top of page

Outside Area

First Years Whanganui 2.jpeg

Outdoor play – Papa Takaro

 

Learning Objectives:

 

  • Refines existing motor skills and develops new ones

  • Structured games e.g. hide and seek, teach children how to follow rules within a social group

  • Children gain increasing control and awareness of their bodies and what they can and cannot yet do e.g. balancing

  • Predetermined skills or abilities are not required

  • Developing a sense of enjoyment in participation

  • Encourages appreciation of natural world, through sensory exploration and enjoyment

  • Provides quiet places for relating or developing friendships

  • Self esteem grows as children engage in new challenges and recognize their own growth and accomplishments

  • Provides opportunity to release emotional and physical energy in appropriate ways

  • Additional resources e.g. tyres, planks, support the development of creative problem solving and lateral thinking as children use what is available to create what they envisage.

  • Fosters positive attitudes about physical activities and healthy life styles

  • Developing conflict resolution skills in group play e.g. how to decide who gets t be first bus driver

  • Opportunities to learn with, from and alongside others as the teacher or the learner.

  • Helps to understand maths concepts e.g. distance and spatial awareness.

     

Carpentry Play – Tarai Rakau​

Learning Objectives:

 

  • Children are challenged to take risks and develop strategies for problem solving
  • Children learn that carpentry can be practical skill and or creative art form
  • Carpentry develops an understanding for relevance of maths in real life such as measuring and quantity
  • Carpentry develops and refines motor skills
  • Carpentry develops construction theories such as vertical vs horizontal
  • Using tools develops hand eye co-ordination
  • Children learn to enjoy working on their own or as a group
  • Play and learning are fun
  • Learning to take turns and share the tools
  • Using tools and equipment helps to develop mastery skills
  • Opportunity for social interactions, working with or alongside others.
  • Children can be the learner or the teacher
  • Imagination and creativity are developed and transferred to the project.
  • Learning to use tools safely
  • An increase sense of autonomy develops as children learn real life skills
  • Challenged to take risks, and develop strategies for problem solving.

Sand Play – Onepu

 

Learning objectives:

 
  • Relationship skills are developed as children work with and alongside peers such as team work and negotiation.
  • Abstract concept development such as substance or properties – cause and effect
  • Children explore via their sense as they feel, look and even taste and hear
  • Develop imagination and creativity.
  • No predetermined skills need or abilities required
  • Enjoy a sense of industry while having fun
  • Teaches environmental awareness such a erosion
  • Develops coordination
  • Language and pre literacy skill increase as children learn and use new and familiar descriptive words to express ideas.
  • Using tools and equipment develops mastery skills
  • Opportunity for social interaction
  • Learn about the properties of sand.
  • Learn about mathematical concepts such as weight and volume.
  • Development of science concepts such as gravity, volcanoes and the interaction of chemicals
  • Develops small and large motor skills.
     

Water Play – Wai

Learning Objectives:

 

  • Introduction of maths concepts e.g. fractions, empty, half full. Learning about estimating and conservation of volume

  • Children learn while having fun with a natural resource that has multiple purpose in both work and play

  • Working with and alongside others develops social skill e.g. blowing bubbles

  • Children question explore, and predict what will happen to water in various forms i.e. liquids, solids, gases

  • Helps develop practical life skill e.g. washing dishes

  • Improves physical dexterity, hand-eye coordination, small and large motor skills e.g. pouring

  • Develops understanding of scientific concepts e.g. buoyancy and gravity and their correlation to properties of substance in various forms

  • Develops and heightens an awareness of sense, particularly touch

  • Provides a sense of achievement and mastery with no previous skills or experience required and no prescribed outcomes

  • Learning the rules for appropriate social interactions such as sharing and turn taking

  • Provided and opportunity to understand conservation in a meaningful way.

     

     

     

bottom of page