for adult small group that i could do outside and hopefully they would then follow up like they do inside.

 

Maybe i'm stressing about it too much! thanks in advance

Em

I think you are stressing too much!

I know we should have free flow all the time,but at this time of the year, I don't ,as the children don't want to go out all of the time, as it is too cold.(and we are suppose to follow the interests of the children,I also get complaints fromstaff!inside and out, the head is trying to save money on lighting ,so having the door wide open is a money pit! )we keep the doors closed during the morning, but have planned activities to do in groups outside, which are for short 10mins at a time, we do have playtime. but then have doors open afterlunch for an hour.we go on daily walks around school and field, so i feelthat for this time of the year,its enough.

I know that maybe not very eyfs, but it works for us.

hope thishelps

[Guest]

I don't think you should worry too much, every cohort is different. It sounds like you are providing plenty of outdoor opportunities, if the children would rather stay inside during the cold weather then I think you need to respect that choice. We aren't all outdoor people, lots of people have no desire to go outside in the cold no matter what is out there, so why should children be any different? So long as there is the option to go outside and as long as you continue to provide exciting outdoor opportunities I think you should let them stay inside if they don't like the cold. Once the weather improves (or if it snows!) I'm sure they will start going outside again. In the meantime there are plenty of indoor opportunities for KUW which I think you should use the opportunity to focus on.