Dec 2, 2018 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources, Technologies
Several years ago I bought a set of bamboo guttering comprising of 6 short and 6 long lengths. I’ve used it so many times, with so many classes and groups and in so many ways. Here’s some of the reasons why it is such a useful resource… 1. It is light and...
Feb 27, 2017 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
It took me about four years to persuade Cosy to stock a particular type of VELCRO® fastener to provide a re-usable alternative to plastic cable ties. The stuff comes in a roll and you cut the lengths you need. It’s not like ordinary Velcro and is particularly useful...
Jan 8, 2017 | Play Resources, Science Outdoors, Technologies
A guest blog post from Andrea Stevenson. I was truly inspired by a recent Creative STAR post about giving new life to a Christmas tree which would otherwise have been thought of as rubbish. The first thing we decided to do was cut off all of the branches leaving short...
Jun 14, 2016 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
This is another long overdue blog post. I think I’ve been stopped in my tracks previously as Kierna Corr from Learning for Life has blogged so wonderfully about her milk crates that really there wasn’t much else left to say on the matter 🙂 Anyway, this...
Feb 20, 2015 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
This blog post is written by Lesley McLaren who works behind the scenes at Creative STAR. Thanks Lesley! She also took all the photos 🙂 … I was kindly given these little guys to have an experiment with, and who best to try them out than my son, ‘Little Man’....
May 7, 2014 | Art & Music Outdoors, Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources, Technologies
Do you have a growing collection of charity bags which get popped through your door each week? If you do, and you don’t have any particular plans for them, perhaps it’s time to put them to good use as outdoor dance items. Several years ago I was...
Dec 3, 2013 | Art & Music Outdoors, Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
When working outside, I end up using a lot of different surfaces. A stock item in my bag is an old white sheet. I have various sorts and sizes from king-size (ideal for whole class work) down to cot-size (for pairs or individual work). I use them deliberately to...
Sep 18, 2013 | Community Involvement, Play Resources, Technologies
What’s your idea of a den? I worked largely in tarmac playgrounds and school grounds which often had few trees suitable for den building. The dens I saw children build tended to be reliant on boxes, lattice tunnels and attached to fences or a line of rope tied...
Mar 16, 2013 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
Recently I blogged about 12 Tough Resources for Outdoor Play and Learning. One of the criteria I used for my decisions about whether a resource was suitably tough was whether it could be left outside in all weathers. Now this is all fine and dandy if you can leave...
Feb 19, 2013 | Play Resources, Technologies
During this term, we’ve been having the equivalent of a gym session outdoors. The children have been constructing various items from ropes. The universally most popular item has been a hammock. The one in the photo comes from Muddy Faces. As you can see, the...
Jan 16, 2013 | Nature Play & Learning, Play Resources, Social Subjects Outdoors, Technologies
There is nothing quite like seeing a native plant growing in its rightful place. Over in Japan, bamboo is a weed that can be found growing as ground cover in woodlands like this: And yet it is cultivated in gardens to grow to a glorious size – a proper bamboo...
Dec 12, 2012 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
If you ever pass by a building site, have a quick look. The chances are there will be various different types of plastic pipes lying around. This post is about the ones with a corrugated exterior and blue (or occasionally black interior. The ones below were waiting to...
Dec 10, 2012 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
The opportunity to transport objects, materials and people is something many children love. Many years ago, with one of my classes, most weeks we would end up taking a suitcase full of stuff to the wildlife garden. This was always exciting in itself and most weeks...
Sep 15, 2012 | Early Years Outdoors, Gardening, Play Resources
I know some people think it is inappropriate to allow or even encourage children to play with items that are not proper toys. But very often it is these objects that are open-ended and have a high play value because there is no fixed purpose or pre-defined way of...
Sep 8, 2012 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
Most classes love any water play. Many children will join in and explore with enthusiasm and gusto in their own preferred styles. Many years ago, one of Tom Sensori’s blog posts was very helpful in terms of understanding the behaviour and actions of my group in...
Sep 5, 2012 | Early Years Outdoors, Play Resources
Bread crates have to be one of the toughest and most versatile resources around. At the school where I work on Fridays, they are used daily by children in a free flow capacity and during lunch times too. One question I am often asked is, “What learning is taking...
Feb 29, 2012 | Developing School Grounds & Outdoor Spaces, Play Resources, RME Outdoors
Children love mazes. Whenever I undertook consultations with children about what they like to do, the idea of having a maze in the school grounds really appealed to them. One school I worked with ran a competition for a maze mural, and the children created this...
Dec 17, 2011 | Play Resources
This past few months I’ve had the privilege of being involved in a wonderful and spontaneous project about stuff. The children exploring the materials for the first time It happened as much by chance as by intent. Every year, Learning through Landscapes and...
Dec 11, 2011 | Play Resources
This has been a ropey session since August. There is something about rope that just makes it fun and appealing to children of all ages. The more I use it, the more I learn about its potential, particularly for group and cooperative work. The boys in the photo below...
Dec 4, 2011 | Play Resources
At the 2011 International Play Association Conference Wales, there were many references to Scrapstore PlayPods. The video below tells you more… Having spotted the above video a couple of years ago, I’ve been a strong advocate of this approach. In the...
