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.
Tag: technologies
Den Building
Problem solving and teamwork are a big part of many aspects of outdoor play and den building and the imaginative play that often happens in dens very much exemplifies this. Outdoor play is always popular, regardless of weather, and we thought we would share these photos we found from earlier in the year showing some of the children busy at work den building.
New Wood Supplies
As our wood supplies were dwindling in our outdoor area, we were lucky to get a delivery as a kind donation from Mr. Kerr at the end of last term. As you can see from the photos, the children loved being little helpers to carry the wood into the garden and some decided that they wanted it painted so they took on the responsibility of doing that themselves. Of course, as soon as a new pile of wood appeared, it was not long before dens were being built and lots of super imaginative play developed as a result. Well done for more super teamwork boys and girls.
Outdoor Seating
As work on our outdoor area developed last term, the children learned how to use tools safely so some took the opportunity to practise their skills when we decided to turn some tree trunks into outdoor seating. As you can see, this super little team worked away with the hammer and chisel to remove some of the outer bark and then got to work with a paintbrush and varnish to give them a shiny finish. We think that they did a great job. Good teamwork boys and girls.
Tasty Crumbles
The afternoon children used lots of different skills when they made apple crumble towards the end of term. They listened well to follow instructions and produced tasty crumbles from their hard work. I wonder if anyone’s having a go at some cooking in the holidays?
Crumble Cooking
Towards the end of term we decided to make apple crumble as we had a lovely big basket of apples brought in by several different people. The children were able to learn about the importance of hygiene and safety in the kitchen, fine motor control, counting and chopping skills, using the technology of a microwave and the effect of heat on the apples.
Here you can see the morning children demonstrating some of their skills. Afternoon photos will be posted soon.
Wonderful Woodwork
We posted some photos recently of the children washing logs and slabs of wood as a starting point for making fairy houses for outdoors. The next stage was to carry out some woodwork to make doors and windows so we helped the children to use a hammer and chisel to carve them out of the wood. The hammer was also useful for adding chimneys to the houses. Super listening and very careful work was evident and you can see the look of concentration on their faces as they carried out this tricky task. I wonder if we are seeing some joiners of the future here?
Weather, Weather Everywhere
It always seems amazing that our country can provide such a range of weather even within one day. One of our frosty mornings last week turned into a very rainy afternoon but the children still had great fun in different ways. There was lots of digging to be done as the ground melted and one group made a fantastic tower of cones to transport around the garden. Thinking caps were on as the children tried to work out the best way to balance the cones to get the biggest tower and they also worked out to ride the bike slowly to help balance their special load. What super problem solving!
Click then click again to make the photos bigger.
Blast Off!
This group of children worked well together recently when they decided to build their own rocket. They showed super teamwork and creativity in using materials to hand to produce a rocket as part of their imaginative play. Once the rocket was created, they all shouted “5…4…3…2…1… blast off!” as they set off in space for more adventures. Well done all of you for working well as a team. We love your rocket.
Cold Weather House
The cold weather doesn’t seem to want to go away so today a small group of children decided that they needed to make a house in the garden to stay warm. 
As you can see, they made a good job of it and added little chairs inside so that they didn’t have to sit on the cold ground. Of course, as we all know, the housework still has to be done regardless of the weather, so they even took it in turns to clean the windows and doors.
Click then click again for a clearer view of the mystery builders in their house.
