Encouraging Active Play and Outdoor Learning With Stimulating Playground Equipment
To combat sedentary playtimes and lunchtimes, our playground consultant, Luke Banner, worked with Manor Junior School’s Well-Being Development Team Leader, Victoria Holder, to enhance their outdoor areas.
Other than a game of football, there wasn’t much for the children to do during playtimes and lunch times and through a child-led survey, she found that many of their children were inactive at home, too.
Victoria wanted the children to be more active and involved in their own fitness and well-being, so decided a huge Climbing Frame was a necessary addition to the school grounds as well as a secret garden gazebo to ensure that the children could still access the great outdoors with space to hide away from the elements.
Grizedale Forest Circuit Climbing Frame
As the school wanted the children to be more active during playtimes and lunch times, Luke suggested our humongous, stunning Grizedale Forest Circuit.
This inviting climbing frame sparks the children’s enthusiasm and imagination. With dozens of crossing and traversing points, the children love climbing, stepping, balancing and swinging through the obstacles as they transport themselves into the Grizedale forest moving across the trees, rivers and streams.
The exciting Climbing Frame has extended the physical play opportunities at the school while improving climbing confidence, overall body strength, communication, language and teamwork skills amongst children! Inactive playtimes are now a thing of the past…
Victoria reported back to us that:
“66% of teachers have found that there have been less behavioural issues on the playground and 80% of staff noticed that the children were engaging positively during playtime”
Magical Secret Garden Gazebo
Accessing the great outdoors while being sheltered from the elements was a requirement of the school. However, instead of just installing one of our standard Gazebos, Luke suggested our amazing Secret Garden Gazebo that would do more than provide shelter.
The Secret Garden Gazebo is a wonderful structure that has provided the teaches at the school with a suitable space, perfect for a whole class of children to learn outdoors where they can observe the sights and sounds of nature in a relaxing environment.
This has been particularly helpful during creative writing as children’s imaginations come to life, watching fairies and gnomes come to life, dancing between the plants.
Learning support assistants have noted how much they love using the outdoor space to take small groups of children for interventions and group work while lunch time assistants believe it has been ideal for anxious and children with SEN as a space to cool down away from the busy activities of the playground – sharing stories with one another, socialising and relaxing.
Not only has it provided an extended teaching space, it has also improved the children’s scientific knowledge and taught them how to care for plants and equipment as they plant seeds in the planters surrounding the structure.
It has truly created a magical place for learning as little green fingers dig, plant and explore the natural world.
Victoria and the school are more than happy with the work we have carried out and left us this amazing feedback:
“Pentagon have been an absolute delight to work with, Luke, especially, has been remarkable, from helping place items on the design to visiting and emailing to ensure we are happy with the finished product.
I have found all Pentagon staff amazing, I am always kept well informed of developments and communication is good. The installation team, when onsite, have been good with the children. They have answered any questions they have had and there are never any problems with the children watching the process. As always they were professional, dedicated and hardworking.
I would definitely recommend Pentagon to others because of the level of care and professionalism they have shown.”
If you would like to extend the physical play opportunities at your school with an amazing Climbing Frame or enhance outdoor lessons with a magical Gazebo, please Contact Us Here for a free, no-obligation consultation.
