Outdoor Environments are as important to children's learning as indoor environments.
When thinking about setting up outdoor environments educators should think carefully about the "affordances" a space has. Can one thing be used by the children for many different experiences?
What are affordances?
Affordances are objects, people or possible activities in a situation that are available for children to use.
Affordance theory asks how does the environment provide children with opportunities for meaningful experiences like:
climbing, running, jumping, throwing, moulding, swinging, digging, making sounds, hiding, seating or experiencing habitats, water, sounds, patterns, textures, colours and visual perspectives (like if you bend down low does something look different than if you look at it from up high)?
For example the bridge in the photo above is not just for walking across, it has become a swing and a monkey bar for the children!
Another example is a low wall can give a young child the chance to sit, jump, walk the tight rope or even give them a sense of power like "I'm the King of the castle!".
A climbing frame is usually used for climbing but it can become a cubby if you cover it with a sheet.
To see all the possible affordances in an environment you need to look at the space with a child's eye. Get down low, think about the possibilities. Think about what you used to like to play with when you were younger?
Sometimes adults limit the affordances of a space. For example they might say "don't run down the corridor" when the corridor might actually be a great place to roll a ball or run and jump with supervision.
Of course the NUMBER 1 rule of setting up any space is that it must be safe for the children. But it is important to think about how you can allow children to take risks but still be safe.
TASK 1
Go to an outdoor space not really designed for children eg: a garden in the city. What affordances for children can you see? What can the children play with or play on? Remember it doesn't have to be a playground. Pretend to be a child - where would you play in this space?
TASK 2
Go to an outdoor space designed for children eg: the playground at HEY. Does place No 1 contain more dangers? Does place No 1 contain more interesting challenges? How could you bring some of the challenges from place No 1 into the playground at HEY while making sure the children stay safe?
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