©JulietRobertson,CreativeSTARLearningLtd.,2016www.creativestarlearning.co.uk 1

EARLYYEARSOUTDOORPROVISIONAUDIT

©JulietRobertson,CreativeSTARLearningLtd.,2016www.creativestarlearning.co.uk 2

UndertakingtheauditTheaimoftheauditistostretchyourthinkingaboutwhatispossibleandisbaseduponideasandevidencecollectedfrommanydifferentestablishmentswithintheUKandinternationally.Itisnotadefinitivelist.Outdoorprovisionisnotastaticaspectofearlyeducationbutisdevelopingatasignificantrate.Thisislargelydueinparttotheavailabilityofresearchwhichallpointstothebenefitsofspendingtimeoutdoors,particularlyinnature.Itisalsopartlydue,tothehugegrowthofoutdoornurseryprovisionworldwidewhichisredefiningwhatoutdoorplayprovisioncanandshouldbe.Theauditisorganisedintothreesectionswhichare:

Therangeofspacesandplaceschildrenareabletouseorvisit Theroleofadultsandhowtheycanfacilitatetheplayandlearningopportunitiesthroughtheirinteractionsandcreationofroutines Thevarietyofexperiencesavailabletochildren

Whereverrelevant,askyourchildren,parents/carersfortheirthoughtstoo.Asateam,throughtheauditandconsideryourownpractice.Howdoyouknowitisthebestitcanbe?Youmaywishtohighlightwhatyouknowyoursettingisdoingwellandputcommentsaboutwhatneedsfurtherclarificationand/ordevelopment.Toshowongoingimprovement,itisworthhighlightingwhatyoudotermbytermindifferentcolours.Whenyoulookforimprovementsandaddreflectivecommentfocusontheimpactyourworkhashadonchildren’slearningratherthanwhatyouhaveputinplace.Robustevidence–ThisisaboutknowingwhatimpactyourworkishavingDothechangesyoumakehelpmakeadifferencetochildren’slearningandifsohow?Evidencemaybegatheredinmanydifferentformssuchas:

Askingachild,staffmemberorparentandnotingtheircomments Observingroutinesinplaceandhoweffectivelytheywork Apictorialrecordofadevelopment,e.g.beforeandafteranareaoutsidehasbeendeveloped. Seekingfeedbackfromtheeducationcommunityandactinguponthefeedbackreceived Collectionofrelevantdata Resourcescreatedandbeingusedbychildren.

©JulietRobertson,CreativeSTARLearningLtd.,2016www.creativestarlearning.co.uk 3

OUTDOORPROVISIONAUDIT

Routinesandinteractions

Audit Ideastoimplementandimpactonchildren

Childreninvolvedinongoingdialoguewhichleadstospecificimprovementshappeningoutside.

Everydevelopmentorimprovementhasinputfromchildren.Itistheirspacewheretheyplay.

Staffdocumentorrecordchildren’sinputintotheimprovements. Child-friendlyplanningapproachesareusedsothatchildrenplanwithadults(NBWatchmind-maps:aretheseinteractive–canchildrendrawandwritetheirideas,howarerealobjectsusedwhendevelopingamindmap?)

Specificwaysofconsultingchildrenareexploredtodevelopamosaic–afullerpictureofwhattheyliketodooutsideandtheirideaformakingthespaceabetterplace.,e.g.GoingouttoplaywithFredtheTedideas.

Childrenandstaffreflectonimprovementswhicharemadesothatyoucanassesstheimpactofthechangesimplemented.UseGIRFECapproachifnothingcurrentlyinplace

Childrenhaveaccesstotheoutdoorspaceonanequalbasistoindoorsandsimultaneously.

Childrenareabletoaccesstheoutdoorspaceasandwhentheychoose.

Afreeflowsystembetweentheindoorsandoutdoorshappensallday,everyday.

Thetransitionareabetweentheindoorandoutdoorsspaceiswell-organisedtofacilitatetheflowofchildren

Theviewfrominsidetotheoutdoorspaceisconsideredwhensettinguptheoutdoorspace.Resourcesandsetupsareputtherethatwillhelpareluctantchildstepoutside.Thischangesfrequentlytoreflectchanginginterestsandtosupportdifferentchildren.Theindoorspaceneartheoutdoorexitmayhave:

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Resourcesavailableforuseoutside Displaysthathelpchildrenconnecttheindoorandoutdoorspace Aroleplayorplacewherechildrencandooutdoorsythings,e.g.floriststall,kitchen,etc

Theindoorspacehas:

Goodqualitymatstocollectthemudandwetfromoutside. Chairssothatchildrencansitifneededwhenremovingwellies.(Considerachildsizewellybootremover)

Placesforchildrentohangupclothing–canbeamobileunit.Immediatelyoutside:

Thereisaplaceforchildrentoscrubdowntheiroutdoorgearifmuddy

Itisacalmareatoallowforagradualtransitionbetweentheindoorandoutdoorspace.Busier,moreactivezonesarefurtheraway.

Routinesareinplacefortransitionbetweentheindoorandoutdoorspacethatchildrenknowandcandoasindependentlyaspossible.

Childrenhavesuitableall-weatheroutdoorclothingandfootwear

Outdoorclothingandwelliesareavailableforthosewhodon’thavetheirown.Thisincludesaccessories:sunhats,warmthicksocks,gloves,winterhats

Parentsareencouragedtoensurechildrenbringtheirownoutdoorclothingandfootwear.

Therearephotoschildreninappropriateclothingforinductionmeetingsanddisplayssothatparents/carersknowwhatisappropriateandwhatisn’tfromvisualremindersratherthanrelyingontext.Alternatively,actualexamplesofsuitableclothingaredisplayed.

Whenandifsetsofclothingarereplaced,thechildrenareactivelyinvolvedindecidingwhatclothesarepurchased.

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Childrenshouldbeableto:

Putonandtakeoffoutdoorclothingindependently(useamicro-routinechecklistandcreateanddisplayphotosequencestoassist)

Knowtowheretofindandreturnoutdoorclothing. Maketheirowndecisionaboutwhatclothestowearaccordingtotheactivityandweather.

Gooutsideassoonastheyaredressedfortheoutdoorsandnothavetowaitforothers.

Childrencanaccessandchooseresourcestouseduringtheiroutdoorplay

Theoutdoorcupboardissafe,tidyandaccessiblebychildrenaswellasstaff,

Childrenencouragedtohelpsetupoutdoorspaceifoutearly. Theoutdoorshedistidiedwiththechildrensothattheyknowwhatisthereandhowtoaccessit.

Routinesareinplacewhichensuresthecupboardremainstidy. Resourcesarestoredandlabelledappropriatelyaccordingtothedevelopmentalneedsofchildren(actualresourcetosee/feel;photo;silhouette,etc.)

Someresourcesarekeptinzones.Ifthisisn’tpossible,thengrab‘n’gobagsorboxesareusedsothatresourcescanbeeasilybroughtoutandputintodifferentzonesdailybystaffsettingupoutdoorspaceorwithinterestedchildreninthemorning.

Resourcesareclearlypresentedeachzonesothatchildrencanmakechoicesintheirplaymoreeasily,e.g.laidoutneatly.

Childrenknowhowtidyupandreturnresourcestotheirrightfulplaces.(Beginsmall,e.g.withonezoneandextendfromthereuntilchildrenknowwherethingsgo.Makethisafocusduringgatheringtimes.Experimentwithdifferentwaysofreturningresources.)

Dailysitecheckis Dailysitechecksysteminplace.

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undertakenofoutsidespaceRiskbenefitassessmentsareinplaceforallaspectsofoutdoorprovision

Riskassessmentsfollowlocalauthority/organisationpolicy. Benefitsarealsolistedaspartoftheriskassessmentprocess,inlinewithManagingRiskinChildren’sPlaydocument.

Specificriskbenefitassessmentscreatedforoutdoorspace:makealivingdocument:whereparents,childrenandstaffcanalladdtoandamend.

Specificriskbenefitassessmentsforeducationalvisits,inlinewithlocalauthority/organisationpolicy.

Allstaffhaveread,andareawareoftheriskbenefitassessmentsandwherethesearelocated(planningfolderisoftenagoodplaceordisplayedonawall)

Snackhappensoutsideonaregularbasis

Snackisroutinelyofferedoutside.Examplesofoutdoorsnackinclude:• Havingpicnics• Snackbeingavailablethroughroleplayareas• Barbecuesand/orcampfires(withlinemanager’spermission,risk

benefitsassessed,etc.)• Aspartofoff-sitevisitsChildrenlearnhowtotransferskillslearnedthroughsnackroutinestotheoutdoorcontext.

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Parentsandcarersareeducatedaboutthebenefitsofoutdoorplayinlotsofdifferentways

Parentsareabletopickupanddropofftheirchildrenfromtheoutdoorspace,thusenablingchildrenwhochoosetoplayoutsidetobetherelonger.

Parentsandcarerscan“stayandplay”intheoutdoorspace. Home-schoollearningpacksand/orbookbagsincludeoutdoorthemesandexperiences.

Parentinformationboards,notices,lettersandotherformsofcommunicationreferenceoutdoorlearningexperiencesasmuchas

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indoorones.Itcanincludequotesaboutthebenefitsoflearningoutside.

Fundraisingandotherparent-runeventsincludeoutdooractivities. Parents’skillsandinterestsareputtogooduseoutside.Aninterests&skillsauditisundertakenaspartofenrolmentand/orinductionsothatparentscanbeapproacheddirectlyforhelp,adviceandsupportonaspectsofoutdoorprovision.

Enrolmentandinductioninformationforparentsincludeusefuladviceaboutoutdoorroutines,particularlytherightofachildtoplayoutdoors.Ifachildisnotwellenoughtobeoutside,thentheyarenotwellenoughtobeatnurseryunlessthereareexceptionalcircumstances.

Digitaltechnologyisusedtosupportbasicskillsacquisitionoutdoorsbychildren

Theusedigitaltechnologyoutsideenhancesthelearningexperienceofchildren.

Thereareagreedroutinesandproceduresaroundtheuseofdigitaltechnologytoenablesafeindependentuse.

IfaniPadortabletisacquired,thenithasrobustwaterproofcover. Anyappsdownloadedenablechildrentointeractwiththeworldaroundthem-SeepostonJuliet’sblog:http://creativestarlearning.co.uk/early-years-outdoors/early-years-outdoor-apps-for-the-ipad/

Earlyyearsstaffknowtheirrolesandhaveaprofessionalapproachtofacilitatingoutdoorplay

Outdoorplayiseverystaffmember’sresponsibility. Allstafftaketurnstobeonoutdoorplayduty. Staffworkasateamtosupportchildrentohaveplayexperiencesoutside.

Staffmodelapositiveattitudetobeingoutsideinallweathers,all

1 EllenSandseter,aprofessoratQueenMaudUniversityinTrondheim,haswrittenanarticleRiskyPlayinEarlyChildhoodandEducation1whichisworthreading.Shedefinesriskyplayas“thrillingandchallengingformsofplaythatinvolveariskofphysicalinjury”andidentifiedthesixcategoriesofriskyplayoutlinedabove.

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yearround. Staffareappropriatelydressedforbeingoutsideandmodelthisforchildren

Staffenableandfacilitateawiderangeofoutdooractivitiesincludingthosewithanelementof(managed)risk1andoff-sitevisits.

Staffareup-to-datewithexpectationsinEYFSandhavebeguntoimplementadvice.Forexample,reflectingwithchildrenonwellbeingindicatorsandhowtheoutdoorprovisionmeetseverychild’sspecificanduniversalneeds.

Staffareknowledgeable,competentandhaveundertakencareerlongprofessionallearningopportunitiesfordevelopingoutdoorplay.

Observationsofchildren’ssignificantlearningmomentsaremadeoutsideandcontributetothechildren’sprofiles,recordsandnextstepsintheirlearning.

Thecurrentapproachworksbestformeetingchildren’slearningexperiencesoutdoorsandhavingbestpossiblepractice(andhowdoyouknowthis?)

Rangeofoutdoorspacesandplaces

Audit Ideastoimplementandimpactonchildren

Theoutdoorspacereflectsthevaluesandaimsoftheestablishment.Itiswelcoming,attractiveandchild-friendly

Lookattheaims,visionandvaluesofyourestablishment. Takethemoutsideandlookaround.Doestheoutdoorspacereflectthese?Ifnot,whatdoyouneedtodotoensurethereisamatch?

Askotherstaff,childrenandparentsfortheirthoughts.

Weekly/fortnightlyoff-

Thevisitshappenfrequentlyandregularlyallyearroundinlinewithrecognisedgoodpractice.Childrenhaveopportunitiesto:

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sitevisitstoalocalgreenspaceallyearround

Experienceseasonalchanges,humanactivityandmeetpeopleinwayswhichcannotbereplicatedinanoutdoorspace.

Developtheirconfidenceastheyvisitthesameplaceandgettoknowitwell.Theyareabletoleadaspectsofthevisits.

Gettoknowtheirlocalareawell.Theycanrecognisekeylandmarksandfeatures.

Experienceafeelingofwildnessinthegreenspace. Showtheirparentsthegreenspace. Developpracticalskillssuchashowtocrossroads,managedogsandencounterswitharangeofwildlife,howtocareforpublicspaces,developstaminawalkingandbeingphysicallyactive,howtogotothetoiletoutside,etc.

Regularopportunitiestoexplorelocalareaanditsfacilitiessuchasshopsandlocalbusinessandorganisations

Childrenobservecommunitychangesthroughouttheyear,e.g.localcelebrations,eventsandfestivals(Valentine’sday,Christmas,whenthelocalfootballclubreachesthecupfinal,etc.)

Childrenmeetandlearnaboutandfromlocalbusinesses,organisationsandindividuals.

Childrenhavetheopportunitytouselocalfacilitiessuchasthelibraryortovisitashoptobuysnack.

Thehistoryandcultureofaplaceisexplored. Childrenexperiencediverserangeofhabitatsandwaterfeatures

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Theoutdoorspacesupportsnatureplayandhasagoodbiodiversity

Theoutdoorspacesupportsnatureplayandhas: Sand,mud,waterandothernaturalmediumsforplay Lotsofplantsincludingtrees,flowersandshrubs–manyofwhicharenativeorwildlifefriendly.

Theplantsformpartofawildlifecorridorwithinyourneighbourhood.

Therearehomes,foodandwateravailableforarangeofwildanimals(birds,minibeasts,amphibians,mammals).

Thereisaprovisionofdifferentheights,colours,sightsand

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soundsofnatureallyearround Naturalmaterialsareavailableforchildrentouseintheirplayatalltimes

Childrenareinvolvedingardeningandcaringfortheoutdoorspace.

Arangeofsurfaceswhichfacilitateawiderangeofphysicalmovementsandinteractions.Widerangeofopportunitiesforphysicalactivity

Theoutdoorspaceisspecificallysetuptosupportphysicaldevelopment.Thereare:

Arangeofheightsandlevels Jumpingoffpoints Lowwallsorbalancinglogs/beams Varietyofstepsandclimbingfeaturese.g.suitabletrees,horizontallogs,fixedplayequipment,tunnels

Spacetorunaround Featureswhichallowchildrentopulluporusetheirbodiesindifferentways

Opportunitiesforchildrentousetheirbodiesinlotsofdifferentwaysbycarefulplacementofdifferentresourcesintheoutdoorarea

AphysicaldevelopmentaudithasbeenundertakenfromJanWhite’sbook“Everychildamover.”Childrencaninteractwiththesurfacesinavarietyofdifferentwaysthem:barefoot,crawling,rolling,movingawheeledtoyacrossit.

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Sustainablefeaturesarepresentintheoutdoorspace

Useofcollectedrainwaterforgardeninge.g.throughawaterbutt(riskassessforstagnantwaterandLegionnaire’sdisease–justincludeinoutdoorplayRBA)

Compostsystemonsite Measurestoreducedraughtsinside,whenfreeflowhappens. Introductionofbioiversitymeasures–homes,foodandwater

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forwildlife Oldresourcesfrominsidearere-usedoutside–mudkitchen,watertrayforplanting,etc.

Zonesorareasoutsidearesetupsothatchildrenmakeconnectionsacrosstheareasastheyplay

Thezoningoftheoutdoorspacehelpschildrenmakechoicesaboutwhereandhowtheyplayoutside.

Childrenareabletomakeconnectionsintheirplaybetweenthezones

Staffknowwhatplayprovisionisbeingofferedwhereintermsofchildrenbeingabletomakeconnectionsintheirplay.

Theoutdoorareaiscontinuouslychanginginlinewithchildren’sneedsandinterests

Thetransitionzoneisusedtoengagechildrenwhomaynotbeinterestedingoingoutsideandisacalmspace

Themudareaclosetothegardeningarea.Theplantsaregrowntosupportpotionsandrecipecreatinginamudkitchenorotherroleplayoutside.

Waterissituatedinplaceswhereitmayrequiretransportingtootherzonesforusebychildren.Thetransportoptionsvary:pulleys,buckets,trolleys,wateringcans,etc.

Fences,wallsandotherverticalsurfacesareusedtoofferarangeofexperiencessuchaswaterwalls,tohangbasicresources,asaplacetoexplorebigpainting,toinvestigatelight,soundandmusic

Avarietyofconstructionexperiencesareavailable Spaceandfreedomforphysicalactivitythatdoesnotdominateotherplayintheoutdoorspaceisprovided.

Trikesandbikesareofferedwhentheexperienceclearlybuildsuponanddevelopsthelearningindifferentwaysinlinewithchildren’sinterests.Ortheyarepartofthetransportoptionsforarangeofmaterialsaswellaschildren.

Createnooks,cranniesandlittlespaceswherechildrencan

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experienceenclosureandperceivedtimeawayfromadults’eyes.Thesearedisturbedbychildren’sphysicalplay,etc.

Shelterisavailablefromtheelements(thiscanbetemporaryorpermanent)

Windreductionmeasuresinplace,ifneeded. Denbuildingopportunitiespartofcontinuousoutdoorprovision.

Childrenhavenooksandcrannieswheretheycangoandhide. Childrenhaveappropriateoutdoorclothing.

Displaysoutsideareattractiveandrelevanttochildren’sinterests

Displaysareattractiveandrelevanttochildren’sinterests Signsornoticeboardshaveamixofprinted,handwrittentexts. Childrencanaccessresourcestomaketheirownsignsanddisplaysthroughtheirinterestsandneeds,e.g.signsforaden,plantlabels,numberplatesforbikes,etc.

Children’smessagesaredisplayedonanyoutdoornoticeboardsaswellasmessagesforadults

Aninterestareaboxisavailableoutsideandusedforgroupdiscussions.Whitesheetsmakeusefulportabledisplayareasforobjectsandcanbetakenandusedoff-sitetoo

Displayscanalsobe:

Informationdisplays,e.g.aboutthefairygarden. Signsandadvicewrittenbychildren,e.g.aboutrememberingtolookoutforwormsnearthecompostbin

Sequencingbooksforoutdooractivitiessuchashowtomakeasplashpoolusingtarpandtyres

Etchandaddwords,lettersandsymbolsintoanyworksofartorfeaturesputintotheoutdoorplaysspace.Etchingscanbeusedfortakingrubbings

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Rangeofexperiencesinoutdoorspaces

Audit Ideastoimplementandimpactonchildren

Outdoorareaisplannedforonanequalbasistotheindoorarea

Theoutdoorplayisnotaseparateboxwithinaplanningsheetasthisisunlikelytoindicateabalancebetweentheindoorandoutdoors.

Theapproachtoplanningensuresthatitiseasytoseethebalancebetweenindoorandoutdoorenvironments.Thismayinvolve:

o HighlightingtheoutdoorpracticewithintheoverallplanstoviewbalanceOR

o UsingamapoftheoutdoorspacewiththechildrenandwritingonthisaspartoftheapproachOR

o Anyothersuitablesystem

Thereisabalancebetweenstructuredactivitiesledbyanadult(butneverthelesschild-initiated)andcontinuousprovision

Allcurriculumareasareincludedintheplanningofoutdooropportunitiesbothintheoutdoorspaceandbeyond

Childrenhaveopportunitiesoutdoorstoparticipateinlocalorcommunityandreligiouscelebrationsandtraditions.

Theannualcalendar/overviewincludescelebrationsofkeyeventsandmilestonesoutside.Forexample,havealookatthisblogaboutChristmasforideas:http://creativestarlearning.co.uk/early-years-outdoors/christmas-outdoor-activities/

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Maintenanceandgardeningjobsintheoutdoorspaceareintegratedintoplanningandlinkedtothecurriculum

Arangeofgardeningandmaintenancejobsareundertakenbychildren.Examplesinclude:

Puttingfruitandvegetablepeelingsintothecompostbin Weedingbeds Simplepruningtasks Harvestingvegetablesandfruit Feedinganimalsandbirdsandensuringawatersupply Wateringplants Planting Othergardeningjobs,etc. Checkingtheweatherandrecordingit Keepingresourcestidyandsortingoutmuddledboxes Reportingbrokenordamagedresourcesandfeatures Writinglabelsfordifferentplants Measuringthegrowthofplants

Gardeningactivitieshaveariskbenefitassessment.

Experiencesaredifferenttothoseofferedindoors,thatmakethemostoftheweather,seasonsandoutsideplacesandspaces

Outdoorprovisionisnoticeablydifferenttoinside. Seasonalopportunitiesoccur.Childrengooutsideduringsnowandallweathers,allyearround.

Gooduseismadeofalltheavailablespace:O Above(hangingspace)O Uphigh(sochildrenneedtostretch).O Verticalaswellashorizontalsurfacesareused.O Slopesareusedandincorporatedintoplay.

Constructionandotheractivitiesintroducevarietyofslopes.

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Literacyandmathsareembeddedintotheoutdoorprovision

Literacyandmathsresourcesareavailable,well-presentedandaccessiblebychildrenineachzoneandifnecessaryinashedorstorageareainadditiontothis.

Literacyandmathsresourcesareplacedindifferentpartsoftheoutdoorspaceinlinewithchildren’sinterests.

Literacyandmathsareembeddedintoroutinesaroundoutdoorplayprovision.

(Juliethasseparateauditsforoutdoormathsandliteracy)

Loosepartsarecontinuouslyavailable–naturaland“junk”forchildrentouse

Childrenhavedailyaccesstobasicprovisionofstumps,tyres,breadcrates,hoses,naturalmaterials,etc.

Robustloosepartsaresourcedandreplacedasneeded. Thereisasysteminplacefortheintroduction,storage,managementandcareoflooseparts.

Looseparts are included your risk benefit assessmentsoftheoutdoorspace

Parentsareinformed,involvedandeducatedaboutthebenefitsofplayingwithlooseparts.

Planningandprovisionsupportsnatureplayprinciples

Outdoorplayprovisionisvariedandtakesaccountoftheseunderlyingplaythemes(Sobel,2008)

Denbuilding:quickdrymaterial,organza,tarps,pegs,washinglineorthinropes,etc.

Animals:seebelowaboutcaringforanimals.AlsohavepropssuchasUKwildlifetoysandpuppetsandmasks,natureIDcharts,etc.

Mapsandtrails:buildupacollectionofmapsofdifferentsorts;havemapmakingmaterialsavailable;modelthemakinganduseofmaps;havetrailmakingmaterialsavailable:rope,chalk,looseparts,etc.

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Fantasyplay:anoutdoordressingupbox,puppets,littletoyfigures,adultsbeingupforactingdifferentcharacters

Smallworldplay:placesavailableanddevelopinginaccordancewithchildren’sinterests

Huntergathergames:provisionofresourcesformakinggames,ideasfromchildhood,inviteparentstosharetheirfavouritegames;simplebushcraftexperiences

Constructingadventures:simpleresourcesforexploration:magnifyingglasses,telescope

Formoreinformation,lookatthisblogpost:http://creativestarlearning.co.uk/nature-play-learning/nature-design-principles/

Arangeofanimalsarelookedafterandcaredforbychildrenthroughouttheyear

Childrenhaveopportunitiestocareforarangeofanimalsasacontextforlearning.

Clearroutinesandproceduresareinplace. Professionaladvicesoughttoensureyouprovidetheoptimalconditionsfortheanimals.

Theexperiencehasbeenriskbenefitassessed. Thelearningisbacklinkedtothecurriculum.

Possibilitiesinclude:

Hatchingeggs Keepingchickens,rabbits,guineapigs,etc. Tadpoles Developing a minibeast area: log piles, carpets,minibeasthotels,etc.

Awormery Looking after caterpillars who metamorphose intobutterflies

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Birds: feeding them, putting up nest boxes, watchingthem,creatinghabitatsforthem

Childrenhaveexperiencesoffireandcookingoutside

Childrenhaveregularexperiencesoffireandcookingoutsideasacontextforlearning.

Clearroutinesandproceduresareinplace. Theexperiencehasbeenriskbenefitassessed. Permissionsoughtfromthelandowner/manager. Leaderoftheactivityissufficientlycompetentandthesupervisionratiosmatchthedevelopmentalneedsandabilitiesofthechildrenincombinationwiththeweatherandtheuniquenessofoutdoorspace.

Experienceofdifferenttypesoffireandenergy. Thelearningisbacklinkedtothecurriculum.

Workingwithtoolsandtinkeringopportunitiesareavailableoutside

Childrenhaveaccesstoqualityrealtoolstousethatmatchtheirsizeandabilities.

Childrenusearangeoftoolsfordifferentpurposes,e.g.gardening,woodworking,etc.

Beginwithonetoolandworkuptomoreandvarythetypesavailable.

Proceduresareinplaceforstorage,handlingandcaringfortools.Childrenandstaffknowtheseprocedures.

Createariskbenefitassessment.

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Adventurousactivitiesareofferedbyqualifiedinstructors

Childrenhaveanopportunitytoexploreandexperiencetheadventurousactivitiesmatchtheirinterestsandabilities,e.g.

Ponyrides Goingonboats Gentlerafting,boatingorcanoeing Sledging,skating Paddling

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ExploringdarkplacesTheexperiencesfollowlocalauthorityguidelinesandleadersareappropriatelyqualified,licensedandinsured.

Overnightfamilycampingorotherresidentialispartoftransitionexperiences

Thechildrenhaveanopportunitytoexperienceafamilyovernightcampingorsimilarresidentialwithothersintheschool/nurserycommunity.Agrowingnumberofpre-schoolsofferafamilycampingexperienceinSeptembertowelcomenewfamiliesandtoenablechildrenwhohavemovedintoprimaryschooltocomebackandsharehowtheyaregettingon.Thesearenormallyorganisedbytheparentgroupbutstaffattendtoo.TheLearningAwayprojecthasanumberofrecommendationsabouttheprovisionofresidentialopportunities.http://learningaway.org.uk/residentials/evidence/independent-evaluation-of-learning-away/

Childrenexperiencethedark

Therearedarkspacesforchildrentoexperienceintheoutdoorspace.Opportunitiesareorganisedthatenablechildrentoseeasunriseandasunset,e.g.abreakfastgatheringonahillandwatchingthesunsetfromthesameplaceatadifferenttimeoftheyear.Seethesuggestionsinthisblogpost:http://creativestarlearning.co.uk/early-years-outdoors/play-in-the-dark-10-ideas/

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Outdoordressingupboxwithweatherresistantmaterialsandaccessoriesavailable

Dressingupboxeshavesimplequickdryitemssuchas Accessoriesofhats,bagsandsoon Piecesmaterialthatcanbewrappedaroundabodyinlotsofdifferentways.

Simplecapes Spareoutdoorwetweatherclothing Quickdryitemswithavarietyofbuttons,zips,laces,Velcroandotherfastenings

Awheeledsuitcaseforstoringthedressingupitems.Thisisaplayiteminitsownrighttoo.

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Nameofsetting………………………………………………….. Date…………………..

Whatisinplaceandworkingwelloutside?(List3keyfeatures)Whataspectsofyouroutdoorprovisioncouldbebetter?(List3keyfeatures)CreateanactionplanWhatimprovementwillhappen?Whowillbeinvolvedandhow?Whatresourcesareneeded?Whenwillthisbeachieved?Whatpositiveimpactareyouintendingthisdevelopmenttohaveonchildrenatyoursetting?Changetakestimetoimplementandembed.Whendevelopingyouractionplan:

Startwithchangeswhicharedoableandtakelittletimeormoney.

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Taketimetofindoutwhocanhelpyoumakethebiggerchanges.Parentsmayhaveskillswhichmayhelporknowsomeonewhocan. Oftenenvironmentalservicesinlocalcouncilcanprovideadviceoraccesstocheaporfreenaturalmaterials. Seekadviceaboutbestpracticefrompeople,organisationsorestablishmentsthatknowaboutqualityoutdoorlearningandplay. Ratherthanworryaboutwhatyouhaven’tgotandwhatyoucan’tdo,changeyourthinkingtowhatyoucandowithwhatyouhavegotorcanfind.Forexample,youmayfeelyouneedasandpitoutside.Abagofsandonapieceoftarpcanprovideasandexperienceforchildren.

Buildinplentyofopportunitiestoreviewhowyourestablishmentisgettingonandtobrainstormideasandwaysforwardwithyourcolleaguesandwidereducationcommunityincludingchildrenandparents.

RememberyoucancontactJulietatanytimeforadvice.Email:info@creativestarlearning.co.uk

Tel:07802800167

Don’tforgettodownloadadditionalnotesfromtheCreativeSTARwebsitewww.creativestarlearning.co.uk/c/coursehandouts/

Theblogpostcanbefoundbyscrollingdownuntilyoufindthecoursetitleanddate.Youwillneedtoenterthepassword.