So where did our development of outdoor spaces and natural resources start?
There we were, enabling and negotiating access to open ended outdoor spaces and experiences for the very youngest children, YN, YR and Y1, through our Woodland project and seeing the amazing impact it had on; positive outlook and sense of self, high levels of engagement, independence, self confidence, decision making, communication skills, vocabulary, concentration, behaviour.
In addition, improved working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility was translating well from the woods to class based situations.
From the very positive outcomes we could see, we wanted to try and translate those success’s into individual school based practice. Our aim was 2 fold; to offer real value for money and to devise bespoke provision which had it’s roots in the schools priorities and what we knew about effective outdoor practice.
A chance conversation with a local Head teacher was the galvanising point for the new business. He had a large ‘L’ shaped area, ripe for development and some money raised by his PTA. His priority was to change the way Reception aged children accessed the outdoor area and he was open to a creative approach.
Our starting point was to work with the Foundation Stage staff, looking at the pattern of needs of children moving up from their Nursery class. Through discussion, key priorities centred around; developing collaborative working and negotiation and communication skills, extending opportunities for managing risk, and developing a range of physical challenges.
Using these discussions we drafted plans which were presented to the senior leadership team and to the Foundation stage staff. Staff were excited by the plans, feeling that they represented a creative and dynamic interpretation of the schools needs.
Next step was to research and source a wide range of elements that would form the basis for the new outdoor ‘working spaces’. We were keen to keep the project as an active partnership and encouraged the Head teacher to make final decisions when presented with a range of possibilities relating to sizes, quantities and costs.
The school has an active and dynamic relationships with parents, which culminated in one parent organising ‘community project release days’ through his employer ‘SAGE’.
After several days of measuring and prioritising we were ready to go.
Day 1 is a very, very cold February morning. Zoe and I worked with a fabulous team made up of; school staff, the local authority Plant, Grow, Eat coordinator, PTA members, Caretaker, Parents, SAGE employees and a local landscaper. Areas were cleared, skips filled, ground works started, planters constructed, 6 tonnes of compost moved and shed bases built. A successful session and all prepared for Day 2 with the same team.
Day 2 was a much warmer April day. Shed constructed, fire fit and seating area installed, 4 tonnes of wood chippings moved, drain-aways dug, 3 tonnes of gravel moved, 3 water troughs sunk.
Over 2 to 3 weeks the local landscaper worked to our design, building the ‘challenge hill’, creating a fabulous environment for climbing, balancing, crawling, pulling, lifting, carrying, transporting, swinging, sitting and experiencing light and dark.
Day 3, our last big push, with a smaller team; construction of digging pit, finishing of water area, cutting grass, filling sand area and testing pulley systems.
A local willow artist created our tunnel and enclosed seating area.
Part of the package offered is risk assessment and training for all Foundation stage staff. It was a great couple of hours spent with eager, interested and reflective practitioners. Lots of questions and exploration. Lots of practical suggestions for; assessing risk and benefit, supporting exploration, problem solving and experimentation, exploring likely behaviours, establishing shared expectations and language. Really importantly finding out what it is to play, to be uncertain, to have fun, to find solutions and to succeed.
Throughout the process our priorities were - flexibility, collaboration and meaningful provision.
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