pentagon play logo

Loddon Infant and Nursery School’s EYFS Play Space

Posted on 28 April 2021 by KR

A Cross-Curricular, Fun-Filled Play Space for Early Years Children

 

A tired outdoor space has been refreshed at Loddon Infant and Nursery School!

Marion Rolph, one of our expert playground consultants, was delighted to work alongside the Norfolk school to revamp this area and create an inspiring space for learning through play for the littlest learners of the school.

We began by removing the old equipment and fencing before zoning the brand-new area into three sections, each featuring different learning activities!

Marvellous Musical Melodies

 

Outdoor musical instruments inspire the young musicians to explore various sounds, experiment rhythm and work in a team to perform music together, and simply make as much noise as they want outdoors!

One girl wearing a navy coat with pink and green flowers on, banging on red, yellow and blue bongo pannel posts that have been installed onto earth brown coloured play bond surfacing.

A Batonka Panel, Bongo Panel, Glockenspiel Panel and Shaker Panel have provided a fun activity for the children as they bang on the bongo, shake the shaker and tap the batonk to create their own marvellous musical melodies outdoors.

Forming their own band, the children’s co-operation skills, social interactions and PSED have been enhanced!

3 boys wearing navy blue coats playing with a blue and black batonka pannel post, next to a girl wearing a pink faux fur coat playing on a glockenspiel panel that have been installed onto earth brown play bond surfacing.

Outdoor Literacy and Storytelling

 

In a calming area of the new play space, we’ve created an enriching literacy focused space where fairy tales and mythical monsters can come to life.

5 children, 3 sat on small moveable artificial grass topped seats, one sat on a storytelling chair and one boy stood up leaning on the chair which have been placed on earth brown play bond surfacing in front of timber fencing.

A giant Storytelling Chair inspires the children to delve into a good storybook as they read outload to others sat around listening carefully on the comfortable Artificial Grass Topped Seats.

Minds wandering and imaginations running wild, what better way to enhance literacy learning outdoors?

4 children sat on moveable artificial grass topped seats in front of a boy sat on a storytelling chair with the school building in the background.

Dig, Stir and Bake in the Muddy Play Space

 

One of the school’s project priorities was to provide the children with a messy, sensory, creative play space.

A bespoke dig pit, Mud Kitchen and Rope and Pulley Materials Mover has created the ideal muddy play space!

2 children in the mud area, one child wearing a red and grey wool hat using a yellow spade to dig up mud whilst another child stands and watches next to a mud kitchen and rope and pully.

Digging up their ingredients in the dig pit, transporting them across to the mud kitchen using the rope and pulley material mover before baking delicious mud pies in the kitchen is a fabulous way for the children to learn through play collaboratively.

Little muscle development and fine motor control is targeted as the little learners scoop, dig and manipulate the materials.

2 children playing in the mud area digging in the mud with a yellow spade next to a mud kitchen with a pan and plastic bowl on the worktop. Behind the mud kitchen is the school car park with a fence separating the car park and play space.

Playground Surfacing and Fencing

 

The new area wouldn’t be complete without a new playground surfacing and playground fencing.

We fenced the area with our natural-looking Bow Top Fencing, which has been transformed into a learning resource in itself with loose play resources and used a Trellis Archway to create an interesting entrance into the area. Climbing plants can be grown up the archway to make the entrance even more magical.

2 children and 1 teacher inside the new outdoor area which has been separated from the playground with a timber fence with laminated number posters stuck onto it. The mud area is on the right of the space and the music area is on the left.

Throughout the space, we surfaced the area with our green and brown Playbond Surfacing. This new surface ensures the children can use their exciting play space come rain or shine since the surface is free draining.

The EYFS children at the school love their new outdoor play space and can’t wait to bake mud pies, form their own band or immerse themselves in a story each day!

The new timber fence in front of the storytelling area and music area in the new outdoor space, with a small sign attached to the fence saying mud kitchen. Inside the area is a girl wearing a pink coat and a boy wearing a blue coat.

Have you got areas in your school grounds that could do with a refresh? Contact Us to begin your journey with Pentagon Play.

Alternatively, you can see all of the exciting playground designs brought to life in the Norfolk area on our dedicated Playground Projects in Norfolk Page.

Two children stood behind the blue shaker panel post showing their faces through the transparent circles, installed in front of the timber fence.



Return to Projects