Don't let plummeting temperatures and glowering skies keep you indoors this winter; this time of year provides unique opportunities to learn through memorable play experiences. So on your marks and get ready.
Plan ahead for inclement weather - make sure waterproofs are sound, wellies are dry and a supply of towels is at hand before venturing outdoors for winter adventures. And remember to take a camera with you to capture children's wintery explorations.
The only form of weather likely to prevent outdoor play over winter is high winds, but you should also consider how long it is appropriate to play outdoors on very cold days and be ready to bring children back indoors if you see them becoming chilly.
ICE
Create ice pendants Arrange flower or seed heads, berries and twigs in the lids of ice cream tubs, along with the ends of a length of string; fill with water and leave outdoors to freeze. Ice pendants look beautiful hung from trees or bare winter shrubs.
Break ice in puddles Using a stick or pebbles, try to create shards of ice of varying shapes and sizes. Use them to create a giant mosaic on your tarmac or grass, encouraging children to work out how individual pieces of ice could fit together. Use 'free and found' natural materials to enhance the picture - for example, pine needles, scrunched up leaves, conkers, cones and shells.
Slide Children love sliding on the ice, but they will need your help to avoid painful accidents. Choose small patches of ice and hold children's hands to allow them to test their balance safely; make sure you are standing on firm ground.
SNOW
Sweep If you need to clear snow away from pathways, help children sweep it to other areas of the garden or into a large tarpaulin, so that they are still able to enjoy digging in the snow.
Create snow sculptures Hard snow can be shaped almost like clay. Start with small artworks - mini snow monsters, or a village made up of tiny houses for small-world play. Create colourful snow sculptures by using a stick to mix up snow with a few drops of food colouring in a bucket.
Build cosy dens Create a structure with washing airers and hollow blocks, and then tuck waterproof picnic blankets, tarpaulins and carpet tiles around them to make private and peaceful hidey holes from which to observe outdoor activity. Use a large white sheet to build a 'snow hide' for observing birds and other wildlife.
Search for colour contrasts Use sticks to remove snow in a long line around the garden, moving across the different snow-covered surfaces. Take a walk along the line, identifying colours that contrast with the snow and talking to children about what each surface is made of (for example, grass, tarmac, rubber, bark chips).
Organise a scavenger hunt When you know snow is forecast, place familiar objects in the garden and wait for them to become snow covered. Provide children with laminated pictures of the objects and ask them to find them in the snowy garden, using their knowledge of the shape and size of the object to identify it under its coat of snow. Objects with distinctive shapes work best - an upturned bucket, a trike, a beach ball, a plastic chair, a crate or a tyre.
Make snow lanterns Scoop out snow 'caves' (about the size of a small football) and place tea lights in them. As darkness falls, the snow caves start to glow, creating flickering, atmospheric shadows.
MUD
Hunt for wildlife Use laminated photographs of animal footprints and poo (for example, from dogs, cats, foxes, mice, small birds and pigeons) to explore the garden, looking for evidence of animals moving around your garden in the mud or snow. If you leave food out at night, you are more likely to find evidence in the morning.
Make more of your mud kitchen Perhaps add new implements or shelving, or add a tarpaulin above it to provide a little shelter.
Make a mud hole Get togged up in waterproofs to make a proper hippo-wallowing mud hole (use water from your water butt if necessary). You could introduce this activity with stories beforehand.
Create mud pictures Use sticks, brushes and basting 'dropper' tools. Thick, sticky mud works well for sculpting and can also be stuck to trees and other vertical surfaces to craft gargoyles.
RAIN
Estimate then measure the depth of puddles Use a variety of tools - perhaps starting with a finger, then using a stick and moving on to a ruler - to talk about standard measurement units.
Take cover Transparent umbrellas, clear plastic rain bonnets and 'glass clear' tarpaulins are huge fun in the rain. A clear tarpaulin suspended above children's heads is excellent for watching rain splatter and run off in rivulets. Place buckets around the edges of the tarpaulin to try to capture the raindrops.
Compose a rainy day symphony Collect objects that will make curious noises when rain falls on them (such as a large sweetie tin and its lid, pieces of cardboard and sections of plastic sheeting). Holding the objects in the air creates a different sound than placing them on the ground, so experiment with location until children are happy with the notes they can make. Children could also wear shower caps (the crazier the better) so that their own heads make music in the rain.
Experiment with items that dissolve, shrink or expand in the rain Try, for example, stale bread or toast, a natural sponge, pinecones, paper, gel crystals or water beads.
WIND
Test wind strength and direction with streamers on sticks Use a range of materials to test robustness: delicate materials such as tissue, slightly stronger paper such as crepe, lightweight fabric (such as silk) and heavier strips of cotton and upholstery fabric. Test different lengths of material, too: why does a long strip of tissue tear more easily in the wind than a short length?
Develop children's balance and co-ordination in the wind Manoeuvring on a blustery day is tricky and is a skill worth persevering with, but you'll need to support and supervise closely. Try using play equipment in the wind - for example, how difficult is it to walk along a pathway of crates or blocks in the wind?
Try to beat the wind Fling objects into the oncoming wind to see if they will travel. Choose light objects that won't cause injury if the wind flings them back at you. Feathers, ping pong balls, cream crackers and paper aeroplanes are all worth trying. What happens when the objects are flung in the direction of the wind? Map out where they land. Which objects travel furthest? This activity could be linked to the Aesop's Fable The North Wind and the Sun.
GREAT RESOURCES FOR WINTER PLAY
- Sand and water play toys are excellent in winter - bowls, sieves, funnels, gutters, squeezy bottles and utensils will allow children to explore the unique sensory qualities of snow and mud.
- Tarpaulins of various sizes are useful for creating shelter, capturing snow and rain and building dens. Very small tarpaulins (suitable for small children to manipulate independently) are available from 'pound shops' and markets. Consider investing a little more money in a 'glass clear' transparent tarpaulin.
- Keep a couple of disposable barbecues in stock for toasting marshmallows and warming little fingers. Hang on to the used tin trays (or invest in a large turkey roasting tin) so that you can safely make a small fire on chilly days. Alternatively, Muddy Faces (www.muddyfaces.co.uk) sells a 'tripod'-style barbecue with a safety ring and adjustable grill height that will allow fire activities to become a regular feature all year round.
Curate a generous collection of sticks, conkers, cones, bottle tops, corks, shells and pebbles in accessible places to inspire mathematical and creative thinking through use of pattern, shape and size.
MORE INFORMATION
Creative Star has a downloadable Winter Wonderland pack for schools, but much of the advice is equally useful for early years settings, www.creativestarlearning.co.uk- Exploring mud feature, Nursery World online, www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/feature/1097097/enabling-environments-mud-mess
- Nature Detectives, from the Woodland Trust, offers ideas for outdoor play all year round, www.naturedetectives.org.uk
- The Wild Weather Book: loads of things to do outdoors in rain, wind and snow by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield (Frances Lincoln).
Julie Mountain is director of Play Learning Life CIC Play, dedicated to working alongside you to develop quality outdoor play experiences.