1.3 Exploring principles of outdoor provision
Mark Dudek is an architect who has designed schools, children’s centres and nurseries and is author of the book Nurseries: A Design Guide. In his book he recognises that when planning for a nursery environment, attention needs to be given to the fact that the children have ‘a need to learn the dimensions of space’ while the space itself needs to provide ‘delicate balance: exuberance and quiet; collaborative and social activities balanced against those occasions for focused and individual play’ (2013, p.13).
Activity 1 Exploring principles of outdoor provision
Have a look at how that ‘delicate balance’ of what an outdoor space needs to offer is managed at Top of the Hill Preschool in Rochester, Kent. Spend 10 minutes examining the images in the following slideshow carefully.
Slideshow [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] (open the link in a new tab or window so you can easily find your way back to the course).
What evidence can you find for Gould’s (2012) S Factor criteria or Bilton et al.’s (2005) resource-based learning bays? In what ways do you think the provision could be developed? You may find it useful to complete a table like the one below.
| What evidence can you see for this? | How could the outdoor provision be developed in relation to this? | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gould’s (2012) S Factor criteria | Surfaces | ||
| Stimulus | |||
| Staffing and supervision | |||
| Storage | |||
| Seating | |||
| Shade and shelter | |||
| Sustainability | |||
| Safety and security | |||
| Space | |||
| Bilton et al.’s (2005) resource-based learning bays | Creative area | ||
| Quiet area | |||
| Imaginative play area | |||
| Environmental area | |||
| An open space | |||
Comment
Don’t worry if you haven’t managed to find evidence for all of the S Factor criteria in the table. You might have noticed how many different surfaces are available to children, such as green Astroturf, rubber flooring, shingle and wood. You might have noticed the opportunities for shade and shelter offered by the reading den and the role play cabin. You have probably spotted the range of stimuli, such as the climbing frame, sand pit, mud kitchen and water funnels. You are probably able to find examples for all of Bilton et al.’s (2005) areas, perhaps noting how explicit the creative area is with the shed of mark-making resources. Did you spot some spaces where children might be able to have some quiet time, perhaps in the reading den foreground or perched on a toadstool. You might have noticed evidence of an environmental area too, in which children could explore the plants growing in the soil.