A little bit of heaven in the middle of a busy city - Part 2

As I wrote in my previous post I was lucky to get the chance to visit Cowgate Under 5's Centre in Edinburgh. The first thing that hits you when you enter is the smell of fresh bread - they bake it everyday with the children for their snack.

Each of the 3 rooms has a kitchen area where the bread is baked

This is a local authority run children's centre or creche. However it is unlike any one I have ever seen in N. Ireland. The ethos of the place can be read about here.
I was most interested to see how their outdoor space worked as it was this area that had caught my eye in other blogs. Unfortunately it was very wet the day I visited, so the children were still inside drying off after their journey to the centre. However I did get to take some pictures & pick Lian's brain about how the area had changed over the 10 years they had been on the site. Initially, she explained it had been a concrete space with wooden climbing frames that had to be taken in & out everyday. (Anyone who worked in a nursery setting over 10 years ago knows the ones I mean!) Lian showed me photo of the old space so I could see the difference. What struck me most was that what they have achieved at Cowgate is possible for any setting, it hasn't had a load of money thrown at the space to buy fancy resources. They have built up interesting areas over the 10 years, with clever use of plants, tyres and small wooden structures. There is safety surface underneath the sand pit area where the wooden A-Frame climbing structures used to be placed - but how much more fun must it be to slide down into the sand. There is also a water pump nearby so the children can make wet sand too.

Usually when I see photos of other places I always think 'that's fab but I couldn't achieve that in my playground' but not this time, I really think that I could help to transform our play area into a softer more inviting space like this one. There is no way that any child will ever run aimlessly around in this space. To learn even more about this wonderful place check out Juliet Robertson's piece here.
I would now love to get a chance to visit here with the other staff from my class so we could all experience the calm atmosphere in Cowgate.
I have also been inspired by Teacher Tom, who when he moved into new premises created the most amazing outdoor area in a matter of days! It can be done - so watch this space to see how our outdoor area develops......