Preschool Playgrounds: "It's Simply a Classroom"

We're Moving!

2011-06-16T09:31:00.002-04:00

Hello to our followers! Please follow us to www.adventurouschild.com/blog. We've decided to make the move over to WordPress and link up with our website. We'll still be bringing you great information on early childhood education and our related products, just at a new home. You'll be able to conveniently view all of our company's blogs and view our products at the same time. So please, make the move with us. It's going to be an adventure!

Thank you,
The Adventurous Child Staff

“… when the world is puddle-wonderful”

2011-05-02T10:03:00.003-04:00

e.e. cummings referred to springtime as “when the world is puddle-wonderful.” What a marvelous expression! May is a lovely time of year for enjoying the outdoors with your children.

For example, why not create a scavenger hunt? Ensuring each group has at least one adult supervising, hand out lists with pictures of crocuses, daffodils, and violets along with other native flowers. You could also list ladybugs, butterflies, and ants. You might even list small frogs or toads if you’re near water. A scavenger hunt would be the perfect activity for your outdoor classroom or a nearby park.

While hiking with your children, engage them in discussions about this particular season. Are they wearing different clothes from the winter? Why? How have the trees changed? Does the air feel different?

Karen Miller, author of our favorite The Outside Play and Learning Book, suggests the following:

“Find a tree in the springtime that is just showing its first tiny leaves, just out of the bud. Pick a few of these leaves and encase them in clear contact paper to preserve them. Visit the same tree once a week for three or four weeks in a row, and each time pick some leaves and encase them in clear contact paper. The children will notice how each week the leaves get a little bigger.

Painting Fun

2011-04-28T09:13:00.002-04:00

Q: Our preschool teachers would like to allow children to explore letter writing with various textures. The children commented that they like using shaving cream at home. We are not able to use this at our center. Do you have any ideas?

A: Here is a good alternative to shaving cream. You can keep the clear, uncolored thickener in the refrigerator for quite awhile. It also makes a good paint extender. I pulled the recipe from the following website: http://www.childcarelink.com/fun%20Kid%20recipies.html. There were over 100 recipes on the site. Many did contain soap, but others were cooking ingredients. Some great textures were offered.

Cooked Home Made Finger Paint
· 4 cups cold water
· 6 teaspoons of cornstarch

Mix a small amount of cold water with cornstarch until smooth. Gradually add the remainder of the water. Cook the mixture over low heat until it is clear and the consistency of pudding. Add tempera for color.

This would be a lot of fun to use on an outdoor art easel! In fact, I just may round up my TAC pals right now to make some paint and then make some art.

DIY Rain Barrel

2011-04-25T10:02:00.004-04:00

April showers bring May flowers, it’s true, and those showers can be pretty fantastic – and not just for your tulips and daffodils! Why not create a rain barrel to store that water? There are a lot of great reasons to create a rain barrel, including water conservation and saving money.

Our friends at http://www.rainbarrelsolutions.com/ have a lot of ideas about this very topic! Here are some reasons to create a rain barrel:

· Water conservation
o When you conserve water, you are not just helping yourself, you are helping your community and the planet.
· Saving money
o The primary advantage to using rain water over municipal water is that you are saving water and money.
o You can use the water you collect to take care of your garden, lawn and outdoor cleaning tasks.
o This means that even when your community is on a water restriction you can still water plants and your lawn because you are not using public water

Including a rain barrel in your outdoor classroom is a wonderful lesson for your children. You will be setting the examples of conservation in more ways than one, and you can use the water you collect for the plants in your garden! What’s not to like about that?

Check out the following sites for tips and instructions for creating your own rain barrel:

http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/03/how-to-make-a-rain-barrel/
http://www.diylife.com/2008/04/25/rain-barrels-made-easy/
http://greenterrafirma.com/DIY_Rain_Barrel.html

Composting (Part 2 of 2)

2011-04-21T09:25:00.003-04:00

On Monday we discussed the fantastic benefits of a compost pile in your outdoor classroom. Today, we’re doing to talk about how to create that compost pile!

These tips came from the BBC article “Make Your Own Compost.”

You will need:
· a compost bin with a lid
· old plant waste
· kitchen waste
· soil

1. Help your children to set up the compost bin or site, ensuring the bin is placed on earth and not concrete.

2. Fill the bin with dead leaves, green waste from the garden, old plants you've pulled out, fruit and vegetable peelings from the kitchen - even eggshells!

3. Next, sprinkle in some soil.

4. Cover the bin with an old piece of carpet or a doormat to keep the heat in and leave it alone until you have some more waste to put inside.

5. After three or four months remove the cover and help your child to dig the compost over. Leave it to rot down further.

6. When the bottom of the compost is brown and crumbly, it is ready. You and your children can dig it into the garden - your plants will be really pleased!

Tips and advice
· This is a joint project for adults and children together. You will need to provide the physical manpower for a lot of it, but the children will often provide the motivation to keep filling up the bin.

· When preparing a meal, why not ask your children to help you sort out which pieces they can put in their compost bin? Vegetable and fruit peelings are great. Don't put in cooked food or meat, as it may attract rodents.

Happy composting from The Adventurous Child!

Composting (Part 1 of 2)

2011-04-18T10:06:00.004-04:00

This spring The Adventurous Child has been talking about seasonal activites to enjoy with your children. Some of our previous suggestions have included gardening and natural playscapes. Today we are going to talk about composting!

Okay maybe composting isn’t very glamorous – but it IS the foundation for a nutrient-rich garden, which makes it a big deal. Karen Miller, author of The Outside Play and Learning Book, explains: “For plants to grow well, the soil needs to be loose to a depth of at least twelve inches and rich in nutrients. It is probable that your playground soil will need enriching. There are many ways to do this. The children could be involved in breaking up the soil with a hoe or shovel, as well as mixing in compost…” (p. 238).

By creating a compost pile, you are teaching your children several great lessons. Blogger Kaitlyn Wessels explicates some of those lessons:

Money in the Bank: “From a financial perspective, it reduces the cost of purchasing topsoil and fertilizer for your plants. Why buy a big bag of dirt when you can make it yourself? Chances are, your composted material will be a lot richer and healthier than anything you buy in a store because you know exactly what's going into it.”

Green is Green: “From an environmental perspective, you will significantly reduce your household waste. Between our recycling bin and our composting container, [my husband] and I have put out only one bag of trash for the weekly collection, compared to two and even three bags a week.”

Healthy Living: “Your composting bin will even encourage you to eat healthier. I don't know what it is, but there is something very rewarding about filling up our compost bin every week. To do that, I have to buy (and consume) more fresh fruits and veggies, which is ultimately better for my health and well-being anyway!”

On Thursday, we’ll talk about how to start up your compost pile. Stay tuned!

Natural Playscapes

2011-04-14T09:23:00.004-04:00

Last month I talked about Nature Deficit Disorder and its potential harm toward children’s wellbeing. Awareness of this problem, thanks in part to Richard Louv, has led to the increased popularity of natural playscapes. A natural playscape incorporates nature into its outdoor learning environment.

Cheryl Charles, CEO and co-founder of the Children & Nature Network, commented: “These play areas are appealing to children and their families. Different kinds of flowers, bushes and plantings add a sense of beauty and place and are very stimulating for kids’ intellectual, emotional, social and physical development.” Moreover, “Academic achievement is enhanced when kids get nature-based settings and there’s an improvement in standardized test scores if outdoor learning is part of a school’s curriculum” (italics mine).

Kaija Clark (2010), author of “Is Nature the Next Wave in Playground Accessibility?” added to Charles’ beliefs, stating “In fact, time outside has been shown to help increase cognitive ability, something that might help multiplication-weary children. Brief stints to stretch their legs on a nature walk ease tension and enable kids to regain focus for more intensive learning when they return to the classroom” (italics mine).

Clearly natural playscapes are here to stay. If you’d like to learn more about designing one for your outdoor classroom, just click here.

Springtime Fun: The Adventurous Child Digs In

2011-04-11T13:26:00.007-04:00

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder … he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in. – Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

As we talked about last time, gardening with kids is totally do-able. It’s just a matter of education, preparation, and just a little patience.

There are a lot of options when it comes to gardening. A mini garden allows children to access all sides of the garden to plant seeds, pull weeds and water the plants without actually stepping into the garden. (Great for staying neat.)

Speaking of “yum,” why not consider adding a pizza garden to your facility? Make a delicious pizza to share by growing pizza herbs, onions and tomatoes.

Have you ever wondered about the underground world of roots, worms and insects? Jump into that world with a root garden! Children can learn about the growth process as the plant seeds, water, weed and harvest the crops. Periodically, children can open the Observation Doors and study the underground world of the root garden.

Check out The Adventurous Child to learn more about our gardens!

Springtime Fun: Gardening

2011-04-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

Home gardens are making a comeback in the United States. Everyone from the First Lady to moms, dads, and teachers on the home front are planting flowers, vegetables, and herbs. There are a lot of reasons for this. Partly, it’s a great lesson in economics and saving money by growing your own food. Gardening is also full of teachable moments about healthy eating. Finally, it’s just plain fun. Victory gardens were all the rage during World War II. This was due to the shortage of public food supply, as well as an effort to boost public morale. Today, “victory” gardens (fruits, vegetables, and herbs) are a fantastic way to teach children how to be “green,” economical, and nature-oriented. By introducing children to the wonderful world of gardening and to the intricacies of nature, you will open their worlds to new ideas and experiences. Is there a greater gift?

Springtime Fun

2011-04-04T09:13:00.001-04:00

Wow! Is winter really over? In Ohio, we’re starting to see the trees bud and crocuses are rising out of the ground. Spring is just around the corner!

Springtime is a wonderful time to take your children outdoors to experience nature and its verdant transformation. In the next few weeks, The Adventurous Child is excited to share the following: - Gardening tips - How to get started composting - Rain barrel fun - What to do on a springtime hike Join us Thursday for information about victory gardens and going green!

Nature Deficit Disorder

2011-04-04T09:03:00.002-04:00

As the days get longer and warmer, the outdoors begins to look inviting. Perhaps you have already begun dreaming of frequent outdoor class time, nature walks, and stomping in puddles with your children. If you have, you may belong to a select group of people. Richard Louv (2008) coined the term Nature Deficit Disorder – the concept that children are spending less time outdoors, to the detriment of their intellectual, emotional, and physical health. Swati Popat (“There’s Nature in Our Nature!” January/February 2010) stated about NDD: “This disconnect from nature is unknowingly contributing to hypertension, hyperactivity, and attention problems. We need the calming, cooling connection with nature.” Have you noticed any trends in your own school or day care center? When you take your children outside, how do you encourage them to interact with nature?

Art: Weaving Panel (Part 4 of 4)

2011-03-28T11:42:00.003-04:00

The Adventurous Child likes to create products and equipment that are multipurpose in nature. A great example of this is our weaving panel: It encourages artistic development, use of prepositional phrases, and it promotes cooperative play!

Children can intertwine various materials through a weaving panel, such as ribbon, yarn and string. This unique piece of children’s playground equipment allows children to use their imaginations to create an artistic design with the weaving materials. Using a weaving panel demonstrates directional words (in, out, on, off, here and there) as well as spatial relationships with objects (over, under, beside and through). Children can work independently or they can work cooperatively by passing the material back and forth through a weaving panel.

Art: Easel (Part 3 of 4)

2011-03-24T10:01:00.001-04:00

After discussing the colors that are being produced by the wheel, encourage your children to paint a picture with some (or all!) of those colors on an easel. Even better: a double-sided easel allows children to socialize and work with one another while drawing, painting and writing. Our extra wide outdoor art easel allows two children to paint side-by-side, or gives children the opportunity to paint from the back side while other children paint from the front side. This helps develop cooperative and parallel play, and assists in developing greater social interaction skills. One of our favorite preschool art ideas is to have a child stand on one side of the art easel and have another child trace their outline or shadow. Soon you will have an entire classroom of Da Vincis and Michaelangelos!

Art: Color Wheel (Part 2 of 4)

2011-03-21T09:44:00.001-04:00

The whole world, as we experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm of color.Hans Hofmann - Artist

Consider adding a color wheel to your outdoor classroom. Its unique design allows children to mix sunlight with primary colors to create secondary colors. One of the wheels remains in a fixed position while the other wheel turns. As the child turns the wheel and the light shines through, different colors are created. For example, when the light flashes through the yellow and blue sections, green is produced.

The color wheel is a great addition to your outdoor classroom. After discussing color with your children, encourage them to draw or paint pictures displaying their favorite hues. On Thursday we’re going to take a look at The Adventurous Child’s art easel – the next great step for budding artists!

Art (Part 1 of 4)

2011-03-17T09:02:00.001-04:00

Art is not just ornamental, an enhancement of life. It is a path in itself, a way out of the predictable and conventional... a map to self discovery. (Gabrielle Roth)

To wrap up our series on fine arts, we’re going to look at visual art this week. The Adventurous Child wants to help you create a wonderful outdoor “studio” for discussing and creating art with your children. Studying art is integral to teaching children about color, perspective, composition, and encouraging imagination and passion. As Gabrielle Roth said, art is “a map to self discovery.” With a few pieces of equipment, you will give your children all the tools they need to learn about the world and themselves.

On Monday we are going to look at the color wheel… but if you’re ready to mix some colors today, just click here!

Infants and Toddlers: Toddler Climber (Part 4 of 4)

2011-03-14T11:14:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned recently, infants and toddlers need separate play areas from each other and from older children. Toddlers may be more ready for a playground that requires climbing (see below), but they still need manageable heights and closeness between platforms.

The climber below is tricked out with all kinds of fun things to do. Check it out….

Tunnels for play that teach the concepts over, under, behind, beside, and inside

Dual slide for enjoying the company of a friend

ADA entrance and stairs that allow easy access for all children, regardless of their abilities

Lower ground deck for two levels of play

The Adventurous Child is committed to building playgrounds that are age-appropriate. Contact us here if you have any questions. We would love to hear from you!

Infants and Toddlers: Infant Play Corner (Part 3 of 4)

2011-03-10T10:47:00.001-05:00

According to “Babies on the Move” by Rae Pica in Young Children (July 2010), experiences and opportunities to move may be more important for infants than for older children. Here’s why: “… Beginning in infancy, physical movement plays a vital role in the creation of nerve cell networks that are actually the core of learning…. [M]ovement, because it activates the neural wiring throughout the body, makes the entire body – not just the brain – an instrument of learning” (Pica, 2010, p. 48).

A special play corner designed for your infants will activate their brains and bodies. An Infant Play Corner provides different activities for infants to do while crawling on an open-ended surface that is not tactily defensive to the children’s senses. Included are a bubble panel, a ball drop panel, a mirror panel with bar, and a shape spinner panel. Each activity panel is the perfect height for someone just learning to stand, or for someone who’s content to sit in front of the mirror or ball drop panel.

On Monday, we’ll wrap up this series by taking a look at toddler climbers. (Too eager too wait? Click here.) Ready, set, go!

Infants and Toddlers: Infant Play Gazebo (Part 2 of 4)

2011-03-07T09:19:00.003-05:00

The Adventurous Child simply cannot get enough of Young Children magazine! Recently I read an article about infancy demands for a responsive approach to care (July 2006). The following passage really spoke to me:

“Development is a continuous process through which a child gradually grows and changes. But as early childhood professionals we need to keep in mind that each developmental period has its own challenges and opportunities. As brain development research has reached the general public, most of us have become aware of the infant period as an important time when neural pathways that influence learning and development are formed” (Lally & Mangione, 2006, p. 14; italics mine).

The hexagonal Infant Play Gazebo provides five different activities for infants to do while crawling on a rubber surface. The heights of the panels are set so that an infant pulling herself up can see over the panel into the real world. The best activities are those that interact with the senses, such as: a sound panel, a ball drop panel, a mirror panel with cruising bar, a shape spinner panel, a bubble panel, and a gate. These activities will stimulate infants’ neural pathways and at the same time, delight their senses and occupy their interest. Who knows – the gazebo may occupy you as well!

Infants and Toddlers (Part 1 of 4)

2011-03-03T11:50:00.000-05:00

According to the states’ early learning standards, infants and toddlers need different kinds of playgrounds and classrooms than older children. Infants and toddlers are smaller than preschool-age children, and need to be able to reach their activities and toys easily. They are also far more vulnerable to heights and flying objects, which is why day cares and schools are required to have separate outdoor play areas for their younger friends.

At The Adventurous Child, we are devoted to designing, manufacturing, and installing playgrounds for children six months through six years of age. We also understand that infants and toddlers need different kinds of playgrounds than older children. Infant and toddler play areas are some of our most popular! Check back with us on Monday as we look at some of those corners and gazebos which are perfect for your children.

The Nitty Gritty: Gravel Panel (Part 4 of 4)

2011-02-24T11:16:00.002-05:00

Add a gravel panel to the truck pit for increased learning and fun in your outdoor classroom. The Adventurous Child’s Gravel Panel Add-On provides three different ways for the gravel to shoot through and fill the trucks and containers below. Pouring gravel through the gravel panel allows children to observe and demonstrate directional words—in, out, on, off, here, there, beside, next to and between. (These prepositions will surely lead to a wonderful conversation about keeping the gravel in the pit!)

The Nitty Gritty: Truck Pit (Part 3 of 4)

2011-02-18T12:19:00.001-05:00

There are so many things to do in the truck pit! Children love digging, pouring, sifting, sorting, counting and manipulating pea gravel in the truck pit. Animals aren’t attracted to the pea gravel, so unlike sand, the gravel doesn’t have to be covered. The 9-inch-wide wide roads, hills and tunnels of the truck pit are large enough to accommodate medium sized Tonka trucks and set the stage for dramatic play. A great addition to any outdoor play area, children will love traveling the roadways, hills and tunnels of the truck pit.

Everyone at The Adventurous Child agrees, a truck pit is the way to go for equal parts entertaining and educational!

The Nitty Gritty: Sand Table (Part 2 of 4)

2011-02-10T11:11:00.003-05:00

You don’t have to go to the beach to have fun with sand. A sand table is a unique piece of children’s play equipment that is designed to allow children to stand, rather than sit, as they explore and manipulate a multitude of sensory items. Children can change the physical properties of the sand by mixing water with the sand then pouring and sifting it dry. Adding water to the sand also allows children to shape and create land and water forms. They can make molds, sift the sand, and draw in the sand with sticks to make unique shapes.

Our personal favorite thing about the sand table is that this is a great way to help children bond with each other: the table is long enough for several children to stand together as they work and play. Moreover: “In the sand [table] the children have the opportunity to become giants. They can create roads and mountains and houses. In a world where they are small and vulnerable, it is comforting to have a place where they can be big and in control” (Karen Miller, The Outside Play and Learning Book).

The Nitty Gritty: Fun with the Elements (Part 1 of 4)

2011-02-07T15:43:00.002-05:00

Sand and gravel: two of the most basic elements in our world, and yet most people wouldn’t consider them educational. When adults think of sand, they may think of a fun day at the beach or something to watch pass through an hourglass. As teachers we understand that these are fantastic elements for allowing children to learn about pouring, counting, manipulating, and more. Watch the children as they investigate the feel, sound, and smell of these tiny particles. Conversations about their physical properties and measurements will abound – all while they are simply having fun playing and pouring! On Thursday, we will show you some of our fun products utilizing sand and gravel.

Snow Day

2011-01-20T15:24:00.002-05:00

Nothing beats that first snowy day of the year: the crunch of snow underneath your boots, the taste of snowflakes. Did you know that a snowy day is just about perfect for your children to enjoy time in their outdoor classroom? Nancy Fusco Castaldo, author of The Little Hands Nature Book, has some fantastic suggestions for winter fun. For example, take your kids outside to your outdoor classroom. As you begin walking, ask them to look around the path. What is different in the winter than in summer? How do the seasons change where you live? Then, have a winter scavenger hunt: “Look for things such as a bush with red berries, a pinecone, a bird, an icicle, a fir tree, animal tracks, and a squirrel. Look for something beautiful” (p.136).

Another fun game is called “snowflake snooping.” All you need for this game is a dark piece of fabric or paper (allow it to chill outside for a few minutes) and a hand lens (or, just borrow a magnifier from your nature center). First, collect falling snow on the fabric or paper. Then examine the snowflakes with your hand lens. Are they all the same? Look at all the different shapes. How many sides does each snowflake have? Watch the snowflakes melt. How do their shapes change?

Finally, you could also mix some water and food coloring, pour it into a spray bottle, and encourage the children to “color” the snow! Not only is this fun, but you could also share a conversation with the children about mixing colors and creating new hues.

Have fun, and enjoying kicking up some snow! I think I’m going to build a snowman now….

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T11:12:00.003-05:00

Can you believe that it is already 2011? Time sure does fly by. I hope you had a fun and safe New Year’s Eve celebration. Between singing “Auld Lang Syne” and toasting with my family to 2011, I started thinking about my New Year resolutions. When I got back to work this week, I asked my pals at The Adventurous Child what our collective resolutions ought to be. Here is what we came up with:

10. Learn more about child development
9. Interview a local professor about early childhood education
8. Research how basic elements such as sand can be educational
7. Be prepared with a list of fun winter activities for the next snowy day
6. Come up with a list of springtime activities
5. Make a compost pile
4. Learn how to go “green” in our outdoor classroom
3. Read one book every month for “fun” in our literacy gazebo
2. Learn about “whole language”
1. Have fun!!!

As I continue to write these entries, hopefully you will see some of my resolutions come to life in the blog. If not… well, please remind me!

What are your resolutions for 2011? This could be a great conversation to share with your children!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T10:06:00.003-05:00

December is the month for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza. As we spend time with our nearest and dearest, we hope that you have a wonderful holiday season full of friends, family, and good cheer. Thank you so much for allowing The Adventurous Child and The Outdoor Preschool to be a part of your lives this year. We look forward to seeing you in 2011!

Experiences & Development

2010-12-02T10:21:00.003-05:00

Relationships are important. Whether they are between friends, co-workers, or children and their care providers, you must nurture those relationships for them to grow.

Of course, there are also figurative relationships, such as the one between experiences and development:

The adults in a child’s life play a critical role in determining what types of experiences are made available to the child and, consequently, in determining the course of development. (Children and Families, Fall 2009, p. 34)

That means you! You have the awesome opportunity of deciding what your children get to play with, learn, and observe every day.

At The Adventurous Child, we want to help you provide fun and educational experiences for your children that will assist them in meeting and surpassing developmental milestones. Whether you want them to learn how to recognize different sounds, develop an appreciation for reading, or improve their balance and coordination, we are devoted to working with you to meet those needs.

What kind of experiences are you making available to your children? Whatever they may be, I hope that reading our blog will give you a better idea of some of your options. Thanks for stopping by – we look forward to hearing from you!

Hiking

2010-11-08T13:24:00.002-05:00

Early November is a great time to take your children for a hike. Whether you actually take them into the woods or around your playground, they will enjoy being outdoors during the seasonal transition. Now is the time to kick up some leaves and talk about the cooler temperatures. Ask them how the air feels on their skin, what colors they see, and what season follows autumn.

Some of the fun things you can do with children outdoors right now include*:
· Engaging them in discussions about animals and plants that are going through autumnal changes
· Ask them whether the lighting is different (this works especially well if you take them outside at the same time every day)
· Bring a notebook to use as a nature journal for written descriptions or pictures
· Bring a recorder to capture the sounds of the day
· Bring several baggies and a black permanent marker to give your children practice with sorting. Collect seeds, nuts, pinecones, rocks, and leaves and place them in the labeled bags.

At the end of your hike, whether it lasts 15 minutes or an hour, you can sit down at your literacy gazebo and write and draw about your experiences. Children will be excited to talk about everything they saw, smelled, felt, and heard… while tasting some nice apple cider (our favorite autumn treat).

* (Thanks to Renee Carver for these fantastic tips!)

Who is TAC?

2010-10-21T09:49:00.004-04:00

Recently it occurred to us that as much as you know about The Adventurous Child’s products and equipment, you may not know a whole lot about us. We’d like to spend today sharing a little bit about ourselves and our company.

Our focus is to provide outdoor playground equipment that meet each state’s Early Learning Standards and to provide children with fun environments that feature environmentally-friendly recycled plastic. Our passion is to help create outdoor classrooms that are learning places, just like the indoors—full of fun, free play and the ability to meet the state’s current Early Learning Standards.

As an outdoor classroom and outdoor play equipment company, our number one core value is to make people happy — our customers, our staff and anyone with whom we come in contact. Secondly, everyone at The Adventurous Child is part of the same team — since 1986 we have been working together to support each other so we can effectively support our customers. Thirdly, we strive for continuous improvement, both of ourselves and our children's outdoor playground equipment designs, products, service and customer relationships.

We are proud and excited to be celebrating our 24th anniversary this year. The customer thank you notes, testimonials and referrals for the last 24 years tell me that our customers are grateful for our values. We hope you enjoy stopping by my blog and by Steph’s blog. Feel free to shoot us a message! We really appreciate receiving feedback, and we’d love to answer any of your questions.

ASSESSMENT IS… INTEGRATIVE (Part 2 of 2)

2010-10-14T10:53:00.002-04:00

Until approximately age 6, children are concrete learners rather than abstract learners. Engaging them in their senses – hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching – is the most effective way for them to learn. Young children require tangible methods for really learning phenomena.

For example, weather is a great topic to teach young children. But why not teach it to them outside? By only discussing the phenomena of weather indoors, children are being denied opportunities to truly experience nature’s mercurial ways. Reading a book or watching a movie clip is incomparable to taking them outside during a light rain shower, when they can see the clear drops, feel their wetness, taste the water, smell them, and hear their pitter-patter against the ground.

A multidisciplinary approach to learning is imperative for expanding children’s learning. Why not integrate learning, discovery, delight, and determination with the Weather Station Learning Center?

With the Weather Station Learning Center in your outdoor classroom, kids will:

· Measure water collected in the rain gauge
· Observe the weather vane to note the wind’s direction
· Using the barometer and temperature gauges, discern variation (whether they are reading the numbers or simply observing the change)
· Become capable of documenting weather at the weather weekly panel

ASSESSMENT IS… INTEGRATIVE (Part 1 of 2)

2010-10-07T09:56:00.000-04:00

Here at The Adventurous Child, we’ve been on a kick about assessment lately. Check this quote out:

“Assessment is an integrative process…. Learning is personal, active, and genuine; discovery invites mastery and empowerment; delight feeds passion and a quest for more; and determination nurtures confidence and creates a sense that learning is forever” (Hughes & Gullo, 2010, p. 58-90).

By making learning a delightful journey that encourages determination among children, you are giving them a gift for life. A thirst for learning – not just seeking the answer to a question, but the process of seeking it as well – will carry children through school and life.

Since learning contains several components – discovery, delight, and determination – it stands that assessment must be multivariate, as well. How many ways do you currently assess your children? Do you give some methods more weight than others?

Creative/Dramatic Play: Store Front (Part 4 of 4)

2010-09-30T09:47:00.005-04:00

“Caps for sale! Caps for sale!”

Make your children’s favorite stories come to life with a store front. Place the store front along a bike path and let children create their own story —maybe a lemonade stand, a counter at a bank, post office or fast food restaurant – the possibilities are as plentiful as the imagination. Just remember: as the teacher or care provider, “if you dominate the play, you take away some of the creative value for the children” (Miller, 1989. p. 41). Let them be in control.

Several store fronts strategically placed in an outdoor play area create a friendly small town effect

Check out The Adventurous Child and The Outdoor Preschool Store for more information!

Creative/Dramatic Play: Car Wash (Part 3 of 4)

2010-09-24T13:03:00.003-04:00

Hot day? Take your kids outside and let them cool off with a car wash.

A great addition to any outdoor play area, the car wash allows children to enter and exit through realistic plastic flaps, similar to a real car wash. A pipe runs down the roof line and has several sprayer jets that release water on the children as they ride through the car wash. Connect a standard hose to the sprayer jets, turn on the water and the fun begins!

As I discussed earlier, water play can improve children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Playing with the car wash will allow them to participate in a variety of gross/fine motor and sensory activities, make simple cause/effect predictions as well as use new vocabulary, and role play different types of occupations. Consider adding a car wash to your outdoor play area today!

Creative/Dramatic Play: Playhouse and Gas Pump (Part 2 of 4)

2010-09-16T10:32:00.002-04:00

Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld, renowned dance instructor, commented: “I know from my experiences that when children have the chance to move and to be creative, it helps them engage with the rest of the curriculum…. [M]ovement involve[s] language and patterning, which support reading and problem solving” (p. 12).

A playhouse offers abundant opportunities for movement and creative play. A playhouse provides the structure but the children create the story. Depending on the children’s imagination, the playhouse can be a home, bank, restaurant, covered bridge, etc. Throw a sheet over the playhouse and it’s a cave. The options are endless!

A gas pump allows children to fill things up, including their bikes, wagons, wheelchairs, or even shoes. Children will increase their ability to problem solve through exploration (i.e., pump gas like an adult).

An example of a fun playhouse and gas pump can be found at The Adventurous Child and at The Outdoor Preschool Store.

Creative/Dramatic Play (Part 1 of 4)

2010-09-09T12:00:00.003-04:00

“Music, dance, drama, and story are the oldest ways human beings learned to pass on information, traditions, customs, and beliefs…. In the vocabulary of some Native American and African languages, there is no word for art, because art is part of everything the people do. Children are natural connectors. Similarly, they see the performing arts as part of everything they do” (Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld; article: Derry Koralek Young Children, March 2010, p. 10).

As we continue our series on Fine Arts, let’s examine how creative and dramatic play is beneficial to children’s learning. Do you remember playing dress-up or performing for your friends and parents? Take a walk down memory lane with us while we talk about some products that will be great in your preschool or daycare center’s outdoor classroom.

Join us on Thursday as we take a look at playhouses and gas pumps.

Back to School: Bookcase (Part 4 of 4)

2010-08-30T13:11:00.003-04:00

While sharing stories in the Literacy Gazebo, select one of the children’s favorites from the Bookcase. This handy-dandy bookcase is designed to display books and art supplies in an outdoor classroom setting. Specially-formulated playground plastics are used to create the shelves and the exterior of the bookcase so that the weather (i.e. rain, sun, heat and cold) will not affect whatever is stored inside, or the case itself. The bookcase features a locking lid that can be placed on the front of the display case as well as the top.

Whether the children are requesting Strega Nona or The Cat in the Hat, The Kissing Hand or The Very Hungry Caterpillar, you will be able to keep their favorites safe and accessible in this sturdy book case on their literacy gazebo. Perfect for story time in their outdoor classroom! (Contact The Adventurous Child to find out more.)

Back to School: Literacy Gazebo (Part 3 of 4)

2010-08-30T13:02:00.003-04:00

One great way to make that transition from summer to school is with the literacy gazebo. The Literacy Gazebo provides a great place for children to sit and listen to stories, tell stories to other children, or create their own stories using art supplies. Imagine sitting outside with the children. A cool breeze running through your hair, the shelter’s shade keeping everyone comfortable… you can read and create together and enjoy nature’s lovely background all at the same time.

This area includes two bookcases and three benches. The sixth side of the area is open for entering and exiting the area. Each bookcase has four different shelves for displaying materials. One of the bookcases is designed to hold art supplies such as paper and markers so children can draw and tell their stories; the second one is designed to hold books.

The literacy gazebo will become a favorite landmark for reading, story-telling, and drawing. Children will love the opportunity to stay outdoors, and after an hour of running around in the sun, cooling off in the gazebo while listening to a story will be just the ticket!

Back to School: Teacher’s Organizational Post (Part 2 of 4)

2010-08-26T10:16:00.003-04:00

Maybe the Boy Scouts have a claim on the motto, “Be Prepared,” but there’s no reason that can’t be your motto, too.

Wouldn’t it be nice to never have to run back inside for something? The Teacher’s Organizational Post is a multipurpose structure for centralizing outdoor teacher supplies. Ideal for outdoor classrooms, the post contains a large hook to support hanging items like backpacks, a shelf for clip boards and writing activity, and a child-accessible tissue holder and trash receptacle so children can retrieve their own tissues and dispose of them in a hygienic manner.

This organizational post will make a fantastic addition to your outdoor classroom. After all, if you have stations for writing activities and tissues, and a closet for backpacks, why not set up a similar area outside?

Check out The Adventurous Child for more information about the post!

Back to School (Part 1 of 4)

2010-08-23T12:42:00.002-04:00

Chalk dust! Art supplies! Curriculum! Recess! Yes, it time to head back to school. Whether classes have already started, or you have a few more weeks to prepare, now is a great time to think about your plans for the school year. Everyone at The Adventurous Child is so excited for a new year!

Over the next couple weeks, I will be talking about some products that will make the back-to-school transition go smoothly. (First up: the Teacher’s Organizational Post!)

However, before we talk product, let’s talk goals. What would you like to do differently this year? Is there a teaching method or activity you would like to try? At the end of the school year, what lessons or answers do you want your students to walk away with?

Sasha Azevedo, an American athlete, once remarked: “We can teach from our experience, but we cannot teach experience.”

Let’s make this the year of experience for our children. Make this the year that you teach and learn through creation, demonstration, and observation. Play outside, conduct experiments, and engage in nature. Experience the world together.

Drivers’ Ed

2010-08-19T10:46:00.002-04:00

Who doesn’t remember learning how to drive? Whether you learned on an automatic or a manual, on urban streets or in the country, learning to drive is a big deal. This sparked a fun conversation among folks at The Adventurous Child as we recalled the various stops and starts of our own drivers’ education.

Speaking of stops and starts, recognizing signs is a big first step to driving. Teach drivers’ safety to your children early on with these signs:

These signs are great for dramatic play and teaching vehicle and pedestrian traffic safety. The signs may also spark a conversation about safety. You could use the signs to create a safety town: Place the signs along the bike path and the children will love coming to a screeching halt to avoid a collision or a traffic ticket. Children will enjoy talking about safety and ways to ensure it on their “roads.” The possibilities are endless!

Cycling Fun!

2010-08-16T10:57:00.001-04:00

Summertime offers an abundance of opportunities: water fun, outdoor play, barbeques, fireworks, and more. What else is ubiquitous in the summertime? Tricycle riding! It is fun, it is inexpensive (once you’ve purchased your cycle), it is “green,” and it makes for some great memories.

Another great thing about cycles is that they do not require much preparation. Grab your kids, trikes, and some sunscreen, and you’re set!

Karen Miller, author of The Outside Play and Learning Book, offers some fantastic ideas for tricycle play:

· Angle parking: paint lines on the sidewalk to look like parking spaces. Encourage children to park their tricycles in the spaces without going over the lines or bumping the tricycle in the next pace
· Staying on the road: draw a road with chalk for the tricycles on your sidewalk area. Put in curves and corners. Challenge children to ride the tricycles without crossing the chalk lines
· Obstacle course: with the children’s help, mark out a course for the tricycles using milk cartons or cones. Use chalk to make a line indicating where riders must go (this line could be straight or zigzag). Children must ride their tricycles and maneuver the course without knocking over the obstacles (Miller, 1989, 66-69)

On Thursday The Adventurous Child will add something fun to the driving mix to teach children about safety on the road. As always, we understand if you’d like a head start… just click here!

Food for Thought

2010-08-12T13:38:00.001-04:00

There are some who argue that the benefits of early childhood education disappear by third grade. Steve Barnett, co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) replied to this claim:

“Absolutely not! A new NIEER study that provides an objective summary of all the research on preschool education’s effects finds substantial positive effects on achievement, special education, grade retention, and social behavior at ages 10 and higher. This is really the last nail in the coffin of the idea that preschool effects disappear at third grade. If you look at all the research – don’t cherry pick for results – it shows that long-term effects are robust even if smaller than initial effects. The idea that preschool effects fade out by third grade originated with one flawed study in the early 1960s, and this belief continues to be propagated by those who cite a few methodologically weak newer studies.”

So, the next time you’re wondering if you are making a difference, rest assured: You ARE.

ASSESSMENT IS… COMPREHENSIVE (Part 3 of 3)

2010-08-09T11:50:00.002-04:00

The Adventurous Child understands that when it comes to learning, you need a lot of choices for kids.

Having an outdoor Nature and Science Learning Center is a fantastic way to encourage different types of learning, and by proxy, will lend itself to different types of assessment. Some of the activities child will be able to accomplish and enjoy include:

· Use the magnifying glass to observe small objects and describe them by journaling
· Draw pictures and scribble to generate and express ideas
· Use new vocabulary picked up from these experiences (“soil,” “insects”)
· Grow plants from seeds in the garden box
· Observe and then sketch the root system of a plant using the root garden

An example of this can be found at The Adventurous Child’s page on nature and science.

ASSESSMENT IS… COMPREHENSIVE (Part 2 of 3)

2010-08-05T09:44:00.003-04:00

Research indicates that people learn in different ways (Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, & Bjork, 2008). Some prefer instructional manuals, others need auditory coaching, and still others require hands-on training. If this is true for children, then it’s only fair that their instructors and care providers assess them in different ways as well. Outdoor classrooms can provide new opportunities for learning and for assessing during planned and free choice playtime.

The Adventurous Child is committed to outdoor learning environments and products that promote developmental milestones for children ages six months to six years through evidence-based principles of play. Whether your kids are learning the letters of the alphabet or how to connect words to sounds on the literacy gazebo, or they are dropping a ball through the tracking panel to learn about speed and observe different shapes, our outdoor play equipment encourage many different types of learning!

ASSESSMENT IS… COMPREHENSIVE (Part 1 of 3)

2010-08-04T14:26:00.001-04:00

“Assessment is a comprehensive process. It can measure many aspects of learning…. Assessing only in one way or in one context does not tell us the whole story. We need to consider the many ways children learn and the many ways they can show what they know” (Hughes & Gullo, 2010, p. 58).

Reading this article has given The Adventurous Child a lot to think about. At your pre-school or day care, how do children learn? Do they learn by lessons, interaction with instructors and classmates, or perhaps another way? What kinds of opportunities do you give them to show you what they know?

Cause and Effect

2010-07-29T08:42:00.003-04:00

If you were to sit down with a group of toddlers and preschoolers, and announce that you will be spending the morning discussing cause and effect relationships, perspective, and self awareness, what sort of responses would you receive? Probably some blank stares and a total lack of interest.

But if you were to take the children outside, and allow them to stand in front of a mirror, what would happen? The children would enjoy studying the reflection of their bodies in the outdoor mirror, as well as the things that surround them. By looking at the mirror, they will be learning:

· Cause and effect (if they move their bodies, the mirror will reflect those movements)
· Perspective (their size will change depending on their distance from the mirror)
· Self awareness (viewing themselves in a new context)

Visit The Adventurous Child here to learn more about the mirror panel and what children will learn by playing with it - or should we say, in front of it!

Food for Thought

2010-07-26T09:38:00.003-04:00

These quotes came from the late Jim Greenman. He was a Head Start teacher and director, author, and parent educator, who valued children’s vital need for play spaces:

“It is a strange time. We live in an age when our children may know far more about bizarre people we care nothing about or a cartoon world than the workings of their own back yard – that marvelous ecosystem teeming with life. They may know more about, or rather have more information on, exotic zoo animals and farm animals than the snails, squirrels, birds, worms, and bugs that live outside their windows.”

“Young children are perpetual tourists without much life experience, truly strangers in a strange land. They are developing their minds and bodies at such a rate that they are literally new people with each sunrise. Their backlog of life experience is so slight that each day, each new place, each old place, brings surprises. Their courage rises and falls like the tides.”

Water Fun

2010-07-22T10:40:00.004-04:00

SPLASH! These hot days make me think about the pool… the ocean… even a jumping puddle would be nice!

Sheila Milnes from Pennsylvania State University is a huge proponent of water play for children. She explains that water play can improve children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. For example, water is a fantastic way for children to learn about scientific principles such as sinking, floating, melting, solids, and liquids. Add manipulatives, and the young scientists can observe and explore the physical properties of water, snow, ice and other sensory items.

A water table will offer multiple opportunities for learning and play.

According to Milnes, there are three stages of water play: functional, constructive, and dramatic. In functional play, a child plays with water and explores it with his senses, realizing what can be done with it. In constructive play, “children move from exploring water to using it for play--for example, pouring water over a toy person and pretending he is taking a shower.” When children begin using water to act out a story, they have moved into dramatic play. As the children move from one stage to the next, their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development will improve. A water table will lend itself to all three stages of play, with fun and learning at every stage!

Check out The Adventurous Child for more information on water tables and neat ways to use them.

The Adventurous Child Digs In

2010-07-13T13:27:00.008-04:00

As we talked about last time, gardening with kids is totally do-able. It’s just a matter of education, preparation, and just a little patience.

There are a lot of options when it comes to gardening. A mini garden allows children to access all sides of the garden to plant seeds, pull weeds and water the plants without actually stepping into the garden. (Great for staying neat.)

They can dig, plant, nurture and harvest a variety of plants. This is the perfect size for planting some flowers by the front door; or planting vegetables that the children can grow and eat for a healthy snack.

Speaking of “yum,” why not consider adding a pizza garden to your facility? Make a delicious pizza to share by growing pizza herbs, onions and tomatoes.

Have you ever wondered about the underground world of roots, worms, and insects? Jump into that world with a root garden! Children can learn about the growth process as they plant seeds, water, weed and harvest the “crops.” Periodically, children can open the Observation Doors and study the underground world of the root garden.

Check out The Adventurous Child to learn more about our gardens!

Gardening Tips for Children

2010-07-13T13:13:00.008-04:00

“The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil” – Rachel Carson

These summer days, full of ripened fruits and vegetables in the farmers’ markets and grocery stores, have us thinking about planting our own garden. This is absolutely something you can do with your children!

Stephanie from The Adventurous Child is our go-to garden expert. Here are some of her tips for exploring nature with children:

Teach them the ground rules for exploring nature and gardening
Take only things that won't harm the environment
Avoid picking wild flowers and breaking branches
Respect
Plan for your garden
Will you plant things you can eat?
Will you plant flowers to beautify?
Consult with Drug and Poison Control about your plant choices
How much sun will the area get?
How close is the water source?
Will the garden area be safe from the mainstream of play traffic?
Limit the duration of the task
Work with small groups
Wear old clothing

Stop back on Monday to find out what gardening products we carry. Of course, if you’re really itching to pull out your shovel and soil, click here for more information.

Gardening: Green, Fun, and Educational!

2010-07-12T08:43:00.003-04:00

Home gardens are making a comeback in the United States. Everyone from the First Lady to moms, dads, and teachers on the home front are planting flowers, vegetables, and herbs. There are a lot of reasons for this. Partly, it’s a great lesson in economics and saving money by growing your own food. Gardening is also full of teachable moments about healthy eating. Finally, it’s just plain fun.

Victory gardens were all the rage during World War II. This was due to the shortage of public food supply, as well as an effort to boost public morale. Today, “victory” gardens (fruits, vegetables, and herbs) are a fantastic way to teach children how to be “green,” economical, and nature-oriented.

By introducing children to the wonderful world of gardening and to the intricacies of nature, you will open their worlds to new ideas and experiences. Is there a greater gift?

On Thursday I will share some tips for gardening with children from our in-house expert, Stephanie. Stay tuned!

Music: Xylophone! (Part 4 of 4)

2010-07-08T13:02:00.002-04:00

Recently, one of my co-workers was reminiscing about her musical toys as a child. She had a small xylophone about 12” long. It was the perfect size for her to play with by herself, but imagine if she’d wanted to share her instrument with others! This xylophone is 32” long – perfect for sharing with a couple friends, if you’d like. As the children strike different bars, they will learn about cause-and-effect as well as how to make patterns of noise.

Check out The Adventurous Child for more information on this xylophone and other neat musical instruments.

Music: Chimes (3 of 4)

2010-07-06T08:37:00.004-04:00

Chimes are truly captivating. They may not be as familiar as drums or violins, but they still feature prominently in music. You may recognize their sound from the popular song “Carol of the Bells” or from the end credits of Sesame Street in the 1980s.

These particular chimes make for tons of fun standing alone, or you could add them to The Adventurous Child’s drum panel and drum set for a mini orchestra. The Chime Panel has a full scale of eight notes that allow children and adults to play a song and sing along. Children can hear contrasting sounds as they hit each note. What a great lesson in sound imitation!

Music: Drums! (Part 2 of 4)

2010-07-01T10:41:00.009-04:00

Watch your children have fun with the drum set and drum panel. The drum set has three drums with varying lengths that produce contrasting bass tones, making hitting them an interesting lesson in sound differentiation. The drum panel has long and short tubes to provide contrasting sounds to each other. The drum head is made of an acrylic material that is unbreakable. Two mallets are provided, but the children can also play the drums using their hands or objects found on the playground.

Drums are fun, but they are also educational: “Children’s personal tempo (ability to feel and express a steady beat) correlates with achievement test scores in grades 1 and 2 (Weikert et al, 1987)” (Parlakian and Lerner, Young Children, March 2010, p. 17).

Beware: it may not be enough to simply watch your children hit the drums. We won’t laugh at you if you make some noise, too. (Our fun-loving group at The Adventurous Child has been known to play the drums for stress relief occasionally.)

Music (Part 1 of 4)

2010-06-28T08:48:00.007-04:00

"Music gives a soul to the universe,
wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination,
and life to everything."

~ Plato ~

Music is all around us: the radio is on during your morning drive to work, music is in the wind and trees outside, it’s in the humming of a child as she swings, and it’s in the steady beat of an infant learning to clap. Music is one of the most ubiquitous phenomena in nature, and it’s also frequently overlooked as a learning device for many subjects.

In the next few weeks we’re going to talk about the importance of music in outdoor education for children six months to six years old, and how The Adventurous Child can supply your outdoor classroom with musical equipment for play and for learning.

Fine Arts

2010-06-24T09:24:00.001-04:00

Here at The Adventurous Child, we get really excited about learning. We get especially excited about the fine arts (think music, creative play, and visual arts) because they’re just so much fun! Who doesn’t have memories of finger painting, musical instruments, and acting out plays when they were little?

Every so often, our blog will examine a different kind of fine art. First up: music!

Assessment is ... Continuous (Part 3 of 3)

2010-06-21T09:36:00.025-04:00

A lot of our products at The Adventurous Child, which we built with state early standards in mind, are useful for assessing children. For example, our balance beam will help them develop balance and coordination through outdoor play. Moreover, the ability to step from narrow beam to narrow beam requires a greater skill level than just walking on a standard preschool balance beam. Watch your children's understanding in gravity and enjoyment of motor and sensory experiences increase as they move up the incline plane balance and step to the level beam!

Our stepping pods are another great way to monitor children's physical development. While crossing the Playground Stepping Pods, a child’s brain, eyes and feet all have to work in accordance with one another to move from lower pods to higher pods and back, and to step from a small object to another small object. Aside from assessing development, this is fun, too!

Assessment is … Continuous (Part 2 of 3)

2010-06-17T13:35:00.005-04:00

At The Adventurous Child, we understand that assessment is not only happening at the end of the semester or year. Teachers are constantly assessing their students’ progress. Assessment can also take many forms: it can be the teacher and his state-mandated report card, or it could be the day care center instructor monitoring her children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical milestones daily.

In a few days, we’ll show you some of our products that will assist you in assessing children’s developmental milestones. Of course, if you’re too excited to wait, here’s a sneak peek.

Assessment is ... Continuous (Part 1 of 3)

2010-06-14T11:29:00.007-04:00

Here’s some food for thought!

Kim Hughes and Dominic Gullo from the magazine Young Children wrote about assessment:

“Assessment is a continuous process. Ideally, assessment describes the progress of a child’s learning not just after a single test but over time. There is no beginning, middle, or end to learning, so it follows that assessment of children’s learning should not be limited to measurement only at the end of an instructional unit” (Hughes & Gullo, 2010, p. 57-8).

We at The Adventurous Child want to know… how do you assess your children?

Welcome Back!

2010-06-10T15:33:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone. It’s been a while since we last chatted. Springtime is busy at The Adventurous Child and at our Outdoor Preschool Store, and we bet it’s busy for you, too. School is winding down – or over for the summer – and teachers are busy filling out end-of-year report cards and assessments for their students.

If you’re a teacher, parent, student (or former student), then you know the importance of assessment. Teachers strive to evaluate their students as fairly as possible, but it can be difficult to know what “fair” assessment is. Kim Hughes and Dominic Gullo wrote a fascinating and effectual article about assessment in the May 2010 issue of Young Children. The authors examined the importance of assessment, describing it as continuous, comprehensive, and integrative.

In the next couple weeks we are going to look at how The Adventurous Child’s products and play structures will not only create fun and educational opportunities for your students, but will offer you innovative ways to assess them as well.

Staying Healthy and Using the Outdoors

2009-10-16T21:41:00.014-04:00

Physical fitness is becoming a part of many preschool curriculums and state early learning standards. Some of the findings show that simply having pathways for children to walk on keeps them moving and increases fitness levels. To help create pathways that keep children moving, the outdoor play area can simply have stepping stones going from one learning center to the next. There are other types of activities that can also be used as connectors such as multi-level balance beams, stepping pods, or a simple chalk line to walk on.
Programming our children into sports or simply providing 30 minutes of physical fitness exercise has not worked in improving our children’s health. The main difference between children today and children in the past is that children in the past moved continuously: walking from one friend’s house to another, playing in the neighborhood, etc. They were not necessarily running and jumping, just moving all day long. So creating outdoor environments that keep them moving is the best thing we can do for their health.

Create a City Outdoors

2009-10-08T20:40:00.006-04:00

A preschool playground is a great place to set up a city. Creating a city outdoors is a wonderful thing that can be done simply with cardboard boxes. Children can decorate the boxes and cut out doors and windows. Then you can put these items along your bike path. Name your streets and label them, which will help with literacy. By using signs such as crosswalk, stop, railroad, and yield signs, children will have an opportunity to meet the early learning standard of recognizing environmental print. Take chalk outside and have children actually chalk crosswalks and parking spaces onto your concrete surfaces. They can even create a wheelchair spot, mimicking real life parking lots. Have fun with your bike path and incorporate it into your playground as if it were a city street. Let me hear your comments about unique things you have done with your bike path.

Fall outdoor Activities.

2009-10-05T09:59:00.003-04:00

This is a great time of year to start a nature science corner on your playground. This is a place in the fall to collect everything that is falling to the ground, such as leaves sticks. Have children use magnifying glass to investigate these fall objects. In the nature center allow them to sort and classify leafs by different characteristics. This is a form of math and meets many states early learning standards.

Can you create a woodworking center outdoors?

2009-10-02T19:27:00.003-04:00

Absolutely! Woodworking is a great part of the preschool curriculum. To help bring the outdoors alive, you can set up a small workbench and a few simple tools for children to use. Several programs I work with begin their woodworking curriculum right after Halloween every year. They take their leftover pumpkins and use them as something soft to hammer nails into for the first time. Large head roofing nails are easy nails to target with a hammer. When children master this they can move on to wood. At The Adventurous Child we also recommended that people use Styrofoam and golf tees as a beginning way to practice targeting and woodworking with children. I recommend having a woodworking center outdoors simply because it is a very noisy, very dusty activity, so the noise and dust can be left outdoors.

Can literacy be taught in the outdoor classroom?

2009-09-27T20:22:00.006-04:00

There are many ways to bring literacy outside. Simply labeling and naming everything allows children to practice whole language. Have children make their own signs and tape them onto objects. One of my favorite things has been watching children journal outdoors and seeing what they view in the world versus what I view in the world. They tend to be more interested in the small spiders, squirrels and other creatures in the environment, where an adult tends to look more at the overall scenery.

Another way to provide literacy outdoors is using bookcases and art cases. A bookcase is simply anything that you create that is watertight and can be left outdoors so that children can access books or art supplies to do journaling or tell stories. The Adventurous Child actually has a bookcase/art case which is watertight and lockable with padlocks. Send me your ideas or comment on this blog with ideas of things that you could label outdoors, etc.

Music and the Outdoors

2009-09-17T18:41:00.007-04:00

The Adventurous Child believes children benefit from music in the outdoor classroom. The main problem we find with doing music outdoors is that the instruments have to be made in such a way that vandals cannot damage or destroy the sounds the instruments make. Many playground musical instruments are not tuned and do not have contrasting sounds. This defeats the purpose of having music outside. Creating a chime panel that has a full scale and where each pipe on the panel is tuned allows children to hear the correct note and for a musically inclined person to actually play a song. For drums or drum panels, having contrasting sounds between each drum allows the children to discriminate between the sounds. Using flat aluminum bars, properly tuned, to create a xylophone is another excellent way to give children real instruments outdoors. Providing music outdoors helps create a classroom environment and adds interesting activities for children to use.

Why do children find the outdoors boring?

2009-09-10T15:49:00.011-04:00

Inside, we tend to have lots of manipulatives for children: things that they can move and build with and adjust and change. When we take our children outdoors, we only provide them with static gross motor equipment or other static play items. Without manipulatives, the children quickly become bored and make manipulatives out of whatever they can find in the environment, such as turning a stick into a gun. Some ideas for manipulatives would be tubes through which the children can drop balls, sticks or any other objects they find and play with. Create a tracking panel or a gravel panel that children can drop objects down. A sand table, loaded with shovels and buckets so children can build and manipulate the sand, provides hours of enjoyment. Anything that can be used outdoors that will allow children to build and move and reshape their environment will create hours of interest and reduce supervision problems.

Can math be done better outdoors than indoors?

2009-09-03T13:42:00.003-04:00

During the preschool years, a lot of math deals with classifying and categorizing objects into groups and sets. What better place than the outdoors to classify natural items such as grass, rocks, sticks, leaves and any other items that can be manipulated. An example would be a box full of rocks. If children are provided with a pile of rocks of different and varying sizes, they could use it to meet the early learning standards by taking rocks and sorting them by size, shape, color, weight, etc. Once they have classified their rocks, they could actually break them into sets of similar items, and add and subtract rocks from the sets. I have been amazed over the years observing children who know nothing about early learning standards, who do not know anything about math, but are simply sitting and playing and they naturally sort and classify rocks or any other object. The Adventurous Child provides a container called a Truck Pit, which holds ⅜” diameter pea gravel and smaller, for children to do exactly this. Please contact me or comment on other things that you know children can manipulate outdoors and how they use it to practice the early learning standards and math.

What can be done better outdoors than indoors? Part 2

2009-08-19T10:15:00.014-04:00

Loud, noisy items are wonderful things to use outdoors. Children do not have to use their quiet indoor voices; they can whoop and holler and express themselves in different ways out on the playground than they can indoors. Musical instruments are a wonderful thing outside. They emit soft and loud noises and allow children to express themselves using different tools that make sounds. Large drum sets on the playground that make deep, bass sounds create both a sensory input from vibration of the instrument as well as the sound. Drums can also be make from pots and pans that may be in your cooking area. Chime panels and xylophones provide another opportunity for children to actually play and hear the notes in a full scale. There are many Early Learning Standards that are met by allowing children to use musical instruments and play and make loud sounds and noises. A good reference for which Early Learning Standards are met by using musical instruments is on The Adventurous Child’s web site. What ways have you seen children make sounds outdoors?

What can be done better outdoors than indoors?

2009-08-12T11:32:00.013-04:00

For today’s blog, I am going to focus on messy things and why it is so much better to do them outdoors. I think of a preschool art easel and how much work teachers go to indoors, taping newspaper on the walls and the floors to make sure if children splatter paint or spill things, they can easily clean up the space. Outdoors, if we are using a biodegradable paint, there is no need for this. We can simply let the paint hit the grass and biodegrade. Also, when it comes to clean up with an outdoor art easel, you just take your water hose and squirt it down. Sensory tables frequently have messy items put in them that require clean up after use. Many times the items we put in a sensory table are biodegradable, such as bird seed, cornmeal, oats, etc. Take messy sensory table activities outdoors, so when children spill things the local birds and creatures will clean up after them. This brings wildlife to your playground, which is another important asset to an outdoor classroom. If you have ideas or questions on things that can be done better outdoors, please comment or contact me.

“Can children learn more about the weather by discussing it outdoors each day?”

2009-08-06T12:59:00.007-04:00

Weather is an abstract concept when discussed from the confines of an indoor classroom. Outdoors weather can be a concrete learning experience that provides interaction with all of a child’s senses. A child can hear the wind, feel the wind, and see trees swaying in the wind. Air actually has a smell just before it rains, while rain affects all senses.

Items needed to create a great outdoor preschool weather station might include: thermometer, rain gauge, barometer, weather vane, and a place to record the weather at different times of the day. Each day at the end of outdoor play time, use the weather learning center as a transition point before going inside. Discuss the temperature, is it cloudy or sunny, will it rain based on the barometer, etc. The Adventurous Child web site has a great list of Early Learning Standards that pertain to the weather.

Please send me your ideas or questions on creating an outdoor classroom for preschool children.

“What do we want children to gain on the preschool playground? Are these the same things they gain outdoors?”

2009-07-30T14:37:00.006-04:00

Yes, in many ways the goals of what we want children to learn in the outdoor classroom are the same as the inside classroom. The Adventurous Child would like to see children develop socially, emotionally, cognitively, physically, etc. in outdoor settings where there is nature and movement all around.

One important area of the preschool curriculum is providing social experiences which create cooperation and parallel play. Having quiet gathering areas like a willow hut, a playhouse, or a store front puts children in situations where they interact with each other. These learning centers really come alive with the buzzing of busy children when manipulatives are provided. The playhouse can have dress up clothes for social and dramatic play. Fake money to buy and sell things also provides manipulatives. A willow hut can have pots and pans for cooking a group’s favorite mud stew with meat sticks. Bits of grass can be used for anything.

When choosing manipulatives to create social interaction, pick items that help you meet your state’s Early Learning Standards. If you want to know more about something specific please feel free to comment or to contact me.

“What do we want children to gain from the outdoor learning environment?”

2009-07-21T08:05:00.007-04:00

The easy way to create an outdoor classroom is to mimic how we look at indoor classrooms outside. At the beginning of each school year when buying equipment for our classrooms and setting up the space, we do not ask what children will like, but rather we ask, what do our children need to gain from their time with us? For the playground we should do the same things: not ask if children like slides, decks, and tunnels, but ask “What do we want them to gain from these outdoor experiences?” The Adventurous Child recommends that just like the indoor classroom, there should be many different learning centers that meet your state’s Early Learning Standards. As with the indoor classroom, manipulatives and free choice should abound. Each week, this blog will discuss concrete ideas and ways to determine what children can gain outdoors and specific ideas of what you can do outdoors. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to comment or to contact me!

About this blog

2009-07-17T14:51:00.002-04:00

This blog is dedicated to discussing how outdoor learning environments can be as rich in education, free choice, and purposeful play as indoor classrooms.