You can recreate a seaside experience by careful choice of resources, says Nicole Weinstein.

The seaside offers endless opportunities to enrich and enhance children's play. With sand underfoot and the gentle sound of the ocean in the background, children are at one with nature as they search for shells, explore hidden creatures in rock pools, build sandcastles and splash about in the waves. Of course, the exact feeling that a child experiences on a trip to the beach cannot be replicated in a nursery setting but it can be recreated through role-play opportunities and small-world play - and practitioners can provide plenty of natural resources like sand, water, shells, pebbles, rocks and seaweed to arouse their curiosity and extend their learning.


SAND AND WATER

Sand is a magical substance that children are drawn to. Creating a beach-like sand area in your outdoor space can provide stimuli and support for well-being and learning in all areas, explains Jan White, an early childhood consultant specialising in outdoor play.

Before investing in an outdoor sandpit or sand area, she advises settings to follow the four 'guiding principles' below:

  • It needs to be big enough for a child to get into, unlike sand trays indoors that children can only reach into
  • Several children should be able to play in the sandpit at one time, as this will replicate a beach
  • It should be deep enough for children to use long-handed tools for digging and to be active with their whole bodies
  • At least one of the edges of sand pit needs to be level with the ground so that children transporting sand in wheelbarrows can easily get in and out.

Ms White explains, 'The best type of sandpit is dug into the ground. As well as having an edge that facilitates easy access, it should have a raised bench-like platform along at least one side which is at the right height for children to "cook" on or make sand ice-creams - and where practitioners can sit comfortably, observe and interact with them.'

However, she warns, 'It's not good to have too many resources in the sand pit because children need space to access the sand itself and to move around. Be thoughtful about what you offer. Think about sieves, funnels, guttering and pipes, long-handed tools used for gardening, a range of buckets and lots of natural materials like pebbles, shells, pine cones and bits of wood so that children can recreate their own experiences of the seaside using their imagination. It's also a good idea to store the resources in labelled shelves, buckets or boxes near to the sandpit.'

Here is a list of resources to include in your outdoor sand area:

  • Ensure that there is a water supply to the area, either by a hose or watering cans, so that children can make sand and water mixtures, test out the behaviour of different consistencies and make cakes, ice-creams and other concoctions. Try the scaled-down Child Watering Can, £4.50, from Cosy Direct on 01332 370152 or the Five-litre Red Watering Can, £5.50, from www.spottygreenfrog.co.uk.
  • Offer containers in a range of styles, shapes and sizes so that children can fill and empty them with dry, moist and wet sand, extending indoor experiences. Try the set of four Galvanised Buckets, £7.50, from www.mindstretchers.co.uk; the Bucket-Scrunch, £6.93, from www.muddyfaces.co.uk; the Spilling Funnel, £4.99 or the Bamboo Diggers, £7.95, both from Cosy Direct.
  • Provide jugs, funnels and sieves along with pebbles, shells, feathers and other natural materials and some sparkly items to use as treasure for children to bury, search for and find in the sand. For digging, scooping, pouring and sieving sand, try the pack of two Guttering Sifters, £10.99, from Cosy Direct. The Giant Sieve, £7.50, and the Giant Funnel, £10.50, are both available from www.playgardens.co.uk, which also sells a Deluxe Sand Play Resource Box, £150, including a long-handled shovel, pipes kit, jugs, funnels, metal sieves, sand moulds and buckets, a colander and a watering cans kit.
  • Pebbles, cobbles, shells and gemstones are available from www.muddyfaces.co.uk where you can buy a bag of 10kg Black and White Pebble Mix for £27.50; sets of large, medium and small shells from £3.03 for 250g in a bag, or the Pebble and Shell Collection, £47.85, which includes gemstones. Or, try the 800g bag of Sea Shells, £7.99, or the 2kg bag of Natural River Stones, £6.99, both from www.tts-group.co.uk. For a Deluxe Seashore Set, £39.99, which includes seven large shell types, a bumper bag of small shells and a selection of Mopani wood, log on to www.reflectionsonlearning.co.uk. These resources can also be used to create small-world beaches in Tuff Spot trays indoors or to decorate sand castles or other creations.
  • Wheelbarrows are a must for transporting sand around the garden. Try the metal Wheelbarrow, £40, from www.playgardens.co.uk or the Two Wheel Barrow, £29.95, from Cosy Direct.
  • Ensure that children have the right tools for digging holes and ditches deep into the sand. For long-handled spades and rakes try the Individual Garden Rake, £2.95, one of the range of child-sized garden tools from www.tts-group.co.uk, or the Children's Digging Spade, £19.95, from www.burgonandball.com. Also include a selection of wooden spoons and other kitchen utensils for mixing the sand and water and making marks and patterns in the sand.
  • Encourage children to lift and lower filled containers with a simple rope and pulley system like the Ropes and Pulleys, £50, from www.mindstretchers.co.uk. Pulleys can also be added to the Super Sand and Water Unit, £499.99, from www.tts-group.co.uk.


BESIDE THE SEASIDE

Role-play areas with sand, a paddling pool, deck chairs, summer clothing and sunglasses can be set up indoors following children's interest in the seaside. Similarly, practitioners could set up small-world seaside scenes inside with large water trays with dry sand, pebbles, gravel, rocks, small-world people, boats, an ice cream van, buckets made out of toothpaste lids, large beads for balls, pieces of fabric for towels, sun umbrellas, buildings, imitation pond weed and water.

However, Ms White says any role-play area set up by adults needs to be meaningful for the children. 'If they haven't been to the beach they will still enjoy playing with the sand but the role play might not come if they haven't had the real experience.'

Practitioners at London Early Years Foundation Luton Street nursery in London set up a beach scene in one area of the nursery, following a nursery outing to the seaside in Kent.

Stacey Whitfield, deputy nursery manager, says, 'We filled an inflatable paddling pool with sand; there were lots of baskets containing sunglasses, swimming costumes, empty bottles of suntan lotion and hats. We used the shells, stones and seaweed that we collected from the beach to make it more realistic. We talked about our experiences and the creatures that live in the rock pools. We had a lot of images of beaches around the walls and staff brought in holiday brochures and leaflets. We made home-made books of our trip with photos of children and pictures of shells, the sea and fish, some of which we downloaded from the internet.

'The role play went on for two months, and we extended it as their interests developed. We went on to talk about clothes that you wear in the summer, beach safety, and going on holiday. Children brought in suitcases and we packed clothes, made passports and talked about the different ways to travel. We also linked it into sea life and we talked about what's under the sea using lots of visual references to the different types of fish.'


MORE INFORMATION

Playing and Learning Outdoors: Making provision for high-quality experiences in the outdoor environment by Jan White (Essential Guides for Early Years Practitioners, Routledge, in conjunction with Nursery World).


BEST BUYS

Deckchair, £29.50

Children love using these deckchairs which are perfect for early years and KS1. They are well made and have a safety catch on the legs. http://shop.earlyexcellence.com/collections/ outdoor-picnic/products/deckchair (A picnic set is also available, £145).

Play Sand - Bulk 850kg, £119.16 www.muddyfaces.co.uk/play-sand-bulk-850kg-p-1223.html

Underwater Explorer, £36

This small-world set includes 12 plastic coral reef figures, a variety of bright fish, an octopus, a starfish, a sea horse, a treasure chest and a diver ready to discover it. www.yellow-door.net/ space-sea-snow/underwater-scene-kit

Mixed Set of Wood, £19.50, http://shop.earlyexcellence.com/products/childrens-mixed-set-of-wood

 

BOOK CORNER
Storybooks with a seaside theme include:

  • Lucy and Tom at the Seaside by Shirley Hughes
  • Splash! by Jane Hissey
  • George at the Seaside by Anne Gutman
  • Grandma's Beach by Rosalind Beardshaw
  • Billy's Bucket by Kes Gray
  • Sandcastle (Kipper) by Mick Inkpen
  • The Sand Horse by Ann Turnbull

Reference books

  • Under the Sea (Usborne Beginners)
  • Sea And Sealife by Laura Wade (Gardner Publications - comes with CD-Rom)