When the entire contents of a nursery is limited to what fits into a shed, resourcing takes on ‘a whole new meaning’, according to Justine Palmer, manager at Bobtails Pre-School, a charity-run setting in Horley, Surrey.
With over two decades’ experience running the Ofsted Outstanding pack-away in a church hall, Palmer and her team know every trick in the book when it comes to sourcing equipment that is multi-use, adaptable and open-ended.
‘Our staff think imaginatively around resourcing and are constantly tuned into how they can enhance children’s play and learning through the use of multi-purpose resources,’ she explains, pointing to a unit in the home corner as an example of a versatile piece of furniture tha can have multiple uses.
‘We bought four crates from Etsy for around £30. One of the dads stuck them together, added wheels and made it into a shelving unit. Today it’s being used in the kitchen, but we also use it as a dolls’ house; for dressing-up clothes; as a shop; or we tip it on its side and throw balls into it,’ Palmer explains.
ADAPTABLE SPACE
The 30-place setting is based in a large room divided into two spaces with low-level wicker panelling.‘It’s a blank canvas that we can adapt according to our cohort and the needs of our children. This year, with the two-year-old expansion, we’ve spilt the space into two age groups: two to threes and three- to four-year-olds,’ says Palmer.
The light, airy room is packed full of enticing resources. A couple of two-year-olds are painting motorcycle helmets and sticking feathers and stickers onto them. ‘These were donated from the local go-karting race track,’ Palmer says.
Brightly coloured rugs and soft furnishings are used to zone off the different areas of learning. A three-year-old boy with spinal muscular atrophy, who uses a wheelchair, is having tummy time on a large sensory beanbag.
There are tuff trays with fold-down legs; shelving and bookcases on wheels; role-play areas; a home corner; cosy spots; and a reading area. A wooden ‘shop’, donated by a family, doubles up as a puppet theatre, a dressing-up area, a puppet-show venue and a bird-spotting den.
A fold-away wooden arch is being used as the roof of a car park, with Cosy Easy Grip Guttering Stands as dividers. Children are placing cars on slats of wood suspended on the ramps as they slide them down the runway.
‘The arch is great for pack-aways,’ Palmer says. ‘It takes minutes to construct by slotting the panels into place, and the bottom part concertinas down. Last week, it was used as the base of a pirate ship and the children used the blocks to create the ship. We also add scarves and drapes to make it a cosy corner or reading den.’
Many of the setting’s resources are donated or come from the recycling skip shop, which Palmer and her team visit regularly. Local companies have also been commissioned to make bespoke pieces of equipment, such as a mud kitchen and a climbing wall. ‘A lot more thought goes into the money we spend on equipment. We have to look at its play value – can it be used multiple ways? Can we put wheels on it? Is it sturdy enough to lift it in and out of the shed twice a day?’
But Palmer admits that some fold-away resources or pieces of equipment on wheels do not stand the test of time. ‘We had a fold-up kitchen on wheels which was not robust enough. So we went back to the Millhouse kitchen, which is relatively light to pick up and pack away.’
STORAGE SOLUTIONS
The storage shed is outside in the play area. Staff arrive at 7.30am to unpack the resources and set up the hall and outdoor play areas ready for the children’s arrival.
‘There’s an art to packing a shed to the brim like a jigsaw puzzle,’ Palmer says. ‘It takes about an hour to unpack, and we start packing up the shed around 1pm, clearing space for our afternoon extra-curricular activities, such as Mini Athletics and Kick Dance. By 3pm there’s no trace of the nursery in the hall or in the outdoor spaces. The children all get involved, wheeling items to the door and sorting and categorising as they put back everything where it belongs.’
When it comes to running a successful pack-away, clever, practical storage solutions are key. ‘Everything must be accessible, not too heavy and on wheels with castors and brakes,’ Palmer says. ‘Adapt pieces of equipment so they can be wheeled in and out. Add wheels, handles and “feet” to display boards or dividers so that they can be easily transported. We bought fences from the garden centre that we use for children’s coat pegs. We added wheels and hooks to the frame, and at the end of the day, the whole frame and pegs with children’s spare clothes and waterproofs gets wheeled into the shed.’
Hobbycraft trolleys are great for storing art materials and smaller items. Lunch-bag trolleys also double up as room dividers. Children eat their packed lunch on Gopak Folding Tables and stack-away chairs, which fold down flat. ‘The chairs are the only piece of equipment that stays in the church hall,’ Palmer says.
Crates, although great for role play, ‘don’t have lids and don’t stack. Really Useful Storage Boxes from Hobbycraft or Amazon are robust, last for years and are stackable. Cheaper versions don’t last,’ she adds.
OUTDOOR SPACE
The outdoors is also full of rich learning opportunities. A large multi-use sandpit, which is stored upright against the wall when not in use, has been transformed into a camper van, with tyres placed around the edges and milk crates to sit on.
Three groups of children in different areas of the garden are working in tandem to bring food for the sizzling barbecue that is inside the van. The greengrocer’s are selling real onions and potatoes to the delivery team who load them up in their vehicle, created out of crates, tyres and a loose-part steering wheel.
‘They’re working as a team, negotiating, talking, weighing potatoes, writing shopping lists… Practitioners are dipping in and out, giving suggestions when needed and scaffolding their play,’ explains Palmer.
‘Right from the outset, the children are encouraged to use their imagination with the resources on offer. Because of the nature of pack-aways, the spaces and resources are fluid and children have more ownership of the space, which can easily be adapted to suit their changing interests,’ she says.
BOBTAILS’ BEST BUYS:
Best investment: Double Bowl Kitchen and Two Ring Hob, from £230, from Kids Mud Kitchens, https://bit.ly/3vC3bqJ; and Millhouse Indoor/Outdoor Folding Den, £340, https://bit.ly/3TUy3KP
Best medium-priced resource: Mint Green Three Tier Storage Trolley, £30, from Hobbycraft, https://bit.ly/3Ubbvqx
Best cheap buy: Junk-modelling bits – ‘We love boxes and anything we can recycle,’ says Palmer.
Great for pack-aways: Easy Grip Guttering Stand, £56.99, from Cosy, https://bit.ly/4cUk7cv; Millhouse Wolds Complete Toddler Kitchen, £213.60, https://bit.ly/4aq5DzJ; Really Useful Nestable Plastic Storage Box 33.5 Litre Clear (Pack of 3), £32.49, from Amazon, https://bit.ly/3JcLh0F; Creative Crates Medium, from Cosy, £56.99, https://bit.ly/3xzygMk; Gopak Contour25 Folding Table H685mm, £136.99, from TTS, https://bit.ly/49yKoKF
FURTHER INFORMATION
