Round and round the garden

A fairly large section of our outdoor area is given over to our under-twos and has at its centre a racetrack.

The racetrack came about because the very young children often tripped on the grass and weeds poking up between the flagstones and didn't have much space to play outside on their wheeled toys.

The council encourages different agencies to work together, so I enlisted the help of six boys on a Government initiative for unemployed teenagers to help us create our track. They dug up the grass, then laid the concrete, and staff added the finishing touches by painting flowers on the track.

Having a dedicated area for the under-twos within a large outside area has its advantages. It means all the children can play outside at the same time. It gives the youngest the chance to toddle or ride their wheeled toys in peace and safety and it gives the older children the freedom to race around without any fear of knocking over the younger ones. We find, though, that the older children, both boys and girls, frequently ask to come into the under-twos area to help the youngest children.

The under-twos area also includes our sensory and Japanese gardens. It has a large colourful mural running along the back wall and various planters.

A staff member knew of a man who was using unwanted wooden pallets to make things for charity. We felt we were a worthy cause and he made us our beautiful wishing well, which we placed in the centre of our racetrack and useas a planter.