Play Ideas and Resources

Children spend at least one hour daily outside in their primary school lives. It is therefore essential that the play opportunities are the best they can be. In the early years, a play-based curriculum and approach should be the norm. Thus play is a core part of outdoor provision for all ages.

A note about plastic resources. It is important not to judge the learning or play value of a resource by the material from which it is made. Whilst I would strongly discourage the purchasing of plastic resources, I believe it is essential that we make good use of unwanted items from our homes, industries and services that would otherwise end up in landfill. I have deleted posts where I am no longer comfortable promoting a plastic item that is not easy to source secondhand.

Principles and practice around outdoor resources

• 10 ways to use stuff sustainably in education. This is the overall approach to play and learning resources that is essential to adopt was part of our overall approach to thinking about the impact of our work on climate.
• 10+ simple resources for outdoor learning you can make with your class. No need to spend money, just time working with your class and ensuring you understand where and how these approaches dovetail with your curriculum. For example, why not get your class to make their own seats for use outside?
• 10 ideas if you can’t leave resources outside. Some practical suggestions to make this situation more manageable.
• 12 tough resources for outdoor play and learning. Tried and tested over 2 years in a primary school with more than 500 pupils and in a place where children with ASN used daily beyond breaks.
• Using local materials and features in your play space. Celebrate your own unique community and make the most of free and found items available.
• Axioms of sensorimotor play. An illustration of some basic principles for the layout of a space and how to facilitate play in ways that keep children exploring. Based on the work of Tom Bedard.
• It’s all about stuff. An account of how a school introduced loose parts into its playtimes and the changes to practice and play that ensued.
• Scrapstore Playpods and free play systems. An illustration from one school about what’s involved. This was one of the original free play projects and worth considering the value of playground staff having a play qualification.
• 10+ useful little bits and pieces for loose parts play. Oh no! So often we forget the little things that make a big difference to play. Imagine woodworking without nails… read on for cheap essential items.
• VELCRO® fastener v. Cable Ties – An Alternative Attachment Theory. Yes the emphasis goes on. Cable ties are the poor relative of other resources, especially velcro.

Wood resources

• Wood logs and lumps in school. The versatility of loose wooden elements in an outdoor space.
• DIY adventure playground – creative constructions in wood. The Woodland Tribe provide a pop up play experience for children of all ages that gets them building and using a wide range of tools. Inspirational stuff. Look out for them at the Edinburgh Fringe and other key UK festivals.
• Willow lattices and arches. This is a product made by Cosy but one I found to have lots of uses outside – as did the children with whom I worked.
• Wooden cable drums – developing physical and literacy skills outside. A creative approach to using large cable drums at Stramash Fort William.

Guttering and pipes

• Bamboo guttering. 8 reasons why I like this resource. You may also enjoy seeing how bamboo is used in Japan with children.
• Guttering in pre-school. Cooperation and communication seems to readily happen.
• The tripod made from guttering. A simple approach to quickly creating a tripod that you can teach children.
• The one about the plastic pipes. Another super strong plastic resource designed to withstand the test of time and usually a scrap product from a construction site.

Using tarps for play and learning

• My conundrum about using tarps for outdoor play and learning. Looking at ways of extending the life of a tarp, alternatives to plastic tarps and so on.
• Blue tarp. A resource with many uses outside. It is possible to buy canvas versions which are heavier but more environmentally friendly.
• A hammock made from a tarp. Following the children’s interests and lead in what they want to design and use outside with the available resources.
• Colour and light explorations with sweet wrappers (and a transparent tarp). Whilst not a long lasting piece of art work, the creative process and the use of a frequently discarded piece of ‘litter’ can help children see colour and garbage differently.
• Give your old tarp a mathematical makeover. Cut some shapes in an old holes tarp and lift the mathematical possibility. Oh and great for play in the early years. More than just shape explorations are possible.
• The tarp personality test. Your collection of tarps reveal a lot about you. Read on and find out more.

Ropes and nets

• Big rope play. What happens when a really big rope is used by nursery children for play.
• Reflections on ropes. A versatile play resource.
• A rope trail for everyone. The children rushed through, all except for one or two children… find out why.
• Nets for outdoor play, display and learning. There are a multitude of uses for nets – and so many places that may have one they no longer use: golf, cricket, fishing…
• Fish net art. When community and culture are explored to develop creative capacity and celebrate a local tradition.
• Bosque de Trepa, Madrid – not a high ropes course! But a high challenge public playspace with something to challenge people of all ages.

Mirrors, magnifiers and magnets

• 10+ inspirational mirror placements in outdoor spaces. Mirrors can be useful and add interest to an outdoor space. Check out some ideas here.
• Outdoor reflections. Mirror image explorations and public art outdoors.
• Alien invasion. Oh no! Aliens have landed – can you find them?
• Alphabet mirror letters. One ASN class strung and hung these for another ASN class to find. A quirky challenge owing to the ability of the mirrors to blend into the environment. Would work well with mirror numbers too.
• Vestige – the mirror people. Exploring the past and present through images of people, past use of the land and history of thee local landscape.
• 8 ideas about magnifiers. Brilliant resources. Every educator and play worker needs at least one in their pocket.
• Googly eyes: exploring magnetism outside but it doesn’t have to be boring. Go for a creative approach to this science concept. You’ll start thinking walls are watching you….

Various other resources

• Tyres in school grounds. A very detailed post looking at the play possibilities, the practical considerations you need to remember and thee environmental and health impacts of using this versatile resource.
• Milk crates. I should be more specific and say H-crates. Whilst I’m not an advocate of plastic. This is a tough resource that is incredibly versatile and will last generations of children going through your school. One tried, you will want and need no other sort.
• Outdoor play with bread crates. Another long lasting versatile resource that can be sourced for free from local shops and services.
• The black suitcase. Making the most of unwanted suitcases for play purposes – and for storage!
• The forbidden fun of a compost bin. When children adopt a resource for play purposes, watch the creativity emerge!
• A portable water wall – handy for settings that set up from scratch. Great for older children to design as well!
• Flying disks – all work and all play. Toys like these provide useful introductions to science concepts.

Play activities and creations

• Den building – but perhaps not as you know it. The Community Playthings children have a dedicated space to building their own dens from scraps of wood. Over the years, the designs become increasingly sophisticated.
• A recycled Christmas tree. A good example of how one family re-used their tree after Christmas in a ranger of playful and practical ways.
• Sea glass. A collectible resource from a beach which is rapidly valued as treasure by children.
• Alien invasion. Why mirrors can be used to created challenging problems for children to solve outside.
• 10+ ideas for windy days. The teaching and learning of science can be a bit dry. These are practical suggestions to make the learning more playful.
• Repurposing charity bags into dance resources. We all have a collection of charity clothing bags. This post shows some ways of turning these into dance resources that can survive wet weather. Puddle dancing, anyone?
• The magic of masking tape and more masking tape are two blog posts exploring the potential of this sticky resource in an outdoor context.
• The necessity of a white sheet. Incredibly useful piece of kit for a wide range of activities including shadow work, hunting (with care) for minibeasts, art work, group work in maths and so the list goes on. It’s just an old sheet. That’s it.
• Amazing mazes. Sometimes less is more when it comes to supporting children’s creativity. Check out these mazes.