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Staverton CE VA Primary School’s Dream EYFS Play Space

Posted on 09 June 2021 by KR

A Dream EYFS Play Space for Outdoor Learning and Play

 

Donella Felton, our passionate playground consultant, was delighted to be able to work alongside Staverton CE VA Primary School in Wiltshire to achieve a dream outdoor learning and play space for their little learners.

Previously, the school had two tired areas that were no longer fit for purpose as they were not engaging the children.

Donella got to work designing two spaces that would promote cross-curricular play, whilst ensuring both sections could be accessed throughout all weathers.

Challenging Active Play Games

 

In a beautiful area underneath the trees, we begun by removing the old equipment and surfacing before refreshing the area with new physical challenges.

Once the old equipment and surfacing was gone, we installed our most-popular challenges, a Climb Through Tunnel Hill and a set of our Get Set, Go! Blocks (The Cheviot Set).

7 children, 4 wearing blue polo tops, one wearing a white polo top, one wearing a grey dress and one wearing a blue jumper, are playing on top of the climb through tunnel with a hill which is covered with artificial grass.

Learners can run, roll, sprit and climb up and over the tunnel hill as they improve their lower body strength, spatial awareness and gross motor skills!

They love taking a leap of faith from the top of the hill. It’s a fabulous resource for re-enacting popular fairy tales and participating in creative games, too.

Opposite the tunnel hill, the Get Set, Go! Blocks have created a moveable obstacle course that twists and turns around the trees.

3 children playing with the get set, go! blocks, whilst one boy with a blue jumper runs on the artificial grass next to the blocks. There is a large tree behind the blocks.

Stepping, climbing and jumping from block to block, the children have been having lots of fun manoeuvring through the course without falling into the lava below!

Gross motor skills, climbing confidence, fine and gross motor skills… this excellent active play feature helps improve all of the early physical skills!

2 boys wearing light blue polo tops are playing on the get set, go! blocks that have been placed on the artificial grass in front of the timber fencing.

Across the area, we installed our soft and impact absorbing Artificial Grass Surfacing to create a bright and natural looking play space beneath the trees.

Early years can practice assessing and taking safe risks without the risk of serious injury as they begin to build up their climbing confidence.

3 boys wearing light blue polo tops playing on the get set, go! blocks that have been placed on the artificial grass weaving in between two trees.

Cross-Curricular Outdoor Play

 

Underneath the existing canopy, we’ve designed a creative play space that sparks investigative learning and imaginative play games.

A Construction Table and Small Covered Sand Box are wonderful, open-ended resources.

Setting up loose play resources, both child-led and adult-led learning can be achieved as the children’s imaginations run away with them.

3 boys sat inside of a sandbox playing with the sand whilst 5 toy dinosaurs sit on top of the box. Behind the sandbox is the construction table where 3 more children play and one girl wearing a summer dress runs past with a yellow ball.

One day, the sand box could be a castaway island as the children build sand castles on the beach while on another day, the children could be pirates digging for buried treasure!

On the construction table, the Staverton staff have set the space up to encourage mathematical play as the children count different coloured bears and create patterns with them.

The children love to engage with the new and interesting resources placed on the table during playtime as they improve their early fine motor skills and mathematical knowledge.

3 children playing at the construction table in front of the wigwam whist one teacher sits down talking to 2 children who are playing in the sandbox which has been installed onto artificial grass.

To create a quiet storytelling space, our Wigwam Den has been filled with pillows and soft furnishings.

The children can climb underneath the tepee-shaped space to read stories to one another or simply sit down, relax and chat.

one girl wearing a school dress is sat on artificial grass inside of a wigwam den where there are ladybird fairy lights hanging down, yellow builders hats in the corner and a basket and red box.

Resurfacing the whole area with our bright artificial grass surfacing, the space is soft and comfortable for floor-based learning activities.

The children at the school have loved exploring all of their new equipment in the fresh new environments!

Does your EYFS playground need a refresh? Contact Us Here to begin your journey with Pentagon Play or explore all of our exceptional playground equipment for EYFS on our website and begin writing your wish list.

Take a closer look at all of the excellent outdoor learning and play environments designed and installed for primary schools and nurseries in Wiltshire on our Wiltshire Playground Projects Page Here.

one girl wearing a school summer dress is stood at a construction table playing with small multicoloured blocks. The table has been placed behind blue fencing and on top of artificial grass.



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