essential resources for outdoor area

[nicci1987]

My setting ( a private day nursery ) are planning on revamping our outdoor area. We currently have a concrete bike garden, a designated garden for babies and a large space which hss concreted aread either side of a section of safety matting.

 

What would you say you have found to be essential for your outdoor area to be effective? Any resources that you couldnt live without? What do your children get the kost out of?

 

Interested to hear everyones views

[Melba]

Ours love drainpipes and tuff spots for water play

[HoneyPancakes]

Not nursery, but sand for me. Under cover and at different levels for toddlers and older children.

[blondie]

we also love to have quiet areas - tents or material - for the children to use for talking and also mark making and books - can be chalks, water and brushes etc.,

[Guest]

Lots of "loose toys play" ie things that the children access themselves and use how they want.

 

Crates, buckets, large brushes, guttering, large fabric conditioner bottles, tubing, funnels, bricks.

 

We also now have a mud kitchen area!

[Wildflowers]

Planks are a favourite with ours. They can be used over a log for a see-saw, scale with bricks or children - standing or sitting

in different places along it or 'surfing' with one foot on each side. Planks are also used to lean against something to roll things

up or down, slide on etc. Cable reels are also popular. Can be used with planks in various ways.

[Guest]

Easiest cheapest idea ever, a mud kitchen

 

Parents and staff provided lots of old pots, pans, woks, wooden spoons spatulas etc, they use the outside water tap and a couple of tables and really created their own area. After setting it up themselves the children now spend most of their time in the area role-playing 'cooking' really enjoying the fact they have real cooking utensils outside . We have real cooking utensils inside as well with real food pasta etc but wet sloppy mud is so much more fun!!!!!! Only downside is the holes all around the garden they dug to source their mud, that and the head said it look 'tatty' not that it stopped any of us children and adults included.

 

[lashes2508]

yes our mud kitchen very successful and popular - as is the sand pit with pirate ship and tunnels -in the yard bikes ,balls and our recently donated water butt is a big hit - we are on a meter so helps with the bills - use it for watering plants and everything else but explain to children the need to restrict its usage when we don't have any rain - very fascinated by this.

 

just add our sand pit is ground level so they can take off their shoes and socks and get stuck in

Edited July 2, 2013 by lashes2508