The children at Coton Green now have what they asked for: a garden 'with something to walk through and smells like sweets'.
Formerly in a community centre, with limited outdoor space, the nursery now occupies part of a primary school site. A dedicated outdoor area allows it to offer free-flow play and a wider choice of activities.
The staff team of ten built their plans for the outdoor area around direct input from the children as well as their child observations and their pooled knowledge and experience, gained through specific training (such as on gardening, and boys' learning needs), outdoor play conferences, visits to centres of excellence and a local authority project on developing children's language and communication skills.
The plans required substantial funding, but the pre-school's sharp-eyed management committee of parents and staff rose to the challenge. Capital Grant funding paid for a shed and a canopy for the tarmac area. A sponsored obstacle course raised enough money for a water butt, sandpit and bark path. A plea to a local plastics supplier resulted in some 'reject' crates and baskets to use for construction. Also donated were Wellington boots, tyres and old pots, which are used for growing vegetables, herbs, strawberries and flowers. Finally, a sensory garden was funded with a small grant from the council's Local Members' Initiative and made possible by parents' help in transforming a dumping ground.
Now the outdoor area features a mix of spaces for digging, sitting and discovery, and paths of different textures. The garden includes a bridge, bamboo fencing, different kinds of gravel, plants such as lavender, thyme and mint, a metal structure for hanging ornaments and wind chimes, a bench, a water feature, mirrors and a drawing area.
A grand opening is planned, as are developments 'as children decide what they want and where'. Next up is a wild flower garden, so time for more fundraising!
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Little Learners Nursery School, Skegness
Little Learners Nursery School now boasts an impressive outdoor area that reflects the staff's commitment to, and understanding of, outdoor play. The staff team aims to promote cross-curriculuar learning, inspire awe and wonder and promote dispositions such as independence and curiosity. As well as a garden, the outdoors includes a construction area with natural resources and real tools, and special features such as an artist's studio, a large gazebo with drapery, a fire pit (where children love to bake potatoes and fruit parcels and toast marshmallows), a tap with hose and sprinkler attachments, a bird house, a Thai shack (housing a rolling snack bar) and chickens. Staff have also introduced the children to Beach school.
FINALISTS
Bright Beginnings Childcare Centre, Leeds
Chewton Common Play Group, Christchurch, Dorset
East Street Children's Centre, Banbury, Oxfordshire
kidsunlimited Summerfields, Wilmslow, Cheshire
Norland Nursery, Bath
Criterion: Open to early years settings who have developed elements of their provision to create stimulating, child-centred learning environments in line with the principles of the EYFS.