8 nursery equipment spring 2015 www.nurseryworld.co.uk

Cover all bases

At Boldon Nursery School, which describes itself as an outdoor setting, chil-dren are provided with rich learning experiences thanks to the setting’s

multifaceted environment.Three- and four-year-olds attend-

ing the ‘outstanding’ nursery school in Tyne and Wear can explore a number of different environments, including a ‘beach’, a ‘wilderness’, an allotment with chickens, and a ‘fire house’ – a wooden structure with a fire pit, one of six structures in the nursery school’s grounds. There is also an ‘information station’ filled with resources, a wooden cabin – where children can go for some quiet time and help themselves to refresh-ments, a willow den and a hide.

‘The aim was to create an environ-ment to support children’s schemas, as well as encourage imaginative play and enable learning through explora-tion. This meant having structures that children can make into what they want,’ says head teacher Sue Stokoe.

‘We didn’t want to pile up the out-door area with a lot of equipment. Any equipment that we do have, we have invested in good-quality struc-tures that will last a long time.’

Ms Stokoe says the ‘fire house’, within the wilderness area, is the one piece of equipment most supportive of children’s learning because it is a ‘gathering space’. There, all the chil-dren come together to share food cooked on the fire, which encourages lots of dialogue and provides an area where children do a lot of thinking.

‘It also provides a means of shelter and an opportunity for children to explore, assess and manage risk,’ adds the head teacher.

The wilderness area, which chil-dren access via a gate or a stile, also features a multi-stemmed tree for climbing, a pond, a tyre swing and the hide – built from reclaimed mate-rials and sunk into the ground, pro-viding a different level from which children can explore. However, Ms

Stokoe says that in most cases chil-dren have to become comfortable with their surroundings before ven-turing to the wilderness, which is where the beach area comes in.

Designed to provide an element of familiarity, the beach, which features a replica of Souter Lighthouse, helps to settle in children, many of whom come from homes without a garden.

Ms Stokoe explains, ‘In South Tyneside, the coast is a major part of our culture and heritage, and chil-dren often go on outings to the beach with their parents. However, many of them are not used to going outside to play, for instance, in a garden or wooded area. At the beach, children can recount their experiences of visit-ing coastal areas, which helps to build confidence outdoors and leads them to explore other areas of the garden.’

yurtscowgate under 5s centre, edinburghCowgate Under 5s Centre in Edin-burgh, which uses a yurt as a base

With nurseries spending an increasing amount of time outside, many are investing in outdoor structures bringing real benefits to children’s play and learning, says Katy Morton

OutdOOrs

camp at the wild site, says the struc-ture provides a sense of security to children, who can see it from any-where in the 26-acre site, filling them with confidence to explore the wood-land more freely.

The site, owned by the local Scouts group, is a 20-minute minibus drive from the nursery, which has sole access to it five days a week.

‘The children can always see the yurt, which means they can return to it whenever they want, be it for an opportunity to rest, for refreshments,

Farley is an outdoor-based yurt nursery (above top); Busy Bee uses ‘wigloos’ to inspire imaginary play

www.nurseryworld.co.uk

to read a book or change their c l o thes ’, e xp la ins Lynn McNair, head of the centre.

‘When we were experienc-ing gale-force winds, the chil-dren chose to stay inside the yurt listening to the wind against the canvas of the yurt. They lay on their backs to watch the c louds move through the small opening at the top, something that we call stargazing.’

Ms McNair says the chil-dren often use their time in the yurt, which has mobiles hanging from the roof ’s wooden slats inside, to reflect on their experiences and write about the adventures they have had at the wild site.

Also within the yurt, bought from The Really Interesting Tent Company, are the children’s treasures and a wood-burning stove, which is used to generate heat and to warm food, including soup, for the children.

Farley nursery school, HampshireFarley Nursery School’s principal Sue Palmer credits the group’s yurts, bought from Meadow Yurts, with aid-ing children’s development, because of the beautiful learning environment they provide.

The group of three settings across Wiltshire and Hampshire, which has an outdoor ethos, uses yurts as an alternative to brick buildings to make the outdoors more accessible.

‘When you step into the yurts, par-ticularly our 30ft one at the Hamp-shire setting, it’s like a Tardis effect; the space is breathtakingly wonder-ful,’ says Ms Palmer.

spring 2015 nursery equipment 9

‘The children really appreciate the lovely space; as such, they take more ownership over the yurts and are more concerned about keeping them nice – children are not allowed to wear boots inside the yurt, nor can they paint.’

Children at the setting in Hamp-shire, the country’s first yurt nursery, can eat, sleep and play within the set-ting’s three yurts, while the yurt at the nursery in Farley, Wiltshire, is used as an additional space for special circle times and meetings.

Ms Palmer says that when it is cold in the winter, the children at the yurt nursery eat their meals and enjoy sto-rytime inside rather than out.

The nursery, which has just had the felt and waterproof cover, used to provide an addi-tional layer of insulation, removed from its yurts over Easter ready for the spring/summer, also believes its yurts have a very calming effect on the children.

Ms Palmer says this is down to the design of a yurt, its circu-lar shape, and its materials, a wood structure covered in can-vas, which lets light in and is good for ventilation.

solArdomesFor one nursery school, the move to install a Solardome in its outdoor area has provided children with a communication-

friendly space. Alfreton Nursery School in Derby-

shire bought the 4.5m-diameter glass dome, which attracts the sun’s heat and can withstand strong winds and snow, as an outdoor classroom to bring the ‘outdoors in’.

‘Our Solardome has created an instant wow factor among the chil-dren, parents, staff and visitors. It provides everything we need in one space’, says head teacher Angela Stanton. ‘It is used as a quiet space, where children can sit on the benches within the dome and reflect on their learning, or as an area for explora-tion. Children can examine natural objects within the dome, including pine cones, with magnifying glasses, or use the benches for woodwork and hammering.’

According to Ms Stanton, who says that children open up while in the dome, student teachers often use the structure as a base.

Planted within the nursery school’s Solardome, which Ms Stanton says ➤

Boldon offers different environments for children to explore (left); cowgate’s yurt is a space for children to reflect on adventures (middle); Alfreton nursery school has bought a solardome to enhance learning experiences (below)

www.nurseryworld.co.uk10 nursery equipment spring 2015

OutdOOrs

l Outdoor Kasbah from Hope Education (£436.95) – a weather-proofed wooden frame that can be covered and adapted to tie in with children’s interests.

l Creative Den from YPO (£499.95) – an open-ended wooden frame with Lexan sides and roof providing protection from harmful UV rays, while there are vents to provide air flow.

l Ur-Tubes Amazing Den Kit (£44.99) – tubes enabling you to build light-but-robust angular or curved structures.

l Wicker Hut from Asco Educational (£239.95) – comes with plastic feet, enabling it to be used outdoors and in.

l Camouflage Den Kit from Eduzone (£137.95) – includes cover, curtains and a mat and is suitable for use indoors and out. Also see Eduzone’s self-assembly wicker maze panels (£495).

l Arch Frame Grass from Cosy (£69.99) – makes for a natural-looking arched den, open at front and back.

l Den-Making Set from Playforce (£199) – complete with tarpaulin, pegs, hazel sticks, ropes and log seats, this set is great for forest school adventures.

l Playforce Tipi (from £390) – comes with a detachable cover and ground sheet.

l Wigwam (£52.99, the Consortium) – made of cream canvas, with rabbit and sun pictures printed on it, and comes with wooden poles. n

has fantastic acoustics, are olive and palm trees.

‘The dome adds a different dimen-sion to our outdoor area, and enhanc-es the children’s learning experiences. It provides shelter, but at the same time children can see their outside environment,’ she adds.

The nursery school, a forest school and Eco-School Green Flag Award winner, also has a greenhouse made from recycled bottles.

willow structuresCarol Craig, Busy Bee Nurseries’ operations manager, says the group’s ‘wigloos’, which she describes as ‘nat-ural Wendy houses’, really lend them-selves to imaginary play.

The chain of five nurseries – soon to be six – in south-west Scotland, recently introduced living willow structures to all its settings as part of an overhaul of its outdoor spaces. They were built and installed by Ms Craig, who attended a willow struc-ture course run by The Willow Bank – the same company she bought the DIY living willow structure kits from.

The operations manager says the ‘wigloos’, which are accessed via a tunnel, are ideal for role play and ‘pri-vate’ play. ‘Inside one of the nurseries’ wigloos, which staff can only access with permission from the children, is a mud kitchen. At another of the nurseries, the children built a bridge to their “wigloo” from logs.’

Ms Craig says the children benefit, too, from being able to touch the natu-ral structures, which they can weave things through. ‘The wigloos are also useful to teach children about the dif-ferent seasons as their appearance changes over the year,’ she explains, ‘In the winter, the wigloos are very bare,

while in the summer they are more enclosed. In the autumn we’ll have to prune the wigloos to ensure they keep their shape.’

The operations manager has also built willow structures for schools in the grounds, and says she is happy to help other nurseries with putting up their own wigloos.

outdoor structuresA huge range of outdoor structures is available for nurseries, among them:l Bottle Barn from Cosy (£160) – an

ingenious way to recycle bottles. Use different colours or paint them to create a rainbow effect.

l Rainbow Room from TTS (£1,235) – a cosy den with Perspex panels of red, blue, green and yellow, allowing coloured light to flood in.

l Children’s Retreat (£519), Children’s Den (£795) and Children’s Cottage (£1,049), from Reflections on Learning – all three structures are made of solid redwood and installed with a concrete or paving slab floor.

l Shamwari Pavilion from Fawns (from £3,699) – available in 3m, 4m and 5m.

willow wigloo (above left); Boldon’s cabin offers quiet time (above right) ; playforce tipi (left), shamwari pavilion from Fawns (right)

more inFormAtion

l Asco Educational, www.asco educational.co.uk

l Cosy, www.cosydirect.com

l Fawns, www.fawns.co.uk

l Meadow Yurts, www.meadowyurts.co.uk

l playforce, www.playforce.co.uk

l playgarden, www.playgardens.co.uk

l reflections on Learning, www.reflectionson learning.co.uk

l solar Dome, www.solardome.co.uk

l The Consortium Education, www.education supplies.co.uk

l The really interesting Tent Company, www.thereally interestingtent company.co.uk

l The Willow Bank, www.thewillowbank.com

l Timber play, www.timberplay.com

l TTs group, www.tts-group.co.uk

l Ur-Tubes, http://ur-tubes.co.uk

l YpO, www.ypo.co.uk