How to make a playground wheelchair accessible
Accessibility is all about making things usable for as many people as possible. In a playground setting, it’s ensuring that all children can have a fun and enjoyable time, regardless of whether they have a disability or not. It’s estimated that about 1.2 million people in the UK use a wheelchair, which is about 1.7%…
Read MoreOur favourite pieces of agility playground equipment
If you’ve ever taken a child to a playground, the chances are that they make a beeline straight for the climbing frame or jungle gym! Agility playground equipment is any equipment that encourages little ones to climb, step, jump, and run. This type of equipment doesn’t just help kids blow off steam, but can also…
Read MoreWhy your school should invest in Sleeper Planters
The physical challenges inherent in the tasks we face whilst gardening can make the garden a place of exclusion for those with differing physical capabilities and needs.
Read MoreThe benefits of climbing frames for children
We all know the benefits of outdoor play versus sitting kids in front of screens inside, but it is surprising just how far-reaching those positive outcomes are.
Read MoreOur favourite pieces of outdoor learning equipment
‘Outdoor learning’ is such an umbrella term, used for all sorts of situations around being with kids, outside! Whether you’re trying to take a more traditional classroom-style learning environment into an outdoor context, looking to help broaden children’s capacity to play, teach a little about sustainability and ecology, encourage the development of peer relationships and…
Read MoreShould outdoor learning be part of the curriculum?
We all have a vague sense that children should be outside; we’ve all been herded outdoors as children, and as adults have felt creeping unease about parking children in front of the television or screens. This gut feeling is supported by the evidence – screens make us unhappy, unfit, and stimulated in the wrong ways.…
Read MoreWhat are the essentials for an outdoor classroom?
All over the UK, more and more schools are realising the benefits of outdoor learning and are moving some of their classes outside into purpose-built outdoor classrooms. Outdoor learning is becoming more popular all the time, with things like the recent extreme weather and the pandemic making the option to be outside more and more…
Read MoreFrolicking in Nature is Serious Business
“Nature wants children to be children before men […] Childhood has its own seeing, thinking and feeling.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau Getting developing children out into nature – to play, forage, climb and build is crucial for their overall wellbeing and functioning. But, even though we might not yet fully understand the therapeutic nature of a good…
Read MoreOutdoor learning in all weathers: How to build your outdoor classroom for all weather conditions
Outdoor learning has been shown to enhance interpersonal communication skills between children, as well as supporting their mental health. It provides a heightened awareness of, and appreciation for the environment, and allows children to assert control over their selfhood and become sensitised to their own well-being levels. That’s all on top of the physical benefits…
Read MoreBuilding an Outdoor Classroom: Where to start
Plenty of studies over the years have illustrated the positive impact of outdoor play and the outdoors generally upon students and learning. Whether it’s for a Forest School specifically or to provide a different kind of outdoor education setting for some hours of school-based curriculum learning, an outdoor classroom is key. Forget any stereotypes you…
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