The


We’re pleased to welcome Gail Farquhar, manager at Sheephouse Nursery as our guest blogger this issue.


Way T


here seems to be more focus than ever on outdoor learning. We all receive the enews bulletins


which have the latest go-to outdoor play suggestions on what activities settings should be offering and what the benefits are. Social media feeds are offering a variation on the same thing, complete with lists of equipment and resources all of which are prerequisites to taking a step outside! It’s more than a little overwhelming and you can understand why it might leave some


settings with so much uncertainty that they may never make it out the door!


At Sheephouse, we don’t particularly distinguish between indoor play and outdoor play which may seem a bit odd to some. We take a much more holistic approach and see our garden as an extension of our indoor spaces. Opportunities for play are opportunities regardless of where they happen and they all stem from our objective of delivering meaningful outcomes for each of our


children. Regardless of whether yoga is done inside on a rug or outside in the rain children can develop their balance. Children may be experimenting with chalk on the floor or with mud in the garden when they begin to write their name.


This approach is something which we’ve honed and embedded in our culture over the past five years. It’s easier said than done, particularly as we’ve come across team members and children who may have had reservations about being outside – something which must be common across many settings. When this happens, we try to promote the adventure and the benefits of being outside – removing perceived barriers and finding simple solutions such as spare wellies, waterproof suits, changes of clothes (for the team too!)


Take Chloe for example, she’s one of our newest practitioners and this is what she had to say about the Sheephouse way of being outside:


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Shop Little Learners ypo.co.uk/earlyyears


Sheephouse


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