Playground Crashers Presented by: Jenna Kenny, Lead Teacher UW-Whitewater Children’s Center Eric Seidl, Greener Roofs and Gardens Consultant Erica Schepp, Director UW-Whitewater Children’s Center

Where was your favorite place to play as a child? Allow a minute or two to share with neighbor.

We would like to challenge you to reconsider how you can use your current outdoor space, inspire a few new ideas for you, and give you some tools for planning new outdoor spaces.

Children’s Center Playground Before

Children’s Center Playground After Here you can see some of the areas of the Outdoor Learning environment. We will have set time aside for you to go out and explore this area at the end of our presentation.

What steps can help you begin planning a new space? Design Consider Context Survey Staff Preparing children, families Professional Development for staff *Eric can talk through the steps they have taken with GRG *Share Play Space Assessment

What areas of development is this child exploring ??? What is the child learning from this experience

What areas of development is this child exploring? What is the child learning? What senses is this child using?

Health and Physical Fine Motor Digging Gross Motor Finding and collecting “treasures” Chalking Gardening Gross Motor Open Space Moving loose parts around Climbing Running Jumping Do you ever notice on day that you spend a lot of time outside that the children are a little different Less behavioral issues, Go down for rest easier and eat better So so many skills that are being worked on outside to continue to develop fine and gross motor skills. I am going to highlight a couple of the ones I feel are important One the playground or outdoor classroom you want open space. Space the children can decided how they want to use it. Run, play an organize game, dance , jump. Having open space gives children the option to move their body all different ways and the ways they need. Moving Loose part around the playground allow the children to participate in whole body movement to get the item they want to move to a new location. Depend on what they are moving it might be more gross motor if it is a heavy object or fine motor if it is a light object. Have large and heavy sticks on the playground allow children that need to participate in heavy work that opportunity Climb- Children need the opportunity to climb on the play. We let the children make their own climbing area. Trees and sticks make great climbing pieces. The children often wear helmets when climbing and they have to get themselves up. We never put children on climbing things they have to get up on their own

Social and Emotional Development Cooperation teamwork turn-taking Risk-taking Picture of Jowan climbing tree Taking risks allows children to build their self-esteem and confidence by assessing their own skill or ability to match the demand of the environment - how high can I climb? Can i jump that far? Will this branch hold my weight? Can I balance on this? Jowan and Cora

Cognitive and General Knowledge “Proximity to,views of, and daily exposure to natural settings increases children’s ability to focus and enhances cognitive abilities” (Wells, 2000). Extend topics of study from classroom to outdoors Hands-on experiences using multiple senses Opportunities to compare, contrast, organize, plan, create, construct These children were inspired by a large sunflower growing on the playground. One child used the ipod to take a picture of it. Outside, they measured the plant with string, picked seeds from the flower, compared how tall it was to them, admired the beauty of the colors. Inside they acted out how a seed grows, sequenced the growth cycle, drew pictures of sunflowers, used cubes to build a tower as high as the sunflower, etc. Olivia’s “Tall sunflower”

Cognitive - Tinkering, experimenting, exploring with materials

Cognitive - Building, problem-solving, patterning

Literacy Bring Books Outside! Have story time outside Have a book box by the door to the outside environment that comes outside with you Have a little library outside. Have story time outside Find a large space and act out the story Bringing books outside can be done with all ages. Having books outside helps promote appreciation for books, how print works and early reading skills. I often ask my teacher why can't the children bring a book outside? Great lessons on what happens to a book if it gets left outside

Language and Communication Language can be promoted by... Open-ended play Child-directed Pretend play Large and small group interaction Asking open-ended questions Anecdotal and Observation notes Written Videos Open end play allows time for to express themselve Child directed play on the playground allows the children time to imagine and play what they are interested in Allowing children to engage in pretend play also promotes language development Being outside in a natural play space allows time for group interaction and small group interaction Can have morning meeting or circle time outside Could do small groups outside Children can also choose to pick to interact in a small group or a large group outside Make sure to get outside and document the different language that is happening This can happen at all ages

Questions?? Let’s go explore outside!!!

References and Resources CHILDREN’S BOOKS AND RESOURCES REVIEW http://www.naturalstart.org/sites/default/files/journal/journal_pages_98-101.pdf Explore the Great Outdoors with Your Child http://families.naeyc.org/learning-and-development/music-math-more/explore-great-outdoors-your-child Natural Start Alliance http://naturalstart.org/ Natural Playgrounds for Infants and Toddlers http://www.naturalplaygrounds.info/PDF/Natural%20Playgrounds%20for%20Infants%20and%20Toddlers.pdf Playing with Nature: Supporting Preschoolers’ Creativity in Natural Outdoor Classrooms http://www.naturalstart.org/sites/default/files/journal/10._final_kiewra_veselack.pdf Schlitz Audubon Nature Center http://www.schlitzaudubon.org/ The Role of Risk in Play and Learning http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/2013/the-role-of-risk-in-play-and- learning