Nursery World - Organising provision

Jane Drake, a partnership advisory teacher in Leeds and author of Planning Children's Play and Learning in the Foundation Stage and Organising Play in the Early Years (David Fulton) The layout of provision both indoors and out has a huge bearing on children's learning. To an outsider it may seem that the nursery curriculum requires little planning and organisation and it is not unusual to hear young children's learning referred to, dismissively, as 'just playing'.

Jane Drake, a partnership advisory teacher in Leeds and author of Planning Children's Play and Learning in the Foundation Stage and Organising Play in the Early Years (David Fulton)

The layout of provision both indoors and out has a huge bearing on children's learning. To an outsider it may seem that the nursery curriculum requires little planning and organisation and it is not unusual to hear young children's learning referred to, dismissively, as 'just playing'.

Play is universally recognised as a key vehicle for learning in all areas of the Foundation Stage curriculum, and child-initiated play is likely to lead to a deep involvement in learning. Certainly, all young children need the freedom to play for extended periods and to explore personal interests.

However, offering exciting and challenging play opportunities requires understanding and careful thought on the part of the practitioner.

Planning provision that enables children to play creatively and learn informally may not be obvious, but it is crucial in determining high-quality experiences and learning outcomes.

An early years setting should include good-quality indoor and outdoor provision and, together, these will make up the whole learning environment.

It can be useful to draw a plan of the indoor floor area and the outdoor area to scale when thinking about planning or reorganising provision.

Practitioners can then mark in any ideas to help them visualise the end result. In the case of reorganisation, practitioners should plan a period of observation and evaluation before taking any action.

INDOORS

To offer continuous opportunities for learning on a daily basis, practitioners need to provide a constant environment. Children should know that when they enter nursery every day, they will find the same basic provision organised in the same way.

Such an arrangement will enable them to develop ideas and interests over time and also promote independence in their learning. Obviously, there will be times when staff want to develop or change areas, but children should be involved with these decisions.

The indoor space should include various areas of provision that enable children to develop skills, understanding and attitudes spanning all six areas of learning within the Foundation Stage curriculum. These areas cover:

* role play

* office

* mark-making

* large and small construction

* water

* sand

* malleable materials

* technology workshop

* music and sound

* paint

* books

* maths

* ICT

* food preparation.

Although provision for 'maths', 'mark-making' and 'computer' are included as discrete areas, opportunities for exploring purposes for using mathematical skills, writing and ICT should also be available in other areas. Likewise, books should not be available exclusively in the book corner, but should be included to support learning in other areas of provision.

All areas should be organised in a way that will enable children to make individual choices and select and return equipment independently.

Open-shelved storage units are an ideal way of presenting resources to children. Storage boxes or baskets should be clearly labelled (with pictures of equipment and words) to support children in selecting resources independently.

This type of furniture can be effective in creating bayed areas in which children are able to become deeply involved in their learning.

Displaying a template of equipment on shelves is also an effective way of encouraging independence and helps to develop children's understanding of mathematical concepts of shape and space.

Practitioners need to think carefully about where to position areas. While some areas shouldn't be juxtaposed - for example, a noisy music area next to a restful book corner - other areas can work well together.

The painting and technology areas work well side by side, as children often want to paint models that they have made. Having the sand and water areas together opens up learning opportunities from the children being able to mix sand and water.

The home corner and area for malleable materials also work well together, as children often make 'cakes' and other 'food' in the dough area, then want to extend their play by taking the dough into the home corner.

Some areas need more space than others. The large construction area should be afforded ample space for children to work on building projects as they need space to kneel, sit, walk around constructions and lie on their tummies.

It is also important that each area has appropriate floor covering. In the book area, carpet or a safely secured rug should be available, whereas, for obvious reasons, a washable floor surface is necessary in sand, water, paint and technology workshop areas.

Existing floor covering may partly dictate the location of certain areas, but practitioners should still aim to find the best possible arrangement within the 'wet' and 'dry' areas.

The spaces between areas are also important. If, for example, the areas are laid out in two rows with a long strip of open floor between them, the children are likely to run up and down the 'corridor'. Such 'runways' are to be avoided and opportunities for running freely should be restricted to the outdoors.

Displays should be seen as an integral part of the learning environment, and practitioners should make available space for wall displays, interactive displays and displays for 'work in progress', where children can keep their models safely.

To ensure that displays are of a high quality, practitioners should consider carefully the purpose of each display and identify its objectives.

Displays should be used to celebrate children's achievements and ideas, document the learning process, motivate and stimulate children to learn and share information about the curriculum with parents. They should also be easily accessible and clearly visible to their intended audience.

THE OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT

A firm commitment to outdoor learning is essential in a team striving for quality, as opportunities to move and experience the elements and outdoor world are crucial to a child's development.

Children should have extended periods of access to the outdoors and be able to access independently both indoor and outdoor play. When children have access to a large outdoor space, where they can be loud and boisterous and move freely, there is a significant and positive impact on their behaviour when indoors.

The shape, size and nature of the outdoor space will vary between settings but, ideally, it should include a hard surface, a grassed area and a 'wild'

area.

However, the same basic principles of good practice apply to all spaces.

Practitioners should approach their planning of outdoor provision in the same way as that for indoors. While practitioners should always make children's safety a priority, they should also be aware of the need for children to be challenged and should guard against inhibiting children's explorations unnecessarily.

Most of the areas that are provided inside can also be provided outside, but there are some experiences that can only take place outside, such as jumping in puddles and walking through wet grass.

There is often more space outdoors than indoors for children to work on a large scale, and practitioners should consider how outdoor equipment can extend children's indoor play. For example, boxes, tyres, crates and lengths of guttering will provide children with opportunities to build and construct on a much larger scale than they could indoors.

Likewise, it is easier to plan mark-making activities using gross motor movement outdoors, where children can use decorators' brushes to paint walls and fences and make marks with chalk or paint on paving stones.

Practitioners should also recognise and support the links between children's indoor and outdoor play. For example, an indoor home corner linked with an outdoor shopping area will offer richer opportunities for imaginative and role play than a single area. The children could make kites in the technology workshop and fly them outdoors, or take boxes from the technology area to attach to bikes as 'trailers'.

Zoning the outdoor area is a useful way to ensure that all areas of provision are afforded an appropriate space on a continuous basis and that the children have access to learning opportunities across the curriculum.

It can also help staff to address any safety concerns. For example, a defined area for bikes and wheeled toys will eliminate the risk of bikes colliding with other children's constructions. Of course, practitioners should also consider the number of bikes that can be used safely within the designated space.

Other outdoor zones could include climbing and balancing, digging and planting, role play, music and sound, sand, water and paint, a quiet area with books, large construction, small-world and small construction, and an area where children can run and move freely.

It is also a good idea to set up central resource areas for equipment such as mark-marking tools and materials and investigation tools, such as magnifying glasses and bug boxes.These should always be available for children to access independently.

Trees, shrubs and plants enable children to observe seasonal changes and growth. When introducing new vegetation, practitioners should think carefully about the benefits of particular choices (and, of course, avoid poisonous plants). For example, a buddleia shrub will attract butterflies to the area. Herbs offer exciting sensory experiences and the children can grow, prepare, cook and eat their own vegetables.

The staff team should draw up a long-term plan for developing the natural environment. Ideally, an outdoor area should have both deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees. If possible, the outdoor space should include some gentle inclines and different textures underfoot.

Storing outdoor equipment can be quite a challenge. Ideally, a setting should have a dedicated, lockable outdoor store, which staff can access with ease and which is organised in such a way that staff can move equipment in and out easily and safely.

Resources used daily should be positioned near the front and any heavy or awkward equipment should not have to be lifted over or around other objects. Shelves, hooks and brackets can ensure that storage space is used effectively and to its full potential. Some resources will be used on a rotational basis, or in response to particular weather conditions,. These should be stored in clearly marked containers.