My headteacher fondly introduces me as ‘The Skip Hunter’ for my habit of finding and repurposing things from the side of the street, along with hitting free furniture websites or collecting treasure from nature. I’ve slowly transformed my setting using these free, donated, reused, recycled, or upcycled furniture and resources. What’s more, these fabulous resources help to foster the children’s imagination and communication skills just as well, if not better, than many bought ones.
I believe you don’t need money to create opportunities for learning, just a bit of time and thought. Here are some tried and tested ideas from my classroom to start you thinking in a different way and working towards developing the setting you’ve always dreamed of:
1. Woodland kitchen
Apart from the hut which was already there, everything you see in this photo was free! I found the play kitchen on the side of the road on the way to school and the round sink was from a free furniture website (try your local Freecycle group). The herb planter was made from a palette screwed to the wooden crate (check out Pinterest online for inspiration) and the seating area was also made from wooden cable reels from an electrical supplier. We then asked our wonderfully supportive parents for donations of used pots and pans.
2. Mud kitchen
This area was also created without spending a penny. The stainless-steel sink was found on a free furniture site and is sitting in an upturned music stand which was ready to be thrown out. The pots and pans are stored on an old drying rack and collected natural loose parts are in mushroom containers tied attached to the fence with cable ties. A few old tyres used as planters are positioned to cordon off the area and a herb planter simply fashioned from an old palette finishes off the space.
3. Writing reels
I wanted to find somewhere to store all the writing resources as part of continuous provision rather than keep them on the table so that the children had more space for mark making. I collected three cable reels from a local electrical supplier and painted them using fence paint. These have proved very versatile and we’ve also used them in the construction and small world areas.
4. Group seating
I wanted to create some outside seating in our Woodland Area instead of resorting to plastic chairs. I spoke about my idea to the school gardener, who works on lots of different sites, and he sourced a pile of beautifully cut logs for me which are perfect for sitting on.
5. Playdough table
As you may gather, I’m never afraid to ask for something which otherwise may go to waste – I was driving to a course one morning and saw some tree surgeons cutting down a huge tree. I stopped and asked them if I could have some trunk slices. They asked me how many and I replied as many as will fit into my boot! On the way back from the course I collected a pile of six of these beautiful trunk slices. This one is balanced on top of a wooden cable reel and works perfectly in our Woodland Area.
6. Shipping crate planter
People will soon know the sorts of things that you’re looking out for. I often receive messages saying, ‘Would you like this for school?’ Of course, I said yes to this shipping container which was already lined with tarpaulin. I pierced some holes in the bottom and the children planted some gladioli bulbs in it. It is still going after three years and I haven’t had to treat the wood!
7. Sensory garden
This was an old sand pit – the lid was broken and the base rotten and it was headed to the bin! I stapled black plastic bags to the inside of the frame, punched some drainage holes and filled it with soil and plants. Now it’s a lovely sensory garden full of herbs to smell and taste.
8. Woodland BBQ
Here is an old table frame where the top had become warped from water damage. The top was removed and old baking racks secured on using cable ties to make it a BBQ for the children to use in outdoor role play.
9. Bug hotel
This was a weekend project I worked on with my husband (he often gets roped in…). He had some wood batons left over from a project and we had some laminate we had just taken up from our house. He made two triangular frames, nailed the laminate to the top and also made two shelves in between the frames. Once it was at school, the children added logs, sticks, newspaper, and bricks to create this wonderful bug hotel.
Shardi Vaziri is the Assistant Headteacher at Tottenhall Infant School in Enfield, North London and an educational consultant specialising in loose parts and sustainable provision. Contact her at: earlyyearsonashoestring@gmail.com.
