fluffy Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Hope everyone is enjoying the bank holiday break-the sunshine has just managed to pop it's head out & i am about to go & enjoy it but i thought i would put a request on here first! We are planning a major outdoor area development for our reception classes (at long last!!!!), the deputy has asked me to come up with a wish list/plan of how the area could look & the different resources we would like (not all wishes will be granted!!) and i was wondering if anybody had any useful websites that they could direct me to to inspire me! Also if anybody has recently developed their own outdoor area and has any useful contact numbers (in the Birmingham area) I would be really grateful. Want to go back after the hols with as much info as i can & ensure that, at long last, our youngest children in the school get an outdoor area that fully meets their needs!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Learning through Landscapes website has lots of inspirational ideas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 Hi I am planning to visit Early Excellence Centre Huddersfield. http://www.earlyexcellence.com/resource_outdoor_play.html http://www.earlyexcellence.com/visiting_our_centre.html - directions and contact number I have heard from others how good it is! http://www.ewecentre.org.uk/sgdp/links.htm Some more useful links Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 bark pit, sand pit, gravel pit all with tonka trucks and diggers etc... sensory area with smelly plants like Mint and different feeling plants like ferns and artichokes etc. rope swing, play house, we've let an area of ours grow wild with really long grass and the children threw some wild flower seed there a while back which is making its ways through now. Umm... we blagged a couple of tractor tyres and we use them as raised planting beds... one has sweet peas and the other we're trying strawberries. we have loads of otdoors construction and we've also just collected loads of old piping and guttering and which we keep in a big wheelie bin and when it's hot we take our shoes and socks off and get the hose piipe ut and make canals and just generally get very wet We have a lot of climbing equipment but that's been in a while and I'm sure that's not cheap in the slightest we also have a nice wooded area that we can use that we use for building dens and night lines etc... we want to try doing some backwoods cooking too... do you think we'll get away with that!? ummm.... that's all I cant think of for now... I'm off to enjoy the sunshine with a beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunt Sally Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 I saw a picture of an outside area in a nursery recently in the Nursery World where they had a road track marked out with a zebra crossing on it. I went looking on the web and there were some fabulous ones. I just put a search for playground markings and got lots of ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 (edited) We are currently re-developing our outdoor area and have just built a living willow structure with the help of a willow artist a great success with both children and parents. Work starts after half term to develop a quiet sensory area with table and chairs story telling area lots of scented plants (any suggestions would be gratefully recieved- got the usual lavender thyme sage mint ect but looking for more unusual suited to container planting) We plan to remove some paving stones and fill the spaces with pebble crushed glass etc to provide texture. We will have 2 fountains and outdoor mirrors. We also have a small wild area with bird table nest boxes fruit tree and plan to use an old butler sink for a wet area. There is a large covered sand pit and a smaller digging pit (filled with compost) a raised bed for veg,and stawberry pots. We have a number of benches and those springy bouncy toys old tyres(girls seem to prefer the pink and lilac ones) a wigwam structure. one wall boasts a huge whiteboard and there are blackboard easels and painting easels. Sound makers hang from the branches of the trees, head kindly bought us a gas BBQ and most importantly STORAGE. Some good ideas might be found on these sites http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/education/su...blication-2.htm http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/playlink...rial/index.html Edited May 30, 2006 by Marion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfy Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Hi You might find this link useful. It's a website for a state funded nursery and infant school in reading. the head of which either is or was the chairpearson of learning through landscapes. I read about the school in a creative curriculums book and then went to visit. What they have now has been built over many years and not possible to create over night, but it might just give you some long lasting inspiration for the future -certainly worked for me http://www.thecoombes.com/frames.html Hope this helps Elfy x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 thanks for all the replies and useful websites - will be checking them all out today (my designated - get everything sorted out day!!!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Hi You might find this link useful. It's a website for a state funded nursery and infant school in reading. the head of which either is or was the chairpearson of learning through landscapes. I read about the school in a creative curriculums book and then went to visit. What they have now has been built over many years and not possible to create over night, but it might just give you some long lasting inspiration for the future -certainly worked for me http://www.thecoombes.com/frames.html Hope this helps Elfy x 57802[/snapback] What a wonderful place to work Im so envious. Thanks for the link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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