Enhancing Outdoor Learning Environments in Early Years

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Enhancing Outdoor Learning Environments in Early Years

Children derive significant benefits from spending time outdoors, and ideally, they should have access to an outdoor space every day.

The Benefits:

Supports Active Learning: Offers rich opportunities for learning and encourages children to engage all of their senses.
Facilitates Physical Activity: Enables children to move freely without restrictions, thereby promoting physical well-being.
Promotes Connection with Nature: Provides access to fresh air and allows children to experience weather, seasonal changes, and the natural world firsthand.
Encourages Creative Exploration: The outdoor environment offers unique opportunities for activities on a larger scale than indoor settings.
Enhances Well-Being: Contributes to a nurturing emotional environment, supporting overall development and well-being.

Best Practice in EYFS

The outdoor environment is one of the three key components of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). It is recommended that settings ensure children have daily outdoor access throughout the year. Whenever possible, Early Years providers should integrate indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing children to move freely between them.

Link Your Indoor and Outdoor Environments with a Canopy

An outdoor school canopy or awning provides an ideal solution for connecting indoor and outdoor areas. By offering continuous cover, it enables children in your nursery to transition seamlessly between inside and outside—regardless of the weather.

Our Coniston Canopies

We have assisted numerous Early Years practitioners in enhancing their outdoor environments through the installation of our Coniston Canopies. The Coniston is uniquely versatile; it can be adapted around corners and irregular spaces, ensuring comprehensive coverage of your outdoor area all year round—even in rain or snow. This canopy is a preferred choice for Early Years customers due to its cost-effectiveness, stylish design, and its ability to complement any building style.

Introducing the Coniston Rainbow Package

For an added touch of creativity, our Coniston Rainbow Package features coloured posts, post pads, and a vibrant banner—all tailored to your chosen colour scheme. This enhancement creates a dynamic and engaging environment, ideal for young children to play and learn.

Year-Round Outdoor Usability

All of our canopies offer high UV protection and effective shelter from rain and snow, ensuring that your outdoor area remains a practical and inviting space for play and learning throughout the year.

Conclusion

In summary, providing children with daily access to a versatile outdoor space significantly enhances their learning and development. By integrating indoor and outdoor environments with our innovative canopy solutions—such as the Coniston canopies and the Coniston Rainbow Package—nurseries can create engaging, safe, and weather-resistant spaces. These solutions not only support active learning and physical activity but also foster a genuine connection with the natural world, ensuring that young learners thrive in a stimulating and nurturing environment.

Able Canopies Ltd. design, manufacture and install canopies and shade structures
at schools, nurseries and educational settings to enable year-round
Free Flow Outdoor Play and Outdoor Learning.
For more information please contact us

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