In part two of a series on winter, Julie Mountain looks at creating
spaces that allow children to make the most of the great outdoors.

Is your nursery garden a winter wonderland - or a winter wasteland? After the opulent colours and evocative smells of autumn, it is easy to slump into a month or two of cosy, warm indoor activities. Yet outdoor play in winter can be exhilarating, and offers opportunities for children to understand more about the seasons and the natural world. Once children are properly togged up (see Part 1, Nursery World 2 December), it is vital that they are able to play safely in a carefully maintained and richly resourced outdoor space.

The Early Years Foundation Stage no longer requires written risk assessments for all outdoor activities - although you should be able to demonstrate that you have studied and assessed potential risks. Nevertheless, it is good discipline to review how children use the outdoor area in winter; it is likely to be very different to the manner and pace of play at other times of year. Mud, rain, snow, wind and ice all affect how adults and children move around a space and how they interact with resources. A written 'winter play plan' will help you create inspiring play experiences and will reassure parents that your setting has considered and planned for a range of likely scenarios.

Your plan should include 'risk benefit' assessments that enable exciting outdoor play to take place whatever the weather. Risk benefit assessments are similar to standard risk assessments, but begin by outlining the benefits children will gain from participating in the activity before stating the risks involved. You might find it helpful to think 'in reverse': what would children miss out on if they weren't able to slide on the ice, dig in the snowy sandpit or splash in the mud?

STAYING SAFE

While the enjoyment of outdoor play in winter is very real, so are the health and safety issues. Most parts of the UK can expect rain, mud, ice, high winds and - if recent winters are anything to go by - snow.

Identify the key circulation routes around the garden and keep them iceand snow-free using salt, grit or sand 'borrowed' from your sandpit. Store salt or grit in a plastic bin with a lid and keep spades nearby so children can contribute to the maintenance effort as part of their play. They will enjoy muddy puddles or patches of snow, so it is not essential to clear every inch of the garden, but safe pathways are vital.

If your grassy areas are prone to becoming mud patches, there are a couple of options. Protect grass with barriers to keep children off during winter - traffic cones with hazard tape tied between them can prove remarkably effective. However, mud has a valuable role to play in early learning, and if keeping it at bay is proving futile, perhaps it would be better to 'embrace the mud'. Encouraging mud play in one particular place can also have the beneficial effect of reducing wear and tear in other places.

Children dressed in appropriate clothing and footwear will be well prepared to enjoy in safety whatever the winter throws at them. Make weather forecasting a part of your day: with children, check out the Met Office forecasts so that you can discuss how to be properly dressed for the next day. Together, you could plan activities to make the most of upcoming weather and think about what effects the weather will have on your garden area.

High winds are one of the few weather conditions that should keep children indoors. According to Victorian botanist and writer John Ruskin 'wind braces us up', but high winds can cause fixtures and fittings to loosen as well as damaging trees. Moderate breezes and gusts can be fun to play in with umbrellas, bubbles and floaty fabrics, but avoid outdoors if there is any risk of boughs breaking into your garden. Windbreaks - planting, canopies and trellises on castors - can help make outdoors more frequently accessible if cold breezes are a feature of your garden.

Ratios need not be affected by the weather; however, your winter play plan should include information about how you will manage demand for outdoor play. If yours is usually a 'free-flow' setting, will you still offer this? How will you plan a rota for outdoor supervision? How will you ensure children don't become so absorbed in outdoor play that they get too cold? A pot of lip balm and a bottle of hypoallergenic hand cream are useful additions to your outdoor first-aid kit at this time of year.

STORAGE

Decent storage is often a barrier to regular outdoor play, and winter can prove particularly troublesome. If your storage isn't quite up to scratch, now is a good time to evaluate where it is failing and decide what needs to be done in time for next winter. Key things to consider:

  • Hanging space to allow wet weather gear to dry. If there is no space indoors, hang items on a washing line under a canopy. If you don't have a canopy, the 'ribs' of a garden parasol will do.
  • Boot racks. Many styles are available (including racks on castors for ease of movement) and most of the main educational suppliers sell welly racks. Racks that store boots upside down are best, but cupboards, trunks and shelves lined with newspaper will be fine too.
  • Store outdoor gear close to the main doorway. Be sure to think about the height of storage so that children are able to work towards dressing and undressing independently.
  • Evaluate play resources. Store items that children are unlikely to use over winter at the back of the shed to make winter resources more readily accessible.

HOW CAN PARENTS HELP?

Garden maintenance can seem daunting at any time of year, so keep on top of it all year round by harnessing parent power: seek volunteers for a once termly 'garden taskforce' to undertake key seasonal tasks. A ready supply of hot drinks and cake can encourage participants.

Suitable tasks for a winter taskforce include painting sheds, fences and stores; clearing drainpipes; mulching; weeding, pruning and clearing leaves. Regular maintenance will ensure the garden remains 'playable' all through the winter.

In addition, it is useful to secure a 'pool' of parents willing to arrive before your day starts to help clear icy pathways. Text messages on snowy days should produce a couple of extra bodies and could make the difference between being able to open fully and not being able to open at all.

Remember to risk assess the tasks and provide volunteers with a health and safety briefing so that they are clear about how to carry out their allocated jobs.

WINTER CHECKLIST

  • Timber sheds, storage units and playhouses should be watertight. Make sure felt roofs are still sound with no tears or worn patches. Plastic storage units should be checked for splits, and if you can raise timber bases off the ground with bricks or slats it will help prevent rotting.
  • Keep snow and ice out of the building by placing newspaper adjacent to doorways, to absorb moisture while children get changed. Keep a pile of newspapers nearby to replace soggy sheets regularly.
  • Plastic resources can become brittle in very cold weather and can be sharp if they split. Avoid accidents by making the most of your natural materials for play.
  • Take down and store shade sails and fabric canopies (some suppliers will store them for you). High winds, snow and waterlogging will damage shade sails and their fixings.
  • Place a tennis or football in the pond to prevent it icing over. If it does ice over, help children break the ice to enable the pond creatures to breathe.
  • Turn off outdoor taps, pumps or faucets at the (indoor) stopcock, then leave the tap itself in the 'open' position, allowing any water inside the pipe to drain away. Exposed pipes can be lagged with bubblewrap or a blanket to stop them freezing.
  • Clear gutters and drainpipes to prevent flooding.
  • Weed borders and prune trees and shrubs to maintain their shape and spread. Children can help with these tasks, using appropriately sized tools and protective gloves.
  • Mulch around the base of shrubs and trees to help retain warmth and protect roots and stems from frost damage. Compost or woodchips are ideal.
  • Ask parents to help paint or preserve sheds, playhouses and fences to reduce mould and rot and lengthen lifespan.
  • Keep the heat indoors and the cold out by installing 'free-flow' curtains in doorways. These PVC flaps enable children to come and go as they please while retaining heat inside the building.

Julie Mountain is director of Play Learning Life CIC, www.playlearninglife.org.uk

Part 3, on 13 January, will look at caring for plants and animals over winter

MORE INFORMATION

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