Adventurous Play: Early Years Outdoors Learning

1. playnotes January 2011
Early Years Outdoors
children opportunities to be excited, feel
anxious, to make new discoveries about
themselves, develop physically and to
anticipate what might happen as a
result of their actions, building on their
knowledge. Adventures help children gain
confidence, giving a sense of achievement
and motivation to try again.
For boys, the power of adventure may
be especially relevant. Some research
suggests that they develop concepts of
movement and space first, so it makes
sense for learning to take place in an
environment such as the outdoors that
allow these concepts to become concrete
(see ‘Further resources’).
enabling adventurous play
Adventure for children transports them into
another world. Enabling adventure is not
necessarily about each day planning for
special activities but instead supporting
their interests. Observing children outdoors
will help give you the best idea of what
stimulates them. Supporting their interests
may then involve reassessing the design,
use and resourcing of your space.
Reassessing your space
Look at ways of redesigning your space or
developing existing features to offer new
possibilities for adventurous play.
• Whether climbing up, jumping over
or crawling through, children want to
experiment and try physical activities
beyond their capabilities. Outdoor spaces
in early years settings, however, are often
Adventurous play
topographically dull – flat, mainly mown
grass and tarmac. Incorporating mounds,
banks and changing gradients may
involve taking professional advice, but
once you have clear designs the physical
If someone said to you the word ‘adventure’ • how to tackle risk and adventurous play work could easily be carried out by
what image or memories would it conjure • the role of the adult. volunteer staff and parents. Height,
up? Climbing trees? Standing on top of
a hill, thinking about running down it?
Making a camp fire? Exploring woods
What do we mean by
or playing unsupervised? ‘adventure’?
Children need challenging play Adventurous play doesn’t have to be
but, according to early childhood expert adrenaline-packed or large scale. After all,
Jennie Lindon (see ‘Further resources’), a four year old, hiding in the undergrowth,
the risk-averse culture that many of our is on an adventure. You are having an
children live in today is damaging their adventure when you are challenging
ability to grow physically, intellectually and yourself, pushing your own boundaries,
emotionally. Well-designed and well-used being slightly the other side of your comfort
outdoor spaces can, however, offer children zone. More commonly termed as the ‘stretch
the space and freedom to experience zone’ this sits between comfort and panic,
adventurous play with appropriate risk. where challenge is at the forefront.
This Playnotes looks at: Channelled sympathetically, adventures
• what we mean by adventure can set children off on a journey that
• enabling adventurous play enriches their learning. They can offer
Learning through Landscapes

2. playnotes • january 2011
for example, can transform play, giving
children a different perspective on the
world, while banks, slopes and hills can
help develop children’s large motor
skills. Opportunities should be given to
children who have physical disabilities
to access heights through using
bridges, aerial walkways and tree
houses.
• Many settings already have walls of
varying height. These can be used
for balancing along and jumping off
providing great opportunities for
challenge and developing a sense of
achievement. They can also be adapted
into traversing walls encouraging
children to learn about their own body
strength, and to estimate how far they
need to stretch their body to move
along it.
• Nooks and crannies are vital for young
children, offering a place to initiate
adventurous pretend play – being lost,
Supporting adventurous activities challenge’ and that through play children
Providing opportunities for adventure ‘can take risks and make mistakes’.
and then being found, being in danger,
doesn’t mean having to change your An outdoor environment that is safe
then being rescued – that is secure yet
whole space. enough is not one devoid of risks and
secret. Fences can be used to attach
challenges, so it is important to have written
material or tarpaulin to and create • Simply allowing for free – rather than policies, such as a health and safety policy
spaces and dens for children to hide in. prescriptive – play can make being
Wild spaces – from a huddle of bushes outdoors unpredictable, exciting and and an outdoor play policy, to support
to an area of unmown grass – are also challenging. Free play can unsettle staff in encouraging this type of play.
valuable areas for attracting children practitioners as it lacks structure and
in search of adventurous play. adult involvement, but you can still set
boundaries. Introduce resources such
as water, logs, crates, tyres and large
pebbles – all useful, non-prescriptive,
adventurous activities open-ended items that encourage
• Moving through tall grasses exciting free-play.
• Hiding in bushes, hedges, play houses • Small world play allows children to act
• Climbing on logs/boulders/ladders out their miniature adventures. If you
• Dressing up only have tarmac outdoors, fill shallow
• Experiencing cooking outdoors trays with grass and water to offer more
• Making dens varied small world environments.
• Using small world resources in sand,
grass, mud • Some activities that excite young
• Using open-ended resources children have to be adult-led – such
• Stories that inspire the imagination as cooking over a fire. Try chocolate
• Swinging on tyres on a rope attached buttons in bananas wrapped in foil on
to a tree a barbecue. This experience will provide
• Playing in rock pools, puddles opportunities for discussion, feeding
Assessing risk
• Going on outings into children’s imagination around
Well-designed and well-used outdoor spaces
adventurous play.
can readily offer children the space and
freedom to experience physical challenges
how to tackle risk and with appropriate risk. The key is to approach
adventure risk assessment with a positive attitude – with
young children recognised as competent
Children want to experiment and try
learners, so they can learn how to stay safe
activities beyond their capabilities – it’s in
without being limited. One of the best ways
their nature, and it’s essential that they do
so. Only then can they build knowledge to feel confident about providing risky play
and skills through experience. In defining at your setting is to carry out a ‘risk-benefit
play the EYFS (2007) says that ‘providing analysis’ (see ‘Further resources’) in which
well-planned experiences based on the emphasis is placed on enabling children
children’s spontaneous play, both indoors to take risks safely. In addition:
and outdoors, is an important way in • have conversations with your colleagues
which practitioners support young about how the space is being used, to
children to learn with enjoyment and check you haven’t overlooked anything.
adVenturous pLay

3. case study playnotes • january 2011
Sticky Fingers Day Nursery is a
privately-owned nursery in London sharing
its space with the local scouts group. Keen
to offer more adventurous activities –
especially secret, sensory experiences –
the setting, which has developed a positive
relationship with the scouts over the years
– was able to agree an area that they
could develop to offer these experiences.
The new area is the result of hard work
by the staff and parents. It includes
boulders and logs for stepping along and
climbing over, a bridge-style walk way,
and planting with textured and aromatic
shrubs providing secret, sensory areas.
The staff have noticed how the
children use their imagination a lot
more, and develop ways of assessing risk
for themselves – working out different
ways to get across the bridge, sliding,
jumping and climbing round it, for
example. They can experience different
heights and perspectives – the eucalyptus
tree, for example, has a branch that helps
the children stand on the boulder – and
there are nooks and crannies where they
can appear hidden, reflect and work
out their next move.
Although the committee were wary
of the changes to the outdoor space, they
have seen the benefits an adventurous
space like this can bring to the children.
• check accident records often to see if existing safety measures are adequate positive lesson for the children.
there are regularly incidents in specific or if additional precautions need to be
areas or with specific equipment. put in place.
• keep calm about the incident, discuss
with the children what happened and
encourage them to ask questions.
• consider the range of abilities of Dealing with accidents
children who will be using the different
outdoor areas, making decisions based
It is inevitable that accidents will happen –
children need to experience, for example,
• point out the dangers and ask the
children for solutions to stay safe.
on what is developmentally appropriate falling over if they are to learn to balance
rather than on the children’s ages. Use or navigate uneven surfaces. How you deal • reinforce boundaries.
your judgement to decide whether the with accidents can, however, provide a
• treat incidents as mistakes that children
can learn from by using a ‘no blame’
approach.
• comfort a child if they are upset and
listen to them if they want to talk.
• reflect on the accident in future
planning if appropriate.
the role of the practitioner
Observing children at play allows the
practitioner to build up knowledge of
the children in their care. If an activity is
beyond an individual child’s mobility skills
or level of understanding, then there is
potential for a risk or challenge to become
a genuine hazard or danger. However,
giving children opportunities to try,
maybe to fail, and to try again until they
learn a new skill or technique (and then
celebrating their success with them)
will not only boost a child’s physical
capabilities but their confidence too.
As a practitioner, you will also know
adVenturous pLay

4. playnotes • january 2011
case study
When Children’s Place, an early years
setting in Halifax, decided to develop
their grounds in order to encourage
adventurous play, they had to work
closely with parents and other early years
specialists to ensure they developed a safe
garden space, offering children the
opportunity for risk and challenge.
To help put their ideas in place the
nursery received Quality and Access
funding from their local authority. As
members of LTL they were then able to
research ideas for outdoor play before
setting up a consultation process which
included a parents’ forum. Staff also
visited other settings, encouraged the
children to draw pictures showing what
they like to do outdoors, and everyone
experienced a forest school day, which
involved lighting fires and climbing trees.
Following the consultation process it
was decided that installing a number of rocks and boulders in two areas would challenge while making the whole outdoor
offer the type of physical challenge and space more manageable for staff.
adventure the children needed. The staff The development of their outdoor space
managed the new space by gradually has highlighted to staff the importance of
introducing the children to it, devising a taking children’s ages and abilities into
one-way system to avoid them colliding consideration when planning how to
with each other, and developing outdoor manage change. The setting recently
rules such as ‘we must take turns’. held a parents’ forum during which the
Despite the setting’s best efforts, one of development of an outdoor play policy
the children at the nursery did injure herself was discussed using outdoor play policy
following a fall. This forced the setting to guidance from Learning through
reflect on how and why the incident Landscapes. A draft policy is now in
occurred and how best to progress. The process, working in partnership with
issue was discussed with parents, advice parents, children, staff and the setting’s
was sought from LTL, and with everyone local authority early years consultants.
in agreement the rocks in one area of the This helps to inform new parents that
outdoor site were replaced with low wooden outdoor risk and challenge is an
posts offering a different type of physical important part of its ethos.
which children can acquire new skills easily Further resources
and those who will need support. Set
boundaries and be specific about safety • Playnotes Up, over and under (July
rules around using new resources: 2009), Boys and the outdoors (November
2008), Nooks and crannies (September
• break activities down into manageable 2010), Curriculum support Risk
steps by telling them what you are
doing. Assessments. All available to members
to download for free from our website
• let children watch as you explain the www.ltl.org.uk.
safety aspects.
• Too Safe for Their Own Good by Jennie
• encourage them to ask questions about Lindon (National Children’s Bureau,
the equipment. Show pictures or written 2003)
instructions for the activity. © This resource was originally
created as part of the Early Years
• let them try the activity with your Outdoors membership scheme from
support.
the national school grounds charity
• gradually allow the child some Learning through Landscapes
operating in Scotland as
independence to have a go.
Grounds for Learning
• at times some activities/actions are only (registered charity no. in England and Wales
appropriate for adults. You need to 803270 and in Scotland SCO38890).
explain why this is to the children. To find out more about
membership call 01962 845811
• allow children to try and try again. or visit www.ltl.org.uk
adVenturous pLay