Jul 21, 2022 | Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Early Years Outdoors
I recently visited Chapelton, which is a new town being built just south of Aberdeen. My intention was to visit the newly opened Tom Patey Natural Playground, but this little beauty caught my eye… From a distance it looked like a wee community gathering space....
Jul 18, 2022 | Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces
During 2015 I spent two months working in Australia thanks to Inspired EC, an education consultancy. Whilst I was there, I had the opportunity to visit several play parks. Macquarie Lake Variety Playground was my first introduction, and it’s amazing! See the...
Jul 14, 2022 | Community Involvement, Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Nature Play & Learning
Early this year, a natural playground opened in Aberdeenshire that has been named after one of Scotland’s most enigmatic climbers of the twentieth century, Tom Patey. He was born in Aberdeenshire, trained in medicine at Aberdeen University and finally ended up...
Jul 12, 2022 | Art & Music Outdoors, Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Social Subjects Outdoors
Imagine an artwork that you can not only look at, but walk over, cycle round, stand on top of, admire from above, below and all sides. I’m standing on The Lady’s forehead, looking down her nose… One that can be trodden down, gets muddy, smells,...
Jul 11, 2022 | Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces
Sharon Danks is author of Asphalt to Ecosystems. This was THE book of 2010 about developing outdoor spaces and school grounds. It is a remarkable international collection of photos, ideas and inspiration. Whilst I have updated this blog post (July 2022), the book and...
