Our main aim was to make the area appealing and approachable to all children in the school. We feel as if we have met this goal by including small decorations but also the educational resources. The will be peaceful but also an enjoyable learning environment for all pupils to learn.
To make the area as educational and visually stimulating as possible, we ordered some additional items to use in our area. These included:
Bunting Thermometer Magnifying glasses Bird feeder
Weathercock Balancing scales Clock Tape measure
Chimes Bug ornaments Spinners Garden stake ornaments
We knew that we had a busy day finishing off the fencing, building the table, but we knew we would find time to finish off the others jobs as well.
This was the final stretch, we knew that once this was all completed then the area was almost ready to be used and loved by all pupils.
We debated on where to put the thermometer on the pergola but eventually came to a decision as a group. We had to think about where the children would be stood/sat when using it. We wanted them to be in a position that is easily accessible for all children therefore, we placed the thermometer at head height for children facing into the pergola. We have included a thermometer in the garden so it can be used in science/maths lessons and promote real-life experiences for all children.
We have included balancing scales in the area, which is made out of wood on a pivot. This will help children understand the weights of different objects and begin to make connections with the weight of any object and where it is placed on the balancing scale. To support this we have bought buckets so the children can place items in.
The bug ornaments were pinned on the front of the pergola, so that they would be seen instantly when people come into the outdoor area. They provide the area with colour as well as making it appealing to the children.
Harvey had said he would like to put bunting round the pergola since we started the project. Today was his lucky day - the bunting was going up. We didn’t have a ladder, therefore we relied on Harvey (only because he is tall) to hang the bunting up whilst Jack and Roberto offer their support closer to the ground.
We have created an outdoor area, which is full of natural life including crops and insects. Whilst thinking about cross curricular links, we thought it would be a great idea to leave the school with magnifying glasses for the children to use in the outdoor area. We feel that this enables the children to take a closer and more detailed looked at the life in the garden.
The outdoor area is designed to be used for lessons therefore we have screwed a clock to the pergola. The clock is able to rotate which enables the teacher to twist the clock face to the direction of the children. The clock will help children learn to read the time but also assist with time keeping during lessons. It also has roman numerals instead of numbers which enables the children to learn the symbols accurately.
The final educational item in the area is a Weathercock. The idea behind this is to help children develop an understanding of what North, South, East and West are. It visually identifies the different directions which will assist the teaching of maths/geography.
We were so kindly donated spinners and a chime, which we hung these from the pergola to make the area visually stimulating. We have two spinners in the area, one of which is gold and the other blue. The spinners bring colour to the area but reflecting the sunlight. The chime creates a nice ambience and calming environment in the outdoor area.
We have bought bird feeders to attract birds to the garden. These wonderful bird feeders are extremely easy to use and child friendly. They use a 2L bottle which clips onto a stand for the birds to use, we believe that this also promotes recycling. We have attached one to the pergola (as requested by the children) and one to the shed. We hope that birds will be attract to the outdoor area.
Along the sleepers, we attached a 10 foot measuring tape. As the garden is designed to be educational, we wanted to include small features which the children will be able to learn from. With this in mind, we got an old tape measure and took the metal tape out and nailed it to the raise flowerbeds. This will enable children to develop their understanding of metric and imperial measurements. They will be able to use the tape to measure an array of objects in the natural environment.