OPAL
At Tanners Brook, we are at the beginning of our journey with OPAL Outdoor Play and learning. We aim to change the culture around play at our school and want play times to be as important as any other curriculum area.
This programme helps schools plan and invest in play in the same way they plan for literacy, maths or safeguarding.
We strongly believe that: “Play is freely chosen, personally directed, intrinsically motivated behaviour that actively engages the child. Play can be fun or serious. Through play, children explore social, material and imaginary worlds and their relationship with them, elaborating all the while a flexible range of responses to the challenges they encounter. By playing, children learn and develop as individuals, and as members of the community.” (Children’s Play Council 2001).
Donations
To facilitate this project, we will need to buy some new resources, move some things around on the playground and require some loose parts. Loose parts are any materials that can be easily moved, combined, and incorporated into children's free play. The items we are looking for will enable us to enjoy a wider range of play experiences during playtime (see below for some examples):
There are currently two green donation bins for any loose parts to be placed in, on the playground.
Please contact the school before donating any large items via info@tannersbrookpri.org.uk
- Suitcases of any size and type
- Anything on wheels/castors
- Plastic milk crates/supermarket delivery crates/plastic bread trays
- Briefcases, especially hard-cased ones
- Road signs and cones
- Kitchen pots, pans, baking trays, work tables, wooden spoons, chopping boards
- Tools like small spades/shovels, trowels and brooms
- Tubes of various sizes and various materials
- Buckets
- Nets and thick ropes
- Keyboards/torches/laptops/calculators/mobile phones/desk phones/webcams/cameras that are no longer working.
- Fabric (large sheets/brightly coloured fabric)
- Foam sheets/bodyboards/camping roll mats/yoga mats
- Wooden pallets
- Metal frames
- Cable drums
- Guttering
- Noodles (the type you use in the swimming pool!)
- Hats/scarves/jazzy shirts/elasticated skirts/waistcoats/wedding dresses/character costumes
- Pegs (to help to set up dens)
Our first steps
Initially, we will be looking to launch a few low-risk areas for play, including a mud kitchen area, dressing-up station, small den building and areas for small world play and exploration. If you have the skills required to help construct these areas or have the materials required that could help with these options, please get in touch.
OPAL Play Policy
Please find our OPAL Play policy at the bottom of this page. Alternatively, visit the Policy section of our website.