With such a focus on playing outside, it is interesting to see what the indoor space can look like. For me, all the outdoor pre-schools and schools I visited had the feel of a field study centre or adventure activity centre.
Firstly the cloakroom areas are always well thought out and organised. This system of 4 coat pegs, storage space for wellies below, accessories above and a basket of spare clothes is common place.
At Mulleborg I Ur och Skur, children who come in from outside, must remove their outdoor shoes or boots before hopping over the bench to hang up their clothes.
The displays around the rooms clearly reinforce the sustainable approach. Recycling of cardboard, for instance…
Natural materials are prevalent in much of the work on the walls…
Much furniture is made from wood. Interestingly I saw a lot of bits and pieces from Ikea!
Look at this shelf crammed full of natural materials and artefacts! Irresistible!
The children’s work is valued and displays are accessible to children to touch, pick up and investigate.
Now for some of the rooms. Here’s the kitchen in one private I Ur och Skur nursery. The chef even takes the lunches into the nearby woods for children to eat outside on some days.
The dining room is multi-purpose. The display on the wall is the four characters that feature in the Skogsmulle approach to connecting children with nature (I’ll blog about this in due course).
As well as outdoor sleeping space, there’s usually a room where the younger children can take their nap each day.
Here’s the toy room which is bright, fresh and appealing. Generally I found a lot of bright rooms in some places and warm, dark woody rooms in others.
I liked the small cane furniture in this room and comfy sofa.
Generally the outdoor nurseries and primary school I’ve visited have a warm, welcoming and homely feel. I’d like that for any child going to a nursery, wouldn’t you?
