Hello! Welcome to the first post relating to quality outdoor provision. The outside environment is often seen as a place to “switch off” or just let the kids run wild but if thought and planning is used then the outside classroom can be JUST as outstanding as the indoors environment!

The area I have featured today is construction. The children love creating and building, therefore we created a designated construction area in our garden offering them the chance to think, plan and create. It’s one of my favorite areas to set up each morning and there is so many ways you can do it! The picture below is just one example.

Featured in our construction area are:

• Play bricks
• Plastic connectors
• Milk crates
• Play tools
• Hard hats
• Builders jackets
• Construction plans and pencils (not featured in picture)
• A book of structures (not included in picture)

It is then up to the children to create and lead their play! It’s lovely to take a step back and watch them develop their own ideas.  You could include plastic pipes, foam insulators, paint swatches and even brushes for the budding interior designers!

This provision links in with:

• PSE – Working together
• PD – Gross motor skills
• UW – Basing play on own experiences
• EAD – Making own creations
• M – Counting and sorting construction pieces
• CL – New vocabulary
• L – Mark making

There we have it! A simple area like this easily covers the 7 areas of learning!

Do you have a construction area? I would love to see/hear about your provision.

Until next time….

@starburst_stuie