dens – Hecklegirth Nursery

Den Building

Making dens develops teamwork, communication and problem solving skills as well as being lots of fun, with the children able to test out their planning and learn from their mistakes when they use their den.
As we reach the end of the year, it is evident that our children have learned so much from developing these skills both indoors and outdoors. Here is an example of their work which was totally led and organised by the children with no adult intervention. They were so proud of their efforts and spent such a long time playing in their den, changing and developing it as different children joined in the play.

“Hecklegirth Nice Place”

Last week a group of the morning children worked very well together to plan and make a super den. They were creative in the way that they used materials round about them and were delighted with their efforts when it was finished. The final touch had to be a banner so a few of them worked hard to make a sign and they decided that their den would be called “Hecklegirth Nice Place”. It was such a lovely surprise for the afternoon children to arrive at Nursery to find such a wonderful den to play in. Well done boys and girls! You showed great imagination, perseverance and teamwork.

Super Den

I wonder if anyone has noticed a recent change in our outdoor area? Some of the morning children were very busy recently, creating a new style of den that we had not seen before, using the fence as part of their construction. What great teamwork and perseverance they showed to create a really super den where they enjoyed great imaginative play. The children decided to leave some of the wooden planks round the corner of the fencing so we will wait to see what might develop there next.

A Cosy Campfire

Planks of wood and a few logs were all that were needed for this group of children to show good enterprising skills and teamwork. They worked so well together, listening to each others’ ideas and showing great focus and perseverance to build a den. The logs were used to make a campfire which one little girl pretended to start by rubbing two sticks together “because it’s what camper people do” and they happily cooked sausages and potatoes. Grass and leaves were put on the roof to “make it cosy” and, at one point, a horse was invited to tea. What a fantastic team!

Dens In The Rain

Regardless of weather, most children love outdoor play and work well together to use the resources available to them. As you can see from these photos, the last day of term brought some very heavy showers which inspired the children to build a den to help them stay dry. They showed great perseverance despite the conditions and were pleased with the shelter that they built.

A Horse’s Palace

Good teamwork worked wonders to build a den in the garden last week. It started out as “a den” then became “a horse’s palace” and finally “a den for horses and people” but everyone seemed quite pleased with the finished product regardless of the name of it. There’s nothing better than sitting back and relaxing when you’ve made something yourself.
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Den Building

The children who are moving to Primary 1 at Hecklegirth next year were back out in the playground with their buddies and the rest of the school today. They seem to growing in confidence and having fun whether they are on the timber trail, playing football or on the number games. The buddies have also still been visiting Nursery on a Friday and we wanted to share this lovely photos of some of the older children making a den with the Nursery children last week. Well done for being such good role models – all the children love your visits, whether they have a buddy or not.
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Outdoor Learning Is Fun

Now that the children are well settled in after their Easter holiday, they have been spending lots of time in the Nursery garden, having fun in their learning. Many children have been enjoying searching for the flagstones with letters on to match to their alphabet notes and some have been working well in teams to plan and build dens. As you can see they are very well focussed on the task in hand and excited to learn.
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Carmen Loves Outdoor Play

Carmen enjoyed seeing her photo in the den in the Nursery garden. Her Mum left a comment:

“I showed Carmen the picture of her and her friends. She said they were hiding. She laughed and sayed look at Reagyn he’s trying to cuddle me. She loves playing outside she says she has lots of fun”

It’s been great to watch the children grow in confidence to build their dens and develop their imaginative play outdoors.

Den Making Continues

Den making remains popular in the Nursery garden but the children continue to think of new ways to create their dens as they grow in confidence. Last week some of them wanted to paint the posts different colours and they decided to use planks of wood rather than a tarpaulin to make walls and a roof. As you can see, they are working well together and producing some fantastic results.
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