Outdoor Games For When It Is Wet!

[Guest terrydoo73]

We have a very small outdoor play area covered in safety matting and surrounded by a wooden fence on 2 sides and the wall of our building on the other. It is long and narrow on a slope. The past few days have been really wet and it has been a case of getting out having a run around and then before you know it the rain comes and we have to run back in again. Today it was a slightly longer time outside but to start and open the shed with toys etc would have taken so long and most of the children simply want to run around and inevitably accidents happen as they bang into each other. We want to extend this time of running around to do something constructive. I am thinking along the lines of say beams to walk on, little posts to balance on or run around etc etc. Does anyone have any suggestions simply to burn off some energy and at the same time be challenging. Our children do not have the concept of Duck Duck Goose or What time is it Mr Wolf as not everyone joins in and those that do end up jumping out a few seconds after starting. Could you perhaps suggest some resources we could use. We recently bought some ladders that can be laid on the ground for the children to walk up and down on (from NES Arnold) but they are merely a walking system with no holes in between each rung as such to make them consider how to move along. I guess they are a start at least! We have a traffic system with long poles and flags but it is coming up with ideas that can be quickly adapted, involve less laying out and challenge the children if you understand what I mean.

[Guest]

WOW thats sounds like our outdoor area except ours is concrete :mellow: sorry i don't have any ideas it sounds like were in the same boat so will watch with initerest. Good Luck

[Conker]

We have some tyres and bread baskets and a couple of pallets with some planks that we use for balancing or jumping in and out of, using as islands etc. They get left out and cannot spoil if it rains. We use footballs for throwing into them or rolling down the planks, they use up a lot of energy moving them around ( slows them down a bit when they are trying to drag a tyre behind them!) contructing trains or buses. HTH :1b

[Guest]

We to have a long narrow tarmac driveway for our outside area and we use loose parts play? e.g.gutters, drainpipes, netting, crates, planks etc. If it rains just leave them out and clear up when it stops. Great little video on this site on how it works which can be easily adapted to a small space. http://www.oxonplay.org.uk/#/loose-parts-for-play/4542808737

[Guest terrydoo73]

We had tyres but with having the slope on our area they would set them off and it was endangering other children as they stepped in front of the tyre before got to the bottom - we assessed the risk and felt it was too great. We do have drainpipes but only used when water tray is out and shifting water from the water tray to the tuff tray. Sorry not berating my Deputy but she is very anti using water in terms of letting the children pour water into the drainpipes and out the other side - what happens if the children get so wet that parents come and complain is her reasoning. Also we would need to have so many jugs it is just not practical is her assessment of the whole thing - we also would need to have aprons on at all times to ensure they are covered from getting wet.

 

Anyone any other suggestions - I was thinking along the lines of say having a trolley and setting it up before session starts storing it in my office and then wheeling it out with everything on it thereby making it easy to move in and out quickly but what to have on the trolley is another question. Balls would be definate, bean bags and bucket? What else - please help!

[Guest sn0wdr0p]

Have a look at the cosy catalogue you will get some good ideas from it.

[Hoolahoney]

We often give each child a pot and see who can collect the most rain in their pot, they soon recognise that small slow movements work better than fast! We also play ring games when it is raining or pretend to go swimming to a country role play. We have also given children chalks to draw with and they love watching the pictures change and run. If there is enough rain then splashing in puddles never fails!!! Simple is better when it is wet as our outdoor area is slippy when wet so running etc is a no no.

[Panders]

Have a look at the cosy catalogue you will get some good ideas from it.

 

http://www.creativestarlearning.co.uk/blog/the-cosy-catalogue-has-arrived.aspx

[suebear]

We played a made up game where had to run and hide or reach a certain place before the rain monster came, lots of imaginative scope

[Guest terrydoo73]

OK so I took all out outdoor toys apart and have come up with an easy to use lift out and in system that seems to work - yesterday there was a steady drizzle of rain and the children remained outside for a good 15 minutes in it having a ball! We have hoops galore - used today for jumping in and out of and also for throwing bean bags into. We have balls of all shapes and sizes to kick and throw into basketball net made of a clothes basket and a small football net. We have stilts to use to walk on and today we had little sticks with ribbons on the end to wave in the wind as well as windmills on sticks. We also have ELC egg and spoons and a bowling set. There was plenty there to keep them all amused. Have a few bits of piping so when the weather is not as windy going to tie them onto the fence and use the water tray filled with rain water to let them see the water moving down the slope!

[Rea]

Put some powder paint in trays and let the rain mix it. If you put paper on top of the tray you can sometimes get a rain splash print, but it depends on the paper and how soggy it gets.

[SueJ]

Bubble bath in the puddles and brooms so the children can "sweep the playground clean" :rolleyes: