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play notes • JANUARY 2009 OUTDOORS IN ALL SEASONS Groundnotes Early Years Outdoors September 2004 Storage and organisation of resources Groundnotes Shade and shelter in the school grounds Information sheets Gardening for wildlife, Learn with leaves, Shade and shelter and Shade structures All the above are available to download from the Member Services page of our website. Products Magic snow from Hawkins bazaar, £1.99. Visit www.hawkin.com See also Members Offers on our website for discounts on outdoor clothing etc Story books The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (Picture Puffin, 1997) ISBN 13: 978-0140557138 Flower Garden by Eve Bunting and Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt Brace International, 2000) ISBN 13:978-0152023720 The Gigantic Turnip by Alexei Tolstoy and Niamh Sharky (Barefoot Books, 1999) ISBN 13: 978-1902283296 Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper (Corgi Childrens, 2007) ISBN 13:978-0552559736 Factual book For activities and resources see The Little Book of Outside in all Weather (Featherstone Education) Training LTL offers a programme of training and accrediting early years professionals who wish to develop their skills and knowledge through CPD. To find out more visit the training pages of our website. Sources Learning Outdoors H Bilton, K James, J Marsh, A Wilson, M Woonton (David Fulton Publisher, 2002) ISBN 978-1-84312-350-9 Foundation Themes Seasons L Powley (Scholastic, 2003) ISBN: 0-439-98464-5 The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) DCSF (Crown, 2007) Creating a Space to Grow Gail Ryder Richardson (David Fulton, 2006) ISBN: 1- 84312-304-5 shade and shelter can be created so that children can be kept safe and comfortable (see also ‘Further resources’). Pinpoint those areas in the garden that are most exposed to the sun at different times of the day. Home-made tents (using blankets or sheets) and pop-up gazebos provide instant shade and shelter but remember that these may not protect against UV rays during the hottest part of the day. Planting a willow tunnel is a worthwhile long-term solution but bear in mind this can take time to become established. Look at investing in a veranda – this would provide some shelter from the sun and allow the children to be outside in rain too. Another option is to use shade canopies (see ‘Further resources’) which come in different sizes and colours and provide UV protection. Utilising resources Being organised is the key to making sure that resources are readily accessible to take advantage of changes in weather. Make up inexpensive weather boxes. Use categories such as rain, wind, snow and sun to extend outdoor learning. If you have limited indoor space for storage then keep these resources in an outside shed, ready to use when necessary. Label all resources, with pictures too, so that both adults and children can locate and return them to the correct area when they are finished with. Consider how the children are going to access these resources independently. Use trolleys, for example, or transform a low cupboard into a resource which can be wheeled in or out. Keep items which children should have access to every day as part of their continuous provision – for example: pencil crayons, chalks, paper, clip boards, paint, glue etc – easily available. Making it happen Creating a transition zone – a place where children can make decisions about the outdoor activities they want to do – will help encourage outdoor play, whatever the weather. In this area children should have easy access to coats and wellington boots, enabling them to become responsible for changing their clothes and shoes. Although this can be time consuming, it encourages children to be independent. Providing a seated area will help the younger children. Also, displaying pictures of children in appropriate clothing (according to what time of year it is) and labelling them will prompt children to make choices and communicate with each other and staff about additional clothing they may need to put on. Using sequenced pictures can support children in mastering the technique of putting on their coat, for example. Further resources Playnotes July 2006 Water play Groundnotes Early Years Outdoors November 2004 Whatever the weather Groundnotes Early Years Outdoors January 2007 The WOW factor- attracting wildlife to your outdoor environment (includes making a hedgehog habitat) © This resource was originally created as part of the Schoolgrounds-UK membership scheme from the national school grounds charity Learning through Landscapes operating in Scotland as Grounds for Learning (registered charity no. in England and Wales 803270 and in Scotland SCO38890). To find out more about membership call 01962 845811 or visit www.ltl.org.uk

Outdoors in all Seasons: Early Years Outdoors Learning

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Page 1: Outdoors in all Seasons: Early Years Outdoors Learning

playnotes • JANUARY 2009

OUTDOORS IN ALL SEASONS

Groundnotes Early Years OutdoorsSeptember 2004 Storage and organisation ofresourcesGroundnotes Shade and shelter in the schoolgroundsInformation sheets Gardening for wildlife,Learn with leaves, Shade and shelter andShade structuresAll the above are available to download fromthe Member Services page of our website.

Products Magic snow from Hawkins bazaar, £1.99.Visit www.hawkin.comSee also Members Offers on our website fordiscounts on outdoor clothing etc

Story booksThe Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (Picture Puffin,1997) ISBN 13: 978-0140557138

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting and KathrynHewitt (Harcourt Brace International, 2000)ISBN 13:978-0152023720

The Gigantic Turnip by Alexei Tolstoy andNiamh Sharky (Barefoot Books, 1999) ISBN13: 978-1902283296

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper (CorgiChildrens, 2007) ISBN 13:978-0552559736

Factual bookFor activities and resources see The LittleBook of Outside in all Weather (FeatherstoneEducation)

TrainingLTL offers a programme of training andaccrediting early years professionals whowish to develop their skills and knowledgethrough CPD. To find out more visit thetraining pages of our website.

SourcesLearning Outdoors H Bilton, K James, J Marsh, A Wilson, M Woonton(David Fulton Publisher, 2002) ISBN 978-1-84312-350-9

Foundation Themes Seasons L Powley(Scholastic, 2003) ISBN: 0-439-98464-5The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) DCSF(Crown, 2007)

Creating a Space to Grow Gail RyderRichardson (David Fulton, 2006) ISBN: 1-84312-304-5

shade and shelter can be created so thatchildren can be kept safe and comfortable(see also ‘Further resources’).

● Pinpoint those areas in the garden thatare most exposed to the sun at differenttimes of the day.

● Home-made tents (using blankets orsheets) and pop-up gazebos provideinstant shade and shelter but rememberthat these may not protect against UVrays during the hottest part of the day.

● Planting a willow tunnel is a worthwhilelong-term solution but bear in mind thiscan take time to become established.

● Look at investing in a veranda – thiswould provide some shelter from the sunand allow the children to be outside inrain too.

● Another option is to use shade canopies(see ‘Further resources’) which come indifferent sizes and colours and provideUV protection.

Utilising resources Being organised is the key to making surethat resources are readily accessible totake advantage of changes in weather.

Make up inexpensive weather boxes.Use categories such as rain, wind, snowand sun to extend outdoor learning. If you have limited indoor space for storagethen keep these resources in an outsideshed, ready to use when necessary.

Label all resources, with pictures too,so that both adults and children canlocate and return them to the correct areawhen they are finished with.

Consider how the children are going toaccess these resources independently. Usetrolleys, for example, or transform a lowcupboard into a resource which can bewheeled in or out. Keep items whichchildren should have access to every dayas part of their continuous provision – forexample: pencil crayons, chalks, paper,clip boards, paint, glue etc – easilyavailable.

Making it happenCreating a transition zone – a place wherechildren can make decisions about theoutdoor activities they want to do – will

help encourage outdoor play, whateverthe weather.

In this area children should have easyaccess to coats and wellington boots,enabling them to become responsible forchanging their clothes and shoes.Although this can be time consuming, itencourages children to be independent.

Providing a seated area will help theyounger children. Also, displayingpictures of children in appropriateclothing (according to what time of year it is) and labelling them will promptchildren to make choices andcommunicate with each other and staffabout additional clothing they may needto put on. Using sequenced pictures cansupport children in mastering thetechnique of putting on their coat, forexample.

Further resourcesPlaynotes July 2006 Water playGroundnotes Early Years OutdoorsNovember 2004 Whatever the weatherGroundnotes Early Years Outdoors January2007 The WOW factor- attracting wildlife toyour outdoor environment (includes makinga hedgehog habitat)

© This resource was originally created as part of the Schoolgrounds-UKmembership scheme from thenational school grounds charityLearning through Landscapesoperating in Scotland as Grounds for Learning(registered charity no. in England and Wales

803270 and in Scotland SCO38890).

To find out more about membership call 01962 845811 or visit www.ltl.org.uk

Page 2: Outdoors in all Seasons: Early Years Outdoors Learning

outlook • MAY 2007

LEARNING THROUGH LANDSCAPES

playnotes January 2009

Being able to go outdoors whatever theseason not only helps early years settingsmake the most of their outdoor space, butalso gives children the opportunity to havedifferent outdoor experiences, dependingon the time of year. From splashing inpuddles in winter and sorting seeds inspring, to exploring snail trails in theautumn and making kites in the summer,every season offers its own uniqueopportunities to increase a child’sknowledge and understanding of theworld in which they live.

This Playnotes will look at:

● how to make the most of the seasonsfor hands-on experiential learning,whatever the season.

● the problems practitioners face whenusing their outdoor area in all seasons.

● how to overcome these problems.

Outdoors in all seasons

Early Years Outdoors

Making the most of theseasonsChildren learn best through hands-on,experiential opportunities, and thechanging seasons offer a vast range ofexperiences that can help them discovermore about the world they live in.

Here are some fun and stimulating ideasto help you take advantage of the changingseasons to deliver the curriculum outdoorswhatever the weather.

Outdoors in winterThis is a great season for experiencingextreme elements.

Weather Stock up on a variety ofcontainers and buckets, absorbent(sponges) and non-absorbent (plastic)materials to collect, channel, transport andmeasure rainfall. Explore puddles: try

chalking around them and observing whathappens as they evaporate; make bubblesin puddles using washing up liquid andfood colouring. If your outdoor areadoesn’t gather water, create your ownpuddles by filling builders’ trays with water(for more ideas on water play, see ‘Furtherresources’).

If you are lucky enough to have snow useblack paper and magnifiers for catchingand examining snowflakes. Provide scoops,shovels, rakes and twigs for mark making.Corks, sticks and bottle tops are goodresources to decorate snowmen. Waterypaint is fun for colouring snow. If it doesn’tsnow, you can always pretend – use sheetsto make igloos and/or give children an ideaof what snow feels like by letting themexplore false snow (see ‘Further resources’).

Growing Provide appropriate sizedspades, rakes and spoons for children toprepare the soil for sewing seeds in thespring. Tasks could include tidying up thebeds and removing the weeds.

Page 3: Outdoors in all Seasons: Early Years Outdoors Learning

playnotes • JANUARY 2009

OUTDOORS IN ALL SEASONS

Wildlife Talk about wildlife and howsmall creatures survive in winter. Whatcan you do to help? Provide logs, deadwood, a patch of carpet or piles of mulchto attract mini beasts such as woodlice,beetles, spiders, centipedes, snails andworms. Make bird feeders and fill withbird feed – use a selection of differentcontainers then observe which one worksthe best. If you have a pond, look atpreparing it ready for frogs in the spring(for more ideas on wildlife see ‘Furtherresources’).

Outdoors in springThe outdoors in springtime provides lotsof opportunities for children to makediscoveries about new life.

Growing As the ground warms upyou can start growing from seed – idealfor supporting numeracy when sorting,matching and comparing size. Chooseannual flowers for a splash of summercolour. Get some herbs on the go butkeep indoors until June (for more ideas ongrowing see ‘Further resources’).

Wildlife Spot the birds appearing inyour garden. Bring in a bird’s nest and getthe children to try making their own withdifferent resources. Talk about babyanimals and their homes, for example,and the life cycles of butterflies and frogs.Investigate eggs – different sizes, patternsetc. Discuss which animals are coming outof hibernation.

Nature Go on a nature walk – look forbuds and blossom on trees, and see if youcan spot any bulbs peeping through theground. Collect some items that the windhas blown down and explore furtherthrough conversation and observationaldrawings.

Outdoors in summerKeep the children safe and at the sametime educate them about caring forthemselves in the sun by having aselection of sun hats, parasols, pop-up sunshades and sun cream to hand.

Sunlight Sunglasses and pieces ofcellophane allow children to look at theworld in different shades and colours. UseCDs, prisms and foil trays to discoverabout reflection.

Warmth On hotter days see howquickly ice can melt when you put it indifferent areas of your setting. Freezewater coloured with food colouring tomake coloured ice cubes, then let thechildren use them to make marks on paperor the ground. Find ways of staying cool –make a variety of materials available forcreating cool, shady dens and enjoy waterplay with resources such as hose pipes andwater sprinklers. Provide a selection ofdecorator’s brushes, rollers and buckets for

painting with water and exploringevaporation.

Weather On warm windy days takethe parachute outside and/or let thechildren explore wind with lengths ofdifferent size material, ribbons andfeathers. Paper bags make good kites too.Have fun discovering if any other materialsare good for flying. Observe clouds – whyare some white, some grey? How are theyformed? Explore the water cycle; create acloud collage.

Outdoors in autumnFrom discovering the colours of leaves andfruits to finding out more about harvesttime, autumn is a bountiful season.

Nature Why do some trees lose theirleaves? Encourage the children to lookcarefully at leaves, discovering theirdifferent shapes (see also ‘Furtherresources’). Can they find out which treesthey come from? Discover also conkers intheir prickly shells and compare them withacorns and sycamore seeds. Look at leavesand identify different autumn colours; mixpaints to match. Explore mark makingwith mud and water and different sizedbowls.

Wildlife Explore worms, observe howthey move, make a wormery. Whichanimals are getting ready to hibernate?Using a variety of resources, exploremaking a hedgehog house (see ‘Furtherresources’ for more information). If theweather is wet, you’ll find plenty of snailsoutdoors – observe them moving acrossblack paper and discover their silvery trails.

Growing Discuss harvest time andhow farmers work hard to gather the food.Read harvest stories. Set up a role playfarmers’ market. Encourage observationaldrawing of harvest fruit and veg. Sow‘green’ manure seeds (see ‘Furtherresources’) in vegetable beds ready forturning over in the spring and workinginto the soil. Get new plants – perennials,trees – established ready for growing inthe spring.

Your setting in all seasonsIn an ideal early years environment, free-flow allows children to make choicesabout the activities they want to take partin, and whether they want to be indoorsor outdoors.

Some settings, however, may face avariety of problems that make using theiroutdoors in all seasons difficult. Here’show to identify potential obstacles, andideas on how to overcome them.

WeatherWhatever the season, the weather inBritain can be very unpredictable. With theright kind of resources, however, the manyvariations of our changeable climate canbe a valuable resource that supportschildren’s play. The key is being prepared.

Page 4: Outdoors in all Seasons: Early Years Outdoors Learning

playnotes • JANUARY 2009

OUTDOORS IN ALL SEASONS

● Invest in water-proof clothing,footwear and umbrellas. You may needto include these in your budget orpurchase them through fundraising(see ‘Further resources’).

● Ask parents to bring in any unwantedclothing, including hats, gloves andmittens.

● Ask parents to bring in a spare set ofclothing for their children to leave atthe setting.

Staff attitudes Staff need to feel enthusiastic about usingthe outdoors – even when it’s cold and/orwet – to help facilitate playing andlearning and provide positive role modelsfor the children. ● When interviewing potential staff make

it clear that they will be expected to goout in all weathers. This should also bepart of their job description andcontract.

● During their induction period, put lessconfident practitioners alongside staffwho are experienced in using theoutdoors. Make sure they know how tocarry out risk assessments for theoutdoors and, if necessary, set weeklyachievable targets for individual staff tomeet.

● Reinforce the importance of theoutdoors by sending staff onappropriate training.

● Acknowledge staff who are enthusiasticabout the outdoors and keen todevelop this area and the range ofresources on offer, both for the childrenand their own professionaldevelopment.

● Ensure staff have access to appropriateclothing – this may mean investing in aset of outdoor clothing for staff to use.

DrainageThe grassy area(s) of your outdoor spacemay become hazardous when it is verywet if the drainage is poor. ● Get professional advice – the solution

may involve mending a brokendrainage pipe, or laying gravel or drainpipes to take the water away from thearea.

● Consider replacing some of thegrass/mud with either wood chips,tarmac or decking.

● Take advantage of the drainageproblem in a small space and turn awet area into a bog garden.

Parents Some parents may be concerned abouttheir children being outdoors when it’svery cold, very hot or very wet. Childrenvalue what their parents value, so it’sworth taking the time to help parentsunderstand the importance for playingand learning outdoors. ● When showing parents around your

setting, talk to them about theimportance of outdoor play andreinforce this by showing them youroutdoor policy outlining yoursetting’s vision and values.

● Hold a workshop as part of a parentsopen evening/day to explain theimportance of outdoor learning andplay.

● Create a display showingphotographs of the children learningoutdoors and place it where parentsarrive to pick up and drop off theirchildren.

● Invite parents to come and watch orjoin in with their children playingoutdoors.

● Use opportunities such as newslettersto inform parents on other benefits ofbeing outdoors, such as exercise andfresh air.

Shade and shelter Very exposed settings may limit the waythe outdoors is used because of theneed to protect children from brightsunshine, cold winds and rain showers.There are various ways, however, that

Outdoors in all weathersCathy Bache, childminder and pioneer ofScotland’s first outdoor award-winningnursery, The Secret Garden, talks aboutthe joys of being out in all weathers:

‘Here at The Secret Garden we are verylucky. We have a woodland to play inwhich provides us with natural protection

from the elements. Each day is different aswe look at what the weather is offering usand then decide where we will go to makethe best of it.

‘Whether you have access to a tiny or avast outdoor play area, there areenormous learning opportunities. Thechildren can watch the clouds movingacross the sky, figure the wind directionand search out shelter possibilities. Theycan check the movement of the sun acrossthe outdoor area and anticipate thewarmest place for snack time. They cansee where the rain collects and then findthe most exciting water play area.

‘We try and engage with the weatherat its most exhilarating rather thanavoiding it.’

© Apex