Our Garden

Garden Booklet Covers

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Garden Booklet Spread

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Creating the vision We’ve aimed to create a natural area to encourage the children’s imagination and develop their creative skills.

Outdoor facilities give children the opportunity to develop not only their gross motor skills but by explorative and supported play they extend their creativity, knowledge and gain independence

Listening to children Incorporating the children's ideas and views was a high priority. The children visited another centre and took lots of photographs, by sharing the pictures, listening to their comments and observing their play we were able to weave their ideas into the planning.

Consultation Parents, carers, children and childminders were consulted through idea boards, catalogues, discussions and books.

Our parents forum went to visit other centres and took photographs of resources and structures including bridges, story areas and planting, learning how the outdoor area can be used.

The children watched the tarmac disappear, soil arrive and the buildings develop from pieces of wood carefully shaped and put together to make their play area.

From start to finish the garden took nearly two years, the garden now continues to change and evolve all the time.

A room without a ceiling

The making of a garden The bridge has been used as a climbing frame, a tunnel and often to get from one side of the garden to the other.

A creative space where children can reach for the skies On the bench the children love to share stories, climb, balance and use it as a surface for pushing cars and rolling playdough.

At the back of the seating area are plants that are going to grow, encouraging children to build dens, look for bugs and hide.

There is a weeping tree to walk through and enable children to feel the long branches hanging down, wet, dry, sticky and rough.

Garden Booklet Spread

3/4/12

10:29

Page 1

Creating the vision We’ve aimed to create a natural area to encourage the children’s imagination and develop their creative skills.

Outdoor facilities give children the opportunity to develop not only their gross motor skills but by explorative and supported play they extend their creativity, knowledge and gain independence

Listening to children Incorporating the children's ideas and views was a high priority. The children visited another centre and took lots of photographs, by sharing the pictures, listening to their comments and observing their play we were able to weave their ideas into the planning.

Consultation Parents, carers, children and childminders were consulted through idea boards, catalogues, discussions and books.

Our parents forum went to visit other centres and took photographs of resources and structures including bridges, story areas and planting, learning how the outdoor area can be used.

The children watched the tarmac disappear, soil arrive and the buildings develop from pieces of wood carefully shaped and put together to make their play area.

From start to finish the garden took nearly two years, the garden now continues to change and evolve all the time.

A room without a ceiling

The making of a garden The bridge has been used as a climbing frame, a tunnel and often to get from one side of the garden to the other.

A creative space where children can reach for the skies On the bench the children love to share stories, climb, balance and use it as a surface for pushing cars and rolling playdough.

At the back of the seating area are plants that are going to grow, encouraging children to build dens, look for bugs and hide.

There is a weeping tree to walk through and enable children to feel the long branches hanging down, wet, dry, sticky and rough.

Garden Booklet Covers

3/4/12

10:23

Page 1

“The inspector has never encountered a more thoughtfully arranged and equipped accessible and inclusive play space and congratulates all associated with it for their enterprise and effectiveness in this connection.”

A Health and Safety annual inspector on our play areas

Activities in the garden, are linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage, they take place in an enabling environment and encourage children’s all round development.

Children can learn to understand their own capabilities and set their own boundaries as they take risks while staying safe from harm.

Research has identified improved learning for boys outside, that most children are not frightened to make mistakes outside, don’t worry about being messy and can be loud without worrying about the noise.

The changing seasons are appreciated when felt and seen through real life experiences. Crunchy leaves turning damp with the rain, the snow melting and disappearing, the warm sunshine, dark clouds and blustery winds will never be understood from looking at a picture.

There is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothes, so we have raincoats, wellingtons, sunhats, woolly hats and gloves. The children go home tired, happy and often mucky after having a great time playing out.

Brownhills Surestart Children's Centre, 80 Great Charles Street, Brownhills, Walsall, WS8 6AE Tel: 01543 370734 Fax: 01543 360751 Email: Brownhills@childrenscentres.walsall.org.uk Web: www.brownhillscc.co.uk