An Inspiring Child-Led Early Years Playground Environment
Our outdoor learning consultant, Megan Ragdale, worked in partnership with St John’s Primary School in Newcastle to re-develop their early years outdoor learning environment.
Before our development, the school was concerned that their early years outdoor area didn’t fully reflect the excellent teaching that happens within the school. They feared it was beginning to look out-dated and uninspiring.
From viewing the area, it was mainly concrete with old playground equipment that seemed unappealing to the children. There was also an unused grass space that was fenced off for the safety reasons.
We worked closely with the school (who were full of enthusiasm and ideas) to bring their beloved outdoor learning environment back to life.
When we work with schools, we ensure it is always a collaborative process from design through to installation. It’s always a pleasure to work closely with schools on exciting projects and working with St John’s Primary School was no different.
They were full of energy and constantly provided us with excellent input while we worked to create their dream early years environment.
Turning Their Outdoor Space Into An All-Weather Resource
We resurfaced the main area with Artificial Grass and Wet Pour surfacing to create a stunning and safe all-weather learning environment.
This will encourage children to take safe risks more confidently and ensure play will never be disrupted by the weather.
We used blue Wet Pour which could be interpreted by the children as a river running through their playground – a great way to further fuel children’s imaginations during play.
You can view our amazing range of safety surfacing here.
Zones For Physical Development And Active Play
During our consultations, the school wanted an area where the children could view the space from a different height.
To ensure this could happen, we installed our excellent Tunnel with Ramp Over. Children can choose to climb on top or climb underneath through the tunnel… a great place for both active and imaginative play.
For further physical development opportunities, we provided a Trim Trail which includes stepping logs, a clatter bridge and an inclined balance beam. This will help get the children active and further develop their gross motor skills.
Children can also use the Wet Pour surfacing as a roadway for their bikes and trikes.
Take a closer look at our range of Trim Trails and Climbing Frames here.
Resources for messy play, role play and mark making
We created a Messy Play Zone by installing our Mud Kitchen, Dig Pit and Rope and Pulley Materials Mover. Encouraging teamwork, children will begin to create their own mud quarry and work together to ensure their Mud Kitchen never runs out of ‘muddy ingredients’.
We installed our Giant Playhouse with Chalkboard for role play and den-making activities. This open-ended resource can be transformed into anything from a Vets to a Travel Agents.
To inspire mark making outdoors, we added our wonderful Easel Table. Children can sit at our Easel Table and share their artistic creations with each other.
You can view our wonderful range of imaginative and creative products here.
The overall development has created a child-led environment brimming with non-prescriptive playground equipment for the children to choose from.
It was a pleasure to work with St John’s Primary School and we're delighted to have another happy customer in Newcastle.
If you're looking to develop your outdoor learning environment, fill out our Contact Form and we will be in touch to arrange a free consultation, quote and design presentation.
