Planning and Planting Your Outdoor Preschool Classroom

Time to start thinking about spring and revitalizing our outdoor preschool classroom. No matter your climate, changes in the seasons always seem to stir up the desire to clean, paint and build. I happened to be doing a little research on using unconventional and re-purposed building materials in children’s spaces and came across these images. How inventive, right?!

In early childhood, one of the best things we have is our creativity. We see the possibilities in the ordinary. We take ideas and run with them. We understand how things fit together and we’re resourceful. But let’s face it, we don’t often have the time or tools to make these things happen. Planning and family involvement is the answer. The old saying, “many hands make light work” should guide how we get things done for the benefit of our children’s well being. We tend to want to do everything ourselves, but really the more people we involve, the richer the experience.

I know what you’re going to say, that you can’t often get families to show up to help. They’re busy. But look at everything they could do without showing up….buy a bag of nails, call a local remodeling company and ask for a free door or two (or four!), pick up the weed mat to line the milk crates, drop off a big bag of garden soil one morning, ask the shipping department at their office for a used packing pallet, start some seeds on their window ledges so you’ll have starter plants, and the list goes on and on. If you can split up the tasks into off-sight and on-sight jobs, you’re bound to get further than you think without having to do it all yourself. And if they still don’t offer to help, don’t give up. Look outside the school to a youth group, a retirement center, the local temple or church. Help is out there and with a little determination, you’ll find it.

Spring is almost here. It’s time to get out all those wishlist items, pick one or two, make some solid plans, then some calls and get what you want. You’ll be glad you did. And so will your kids!