Outside

[Guest]

Can anyone who has no outdoor area or access to anything nearby tell me how they intend to provide outdoor experience every day?

A park nearby may be possible to visit occassinally but when the session is only 2.5hrs there will be no time left for anything else by the time the children have changed clothes, walked there etc and so it is not realistic to plan to go every day.

Any ideas what will happen if, despite all efforts, you just cant provide that daily outdoor experience?

[AnonyMouse_3139]

My friends playgroup is in the same situation. They have a tiny area for planting but thats it. An advisor from somewhere (there are so many!) suggested they just ensure the children always have access to large physical equipment. So half the hall is going to have climbing frame/bikes/balls etc, while the other half has table top and floor activities.

You could also bring the outdoors in. I used to collect leaves, branches, cover the floor with plastic and bring in sand, compost, pot plants.

I think a lot of settings will struggle, so here I send a plea to all settings who have a secure outdoor area...

please utilise it to the maximum. I see outdoor spaces being wasted and its so sad when other settings dont have one.

Thank you x

[Guest]

Totally agree with you Rea about utilising outdoor space, as to some it is a luxury.

 

I used to take our children out for a walk every day, sometimes twice a day ( we opened 8:45-2:45 ) with some different children am to pm. We didn't have a secure outdoor space but wer next to a park, field, beach and local shops, library etc.

Sometimes we would spend the majority of the session out on a walk say to the beach, most all areas of the curriculum can be covered if planned resources are available; ie: To the beach, walking, road safety, nature, observation, language, sand/water play, drawing in the sand / mark making in the sand, taking photo's (ICT), going on a beach bear hunt, CLL, sit and hear a story / sing songs, take a snack/drink, fly a kite, feed the birds (seagulls), find similar patterned stones, etc etc.

 

The children certainly enjoyed the outdoors which was mostly evidenced through happy, good behaviour.

 

If we didn't venture too far I would still take the children into the car park to wash my car ( always needed a 'proper' carwash afterwards ), buckets etc to wash the toys, children went out in groups of two or three with an adult, right next to the entrance door which we secured with a door gate to stop escapees.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

We have the problem of not having secure outdoor area. We meet in a church hall. There is a large car park and grass areas but none of it is fenced in. We have used barrier fencing and last week even borrowed some barriers from builders who were working next door but it is still not satisfactory. We couldn't take all the children for a walk as we would need loads of helpers to maintain ratios of one adult to 2 children. We dream of someone coming along and suggesting how to secure the area.

Anita

[Guest]

We did have a similar problem with our church hall but the Diocese were very amenable and let us put up a fence and gates. It might be worth asking, if you don't ask you don't get................

[AnonyMouse_3735]

same here, again a church hall and we had no outside area but with some negotiation (took a year mind!!) they allowed us to put a fence up around an area to use, (we were lucky in that it is hidden round the back of the church,) so long as we maintain it and do all the work they came up with an agreement and we have sole use of it. You can only ask.

 

Must admit the mornings out there can be very musical when there is a service and the children know not to make too much noise when they hear the singing (we have a lot of screamers at the moment!)

 

Other wise we used to bring items inside to use and arrange what we called short walks, sometimes around the block to the shop or similar with jsut a few children each day so they all rtneded to go out once a week minumum.

 

Inge

[Guest]

I can beat that Inge. It took us over 14 years to raise the money for, and get permission to, fence off a section of our car park for outdoor play and even then we had to pay to extend the car park to compensate for the loss of parking spaces! However, it just goes to show that it isn't impossible to do.

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies. Not even a carpark in this case! Wonder what inner city settings do where they are just in a busy centre/ train station etc?????