Introducing Forest Schooling to a nursery setting

[Guest]

This is my first post on here! How exciting!

So, hi! I am Holly and I manage a brand new two year old setting based on a school site.

We have had our first inspection and received a 'good' with some wonderful comments, so proud. But now I am ready to do MORE!

I really want to revamp the outdoor provision and make it more prominent in our delivery of the EYFS.

I am really looking for some tips from anyone who has accessed training, has any useful links for my own research into this, or some photos perhaps of what your outdoor environment looks like.

I have a small part of a learning and development grant left and begrudge spending it on items that restrict play. I want to invest in bricks, buckets etc etc for more open ended, large scale play.

Have also been debating getting chickens.. bringing some of our rural influences into our middle of town setting (we are in lincolnshire).

Thanks for reading the ramble and thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Holly

[Fredbear]

Firstly a warm welcome ChurchLanePrimary on your first post.

Community blocks every time for me. Lots of open ended play.

In my ideal world I would have:

Dens, weaving, mark making, mud kitchen, gravel, pulleys, buckets, piping, guttering, for water play, coal scuttles, gardening area, storytelling area, sand pit.

Ooh have fun, ask the children too you might be surprised by their suggestions.

[Wildflowers]

Planks, logs, bricks, sawdust, wooden balls to roll in the guttering, rope

[finleysmaid]

Hi Holly....welcome (interesting name for a man!!)

I have a Pre-school with indoor/outdoor free flow provision (2-5's family grouping) our favorite things for the garden are

Scaffold planks (strong enough to be bounced on by several children!)

cable drums (picked mine up from some chaps on the side of the road!)

long poles for making tepees, hanging material to make dens, making road ways etc etc (collected from a friends woods)

carpet roll tubes...free from the carpet shop

large pieces of material (for everything)

cardboard boxes (for ....the world!)

guttering, as above

...so all of these are free!

bought items

large sand pit (plus sand)

mud kitchen (though this could have been done for nothing)

Outside dolls house (made by our gardener)

planters

Fairy garden made from upcycled sand pit (need to pay for compost)

If you look on the forest school posts on here there are some pictures which might give you a few ideas too

[sunnyday]

 

cable drums (picked mine up from some chaps on the side of the road!)

 

 

What have I told you about picking up chaps on the side of the road oh no, sorry, I see it was cable drums you picked up!

Seriously now - welcome Holly - some great advice - nothing to add - except you have some money - remind me what that feels like!

[HappyMaz]

Welcome to the Forum, Holly.

As you can see, there is never a shortage of ideas here!

Good luck with it all - let us know how your project develops. :1b