Why I love milk crates!

A few years ago I was lucky enough to hear the wonderfully inspiring Margaret Edgington speak about creating outdoor learning enviroments on budget. She gave us all a list of resources that every pre-school setting should have, the list included tyres & milk crates among many other things. I went straight back to school & started to gather these resources up. At the time we were in a mobile building on a cramped temporary site while awaiting a new school. 

These original crates provided hours of fun as the children stacked them to climb higher etc. but we found that their feet got stuck in the holes where the bottles of milk had fitted into. When we finally moved into our new school in 2006 we had a new milk supplier & much better crates! I managed to 'borrow' a few & they have proved invaluable over the past few years. Other schools have even been known to come to us to acquire some too! Of course the dairy provider has made it very clear that we cannot officially have them (in case a child falls on them & claims against them!!) but they have turned a blind eye to our growing pile of crates - they did come in & take them all away at one point before realising we were actually using them as seats etc. They are totally weather proof so work great as seating. They do get slippy in the rain or frost but I feel that the children need to learn to be careful in different weathers. yes we have had several children fall while walking or climbing on them but the pros of them far outweigh the cons. They are used as a walk way on the grass on really wet/muddy days, they are used as thrones, beds, trains, buses, boats etc. They can be stacked to allow the children to climb & they learn to be careful - they do wobble. It is always interested to watch some children go on them on their hands & knees for the first few weeks and then watch the same children clambered over them as the school year progresses. They are brilliant for marking off areas of the playground - for chalking, or drainpipes/bowling etc.

Great for creating 'safe' zones away from bikes

'The cinema'

Beds for dollies

We can use them in all weathers for seats

Long live the crate & when/if health & safety visit I'll have them stacked safely in the corner!!