tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.comments2024-01-16T10:22:14.043+00:00I'm a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here!Juliet Robertsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comBlogger1377125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-14042087363579180672013-07-04T20:52:04.457+01:002013-07-04T20:52:04.457+01:00Hi - Great questions!
The logs are different size...Hi - Great questions!<br /><br />The logs are different sizes and weights. The ones in the stump circle are too heavy for children to move. This was deliberate and when children tried, we discouraged them. Also they were cut very flat so there's little wobble<br /><br />With the others, they are as light as many other objects a child may move as they are that bit smaller so squished fingers would not happen due to the logs per se.<br /><br />Re jumping and falling - this is a risk but generally children take calculated risks. None of the stumps are high e.g. more than 60cm as far as I remember that have been sunk into the ground and it's grass and sand underneath, so really it's an OK surface. With the stump circle, this is in an enclosed space so the play is supervised. If the wood is slippery because of rain then an adult will be nearby to provide support should it be required. <br /><br />If you are really concerned, I'm sure a playground equipment company could advise and provide suitable logs, etc. It may be worth doing this, to reassure your superintendents, etc. <br /><br />There's been no vandalism/fire with the logs in any of the schools. One is locked up out of hours. The other is open access but out of hours visitors seem to leave the wooden disks alone. It's perfectly possible to move them and lock them up somewhere if needed. A lot of this is about developing positive relations with the local community.<br /><br />Quite a few schools now have them in Scotland which have been involved in the Grounds for Learning Natural Playground projects - have a look at their YouTube clip.Juliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-80462071704585932392013-07-04T20:35:39.565+01:002013-07-04T20:35:39.565+01:00I love this idea and the wonderful play that goes ...I love this idea and the wonderful play that goes with incorporating natural structures. However, a few questions. Can the children move the logs and thus squish a finger? Have there been any moderate to serious accidents re falling while jumping? Have there been any incidence of vandalism with regards to the logs (I.e., at night while the school is empty - setting fire)? I've got the feeling our school district and Superintendents will quash any move in this direction, however, I may just go for it!<br />Kinderplay in CanadaJanet Mackeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16652613708571233388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-13633943367311866272013-07-04T20:19:24.031+01:002013-07-04T20:19:24.031+01:00Of course it's OK - thanks for coming over her...Of course it's OK - thanks for coming over here and letting me know!Juliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-27684461715472332752013-07-04T20:18:34.719+01:002013-07-04T20:18:34.719+01:00Oh great - it was one of those unexpected discover...Oh great - it was one of those unexpected discoveries! And so much fun! Thanks for letting me know!<br />Juliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-40400757007836450082013-07-04T20:08:20.684+01:002013-07-04T20:08:20.684+01:00We got our first compost bin this week after seein...We got our first compost bin this week after seeing Kierna's link to your post. The children have had great fun exploring, as I write my 11 year old son is rolling himself around the garden in it!Cathy Denmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05652130945551658704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-29261003911499756132013-07-04T11:54:24.098+01:002013-07-04T11:54:24.098+01:00Aaah, Scottish beaches are so beautiful! What a lo...Aaah, Scottish beaches are so beautiful! What a lot of brilliant ideas, I especially like the bottle a beach suggestion. I've added a link to your post from mine about beaches, hope that's ok.<br />http://daisybroomfield.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/beach.htmlAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13399451374546735146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-58162558563580022302013-06-29T15:14:13.849+01:002013-06-29T15:14:13.849+01:00Aha! I have that facility too. Skitch is definitel...Aha! I have that facility too. Skitch is definitely less fiddly but offers less choice in terms of font, colours, etc. So in many ways it's a little quicker to use and certainly simpler for children.Juliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-27268825888656498552013-06-29T15:11:00.560+01:002013-06-29T15:11:00.560+01:00Thanks for your comments - Perhaps I should have s...Thanks for your comments - Perhaps I should have said there is a time lapse with the Engage for Education blog. The comments don't appear until the administrator(s) have approved them and this depends upon when they work. Juliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-2627770841742122162013-06-29T13:43:16.629+01:002013-06-29T13:43:16.629+01:00Posted a comment over at Engage for Education but ...Posted a comment over at Engage for Education but it seems to have disappeared. Totally agree, attitudes need to change, not just adult attitudes but teenagers too. As a teenager I remember thinking I was doing something wrong just by being at the stage in life I was. Because of this I'd let adults push me around in public spaces. They'd ask me and my friends why we were there and tell us to move along and because we were polite and respected adults we would move. This isn't right, we need to empower teenagers and help them understand that it's their park/riverside/other public space too, provided they aren't breaking the law no one has a right to move them along.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-81186083032330265042013-06-29T12:29:09.772+01:002013-06-29T12:29:09.772+01:00Hi Juliet,
This may sound funny, but I do not kno...Hi Juliet,<br /><br />This may sound funny, but I do not know what I use. I can tell you what I do. I transfer the pictures I want to use in my post onto my desktop. I have a Mac. When I click on the picture, I get a toolbar at the top of the picture. I click on the pencil icon and that allows me to annotate the picture. It is fairly rudimentary so the app you used seems to have more options and flexibility. <br /><br />All the best<br />TomTom Bedardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04427750320077815023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-35876784811143005912013-06-29T09:09:23.450+01:002013-06-29T09:09:23.450+01:00Hi Tom
I think this is really funny as you are so...Hi Tom<br /><br />I think this is really funny as you are so good at annotating the photos on your blog! You will have to let me know what you use.<br /><br />Best wishes<br />JulietJuliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-29451203980934897212013-06-28T19:43:32.011+01:002013-06-28T19:43:32.011+01:00I do not have an iPad so I do not use the skitch a...I do not have an iPad so I do not use the skitch app. That just might have to be on my wish list for next school year. Lots of possibilities I can see for making documentation come alive. You might guess, though, that I am enamored with your examples.Tom Bedardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04427750320077815023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-27296817852720732802013-06-26T10:11:34.279+01:002013-06-26T10:11:34.279+01:00I think there is need of a major attitude shift re...I think there is need of a major attitude shift re teenagers generally so that they are not censored for meeting up and being visible in public. I do think there could be more designated places such as skateboard parks but that the real issue is to stop thinking the worst of the teenagers whenever they dare go outside. I have 4 children - the oldest 2 used to roam the village freely with friends and were known and accepted, one of the younger ones was brought home by the police for doing much the same thing - the only difference being new villagers not recognising or being prepared to tolerate teenagers near their patch. I'm not sure that designating areas for play/leisure is necessary, just acceptance and tolerance of their presence in any outdoor space would be a start.queen of logichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09655655377750191463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-57297817927290568272013-06-26T09:15:45.672+01:002013-06-26T09:15:45.672+01:00YES! The teenagers in our village skateboard down ...YES! The teenagers in our village skateboard down the school path and across a road because it's the only good slope. We've asked and asked about getting a bit of a ramp built at the rec (which is huge) but the committee who manage it say it would spoil the appearance of the place and might encourage young people to congregate! Eh? What is a recreation ground if not a place for young people to congregate. There seems to be a massive gap in provision between swings for the littlies and a place for the adult dog walkers. If we want teenagers to step away from their screens there has to be somewhere worth going.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13399451374546735146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-92109368850834258262013-06-24T22:11:19.355+01:002013-06-24T22:11:19.355+01:00Hello Jenny
Thanks for your insightful comments. ...Hello Jenny<br /><br />Thanks for your insightful comments. Equalities impact assessments were raised today by a member of the strategy group so this is a timely remark. <br /><br />Best wishes<br />JulietJuliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-79590159560209003182013-06-24T20:44:10.500+01:002013-06-24T20:44:10.500+01:00I'm a PhD student researching the rights of ch...I'm a PhD student researching the rights of children in the Scottish Planning System. I'd like to see a slight rephrasing in the language to make it a play and leisure strategy for children. Although I realise the term play does refer also to older children, I feel it has connotations too closely linked with just the very young.<br /><br />I really welcome the strategy, and I'm glad to see that it holds the role of SPP and planning in general as important to integrating the strategy. Ultimately, I'd like the rights of children to more directly inform planning policies and for equalities impact assessments to be more aware of the varying needs of varying ages of children. The protected characteristic of age is too often understood as just the elderly.<br /><br />From my current position, I can see so many fences around greenspaces out the window. We need to de-structure some of the unstructured environments available to children to play, and be aware of just how urban design features can be interpreted by a child.Jenny1991https://www.blogger.com/profile/01881860219440680939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-87969286754800568512013-06-24T07:15:40.922+01:002013-06-24T07:15:40.922+01:00Thanks for all the comments! All make complete sen...Thanks for all the comments! All make complete sense.<br /><br />Queen of Logic - your comments are very appropriate and it can be easy to inadvertently create layers of bureaucracy so that needs to be remembered. <br /><br />Ekin - you make an interesting point in that care needs to be taken by adults who model play. It can help but a lot can also be learned through play that arises spontaneously rather with adult input.<br /><br />Tom - you have explained your perception of play rather nicely. Thank you.Juliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-74728735596663911952013-06-24T03:34:53.889+01:002013-06-24T03:34:53.889+01:00Juliet, to make a policy there has to be some cons...Juliet, to make a policy there has to be some consensus about what play is exactly. Most think of it as an activity children engage in. I think about it more as a disposition, a unique way of perceiving, feeling, and acting on the world. It is how their curiosity is manifested. Play is the means children use to explore the physical, social emotional, and cognitive world. With that understanding, we see children playing all the time. Even to the extent that they will animate cracks in the sidewalk as they walk down the street. If adults can come to an understanding of what play is, the rest may follow. I feel like I am rambling and not really answering the question so please take it for what it is worth.Tom Bedardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04427750320077815023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-53156409788309757972013-06-23T19:25:04.162+01:002013-06-23T19:25:04.162+01:00I'm an advocate for free outdoor play, althoug...I'm an advocate for free outdoor play, although, I am in a fortunate position to have the space and natural playground for our children and guests to enjoy. Children need to have the opportunity to explore and learn by finding their own physical boundaries. The play strategy sounds fantastic and I hope it's a success. Thanks for sharing with Country Kids.Coombe Mill - Fionahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10876037849361745669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-53675203378299580872013-06-23T17:11:48.263+01:002013-06-23T17:11:48.263+01:00Hello from The Basque Coubtry. I'm agree when ...Hello from The Basque Coubtry. I'm agree when you say may children don't have places, squares...to play. I think too that we profesionals of fisycal education have to teach first children to play, and after they'll be able theirselves. What do you think about that? Thankyou.<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06623839632385925905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-53381605835681842942013-06-23T10:51:14.021+01:002013-06-23T10:51:14.021+01:00I think the play strategy sounds great. My plea wo...I think the play strategy sounds great. My plea would be that we don't build up yet another empire to direct proceedings or to interfere through regulation, especially in childcare settings. There is ample opportunity for current regulatory bodies to focus on play provision (and how well practitioners understand, support and promote this) in Care Inspectorate and HMI inspections. Local authorities could be asked to collect and collate examples of good practice rather than assuming the role of advisors -there is a lot of great things going on already that could be celebrated and shared to inspire others rather than being used as a stick or carrot! queen of logichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09655655377750191463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-49502660924035195422013-06-22T21:53:08.065+01:002013-06-22T21:53:08.065+01:00I think it's a great start and something to ke...I think it's a great start and something to keep us all on track, the ultimate aim to make Scotland the best place to grow up, it's a no brainer that a play strategy is part of that. There is nothing I love more than to sit down with my son and play. Or to go an adventure. Dads Rock has really just started and we've a lot to learn, but we all get so much out of it when we play games, the sense of discovery is amazing. Well done to the Scot Gov, keep on Rocking! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10285976982628105351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-58277375862832275262013-06-22T16:18:03.226+01:002013-06-22T16:18:03.226+01:00If anyone is local to Merseyside and would like a ...If anyone is local to Merseyside and would like a look around our outdoor learning area, please contact me via Juliet. I think sharing good practise is the way forward.Joanne Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03716847746268469322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-82445781002576007372013-06-22T16:15:40.553+01:002013-06-22T16:15:40.553+01:00Well said Juliet; it sounds like Scotland are way ...Well said Juliet; it sounds like Scotland are way ahead of other countries. Joanne Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03716847746268469322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8127145030356341005.post-80315908890773714012013-06-22T16:10:38.076+01:002013-06-22T16:10:38.076+01:00So far, the Scottish Government has invested more ...So far, the Scottish Government has invested more than £1.2 million through the Grounds for Learning natural playground project. However I agree that this is a drop in the ocean and more needs to be done. Juliet Robertsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07035975039896986525noreply@blogger.com