TEY_10_1_2020

Shop online at earlyexcellence.com/outdoor For help in planning or equipping your outdoor environment contact sales@earlyexcellence.com Outdoor Resource Collections Building & Constructing £845.00 (exc. VAT) Water Investigations £525.00 (exc. VAT) Den Building & Camping £845.00 (exc. VAT) Playing Games £525.00 (exc. VAT) Expressive Art £395.00 (exc. VAT) Exploring Nature £395.00 (exc. VAT) PARTNER CONTENT Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain. Teachearlyyears.com 43 offer meaningful learning experiences. Easy-to-access wet weather jackets and trousers for children are also important, as they offer warmth and protection in the worst of conditions. Water play can be good too but will need to be thought through to reflect the conditions. Certainly avoid having a water tray outdoors as this won’t be as inviting once the weather gets cold. Instead, long pieces of tubing and guttering alongside a range of large containers, such as buckets and watering cans offer more active possibilities and new challenges. Maximising new experiences The changeable weather offers many special learning experiences. Rainfall provides a wonderfully tactile way of exploring water in a different context. Standing in, walking through and splashing in puddles provides meaningful opportunities for children to explore new experiences and develop new vocabulary too. You might want to put together a rainy-day box or a collection of resources which will be perfect for using in the rain. There are also lots of possibilities for outdoor learning on windy, icy and frosty days. For example, a collection of kite-making materials can lead to fantastic physical engagement on windy days. In icy spells, leaving different shaped shallow containers in your outdoor space will allow rainfall to collect and turn to sheets of ice. At this point, you can explore with the children how to melt the ice quickly by adding salt or warmth. Ice is also a great material for artwork and sculpture. Children will enjoy mark making on different surfaces with pieces of ice and you might want to share some of Andy Goldsworthy’s stunning ice sculptures to inspire ideas. And finally … get ready The key message is to get ready. Ensure that you audit your provision, organise your ideas and develop your resource collections for these predictable types of weather – and at Early Excellence we can help you. We are passionate about helping schools and settings to develop outdoor learning and offer a unique selection of resources that can help you make the most of the outdoors, all year round. Fully embracing the challenges To be available throughout the year, resources need to withstand the elements. The most valuable outdoor resources are those that can be used all year round, but make sure you regularly check them for safety and sustainability. Collections of crates, tarpaulins and fastenings are ideal, as in rainy weather EYFS and KS1 children have the perfect motivation to build dens and shelters! The size and scale of the resources should be physically challenging to the children, so think of resources that magnify learning. Lifting, carrying, constructing and balancing large scale materials means that children are on the move all the time, helping to keep them warm. Receive our free outdoor audit tool and request a brochure pack at earlyexcellence.com/ brochures Explore the full EEx range online