As most of my P7s were visiting their new secondary school on Wednesday and yesterday, I trained up my remaining P7s as Play Leaders and organised a whole school Play Day for over 500 pupils!
I explained the value of free play to the P7s and they were happy to encourage but not direct the P1 to P6 pupils creativity in free play sessions.
The training session involved looking at all the resources I'd gathered (a request to parents for sheets, netting, cardboard tubes, boxes etc brought in some resources too) and thinking how they might be used but leaving opportunities for open ended and undirected play.
We then went outside and tried out some resources to looks at ways of laying them out in our playground. They suggested using an area with a softer surface for the cardboard boxes and tubes in case people fell from them if using them as cars, boats and sledges.
The transparent tarp fitted over the "outdoor classroom" allowed for pupils to sit underneath on the seating provided.
The grassy area was deemed best for den building opportunities as the metal pegs would go into the ground, however they decided to put all the den building stuff in a few different piles on the playground surface to see what the P1 - P6 pupils would do with them....
Trying out den building possibilities
The P7s were fascinated by the water flowing down the playground! Some were racing the water!
The P7s discovered how much fun running with a big sheet in the wind was!
Setting up the transparent tarp - they decided it must have water sprayed on it and flowing down in on Play Day.
Working out how to use the canes
We had a beach shelter to play in - "but how does this work???!"
tripod discovery!
The smallest paddling pool in the world gave some water play ideas!
Come back soon to find out how successful Play Day was...
By the end of Wed morning we were all enthusiastic and ready for Play Day...
Come back soon to find out how successful Play Day was...
I think it's lovely to see older children exploring and playing with a variety of materials. You can't go wrong with a transparent tarp. I must get another one as mine's finally given up the ghost.
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