There are a range of provision, resources & materials that we can use to support play in a learning environment. Some practitioners promote resources & materials as transient, meaning that they can be moved to any area of the classroom.

Traditional concrete materials that can be found in most schools, such as unifix cubes, plastic money, blocks, Numicon, dice, magnetic letters, can be used in different zones to support play.

Other materials such as pasta, beans, pulses, corks, bottle lids and lolly sticks can be collected to support play. Some of these materials may appear in multiple zones and may be used in creative areas of the classroom for construction, gluing and sticking.

Natural materials can be collected by learners from the local environment and used to enhance the materials that are available in the learning environment. The use of natural materials can be linked to the seasons and support discovery play.

Small world materials such as figurines of people, animals, minibeasts and transport support role play.

And sometimes a simple cardboard box is all you need.

Core Provision

Early Years settings in Fife follow a core provision and this is a good starting point to support developing a high quality learning environment. The Fife Core Provision highlights the types of areas and resources that learners experience Nursery and will support in creating a playful learning environment in the primary school setting. Remember we are not replicating Nursery but creating a learning environment that feels similar but excitingly different.

Lorna Hillmansen (Capshard PS), Ashley Paterson (Carnegie PS) & Jillian Golightly (Dunnikier PS) are currently leading a TLC focussing on a First Level Play Provision. The aim of the TLC is to support the planning of high quality learning spaces within a First Level context. This will be available on the toolkit shortly.