The series is entitled 'Play!' and is being shown every weekday at 6.45am. It comes after the observational documentary 'Big School', which followed 30 four-year-old children during their first term of reception class and was shown on 'Milkshake' last year (news, 22 August 2007).
'Play!' features a group of young children as they go camping for the first time with their families in Fisherground Farm Campsite, in Cumbria, and a group of pre-school children from Brighton who meet at a playground every week.
It also shows street children from India who have very little in the way of toys and have to use their imagination to come up with innovative games.
Children at Fisherground Farm Campsite will be seen experiencing sleeping out in tents, going on nature walks and enjoying the adventure playgroundwith tree houses, a pond and rope swings.
At Brighton's Pirates playground the children play at forming tribal groups and repelling outside invaders amidst the sandpit, paddling pool and water fountain.
Nick Wilson, director of children's programmes at Five, said, 'We wanted to make a contrasting series to "Big School", which would show children left to their own devices. The series is very focused on outdoor, uncontrolled play. We hope that it will reflect children's experiences back at them, and that they will find it inspiring.'
Five is commissioning a fourth strand of the series, which will show children at a seaside location in Devon, to be screened after Christmas.