An Excellent Outdoor Learning Environment For Cross-Curricular Play
St Patrick’s Primary Academy in Solilhull, West Midlands had an exciting vision in mind for their outdoor learning environments, so they contacted us to help bring their amazing project to life!
Greg Rossiter, our playground consultant, was ecstatic to hear all of their excellent ideas and quickly put a design and quotation together for the school. Once installed, the areas turned out just as realistic as his original design, with many different zones for learning through play and cross-curricular activities.
Physical Development
Young children in Early Years need to improve their fine and gross motor skills to enable them to write and draw since they are the skills necessary to grip a pen or pencil.
As physical development is so important, we installed a selection of Active Play Equipment target literacy and contribute towards the physical development area of the curriculum.
Through the installation of a Log and Net Climber, the children have a high-level piece of equipment to scramble up and climb down. Gripping and grasping the rope net and using their feet to push themselves up is an excellent activity to develop fine and gross motor skills and upper and lower body strength.
Along with the Log and Net Climber, we also included movable trim trail equipment: our innovative Get Set, Go! Blocks!
The children work together to pick up and carry the blocks to create their own adventure trail. Numerous, different blocks enable children to develop a wide range of key physical skills.
Imaginative play has also been enhanced since the blocks are being used as a focal point for creative games; stepping, balancing and jumping from one block to another, pretending they’re crossing a fast running river!
A dedicated area for racing bikes and trikes has been created with a lovely Wet Pour Roadway. The children can race around the track or run up and down the playground mounds featured in the centre of the roadway.
The Log and Net Climber, Get Set, Go! Blocks and Playground Mounds have all been installed on top of our impact-absorbing Playground Surfacing, which is soft to land on and prevents serious injuries when the inventible slip, trip or fall occurs.
Investigation and Discovery Zone
Open-ended investigation and discovery activities is a must have for any EYFS playground. Consequently, we installed an exciting selection of Mud, Sand and Water Play Equipment.
Split into two areas, we created a messy, muddy play area for the children to explore different textures and participate in imaginary play games.
Moving materials from the Mud Box requires the children to fill the Rope and Pulley Material Movers buckets before tugging on the rope to take their ingredients to their own Kitchen.
The children have been using the chalkboard countertop on the Mud Kitchen to write and draw their own secret recipes as they measure their ingredients out on the weighing scales and mix, stir and pour their yummy mixtures and place them in the oven.
They love working together to serve delicious pies, cakes and muffins to their customers: enhancing communication, language and social skills.
A Corner Planter Bench and Straight Planter Bench provides their hungry customers with a relaxing space to comfortably enjoy their delicious meal!
In the other discovery zone, we installed an excellent Water Wall and Water Damming Environment to encourage the children to explore scientific and mathematic concepts through play.
Little ones can work together to manipulate the channels to create a successful route for the water to flow down the wall - introducing children to the concept of gravity.
Providing children with loose play resources such as jugs can help children with units of measurement and other mathematical concepts as they measure their volume of water before pouring it into the channels!
Performance and Role Play
Participating in role play and performance activities is an excellent cross-curricular play activity!
A Giant Playhouse with a bespoke roof inspires children to make up imaginary play games as they draw their settings on the chalkboard background and transport themselves into the shoes of others.
Musical Instruments located close by ensures the children can form their own bands as they perform magical musical tunes with one another, using the Playhouse as a dressing room to relax in once their concert has finished!
We installed the Playhouse with a bespoke roof, which looks more realistic as if they have their own little house.
Open-ended Resources
We installed a range of open-ended resources for the children to explore, too!
Den making posts, an Easel Table and Paint Panels inspire children to mark make and participate in imaginative play games as they draw, scribble and write or use materials to weave and thread through the Den Making Posts to create a secret lair!
Fine motor skills are truly being developed in this enthusing outdoor learning environment.
MUGA
A dedicated space for sports and active, healthy activities to take place has been created through the installation of a MUGA Pitch on the school’s field.
Since the space has been surfaced with our Multi Sport Artificial Grass, the area can be used throughout every season: ensuring the children can develop and improve their fundamental movement skills, sporting skills, overall body strength and cardiovascular fitness.
The school have even seen participation in sports increase since the vibrant pitch was installed!
Gone are the days when staff have to inform their children they cannot play football as the field is too wet, muddy or slippery. Along with football, the open-ended space can be used for a variety of sports including, basketball, netball and hockey!
Each age group of children attending St Patricks Church of England Primary Academy now have exiting, educational, energising outdoor play areas to enhance their learning through play!
If you’d like to create an engaging outdoor learning environment in your school, please Contact Us. We’d love to help.
