Nurseries are urged to experiment with favourite outdoor play

By Katy Morton, Nursery World, 13 May 2009 cirencester nanny agency

Exercises at Woodberry Day Nursery, Southampton

Early years settings are being invited to help children get active in outdoor play in a bid to tackle childhood obesity.

The Big Play Experiment is this year's theme for National School Grounds Week from 8-12 June. The annual event is organised by UK school grounds charity Learning Through Landscapes.
The Big Play Experiment aims to get as many children as possible engaging in their recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity through outdoor play and encourages them to identify activities that motivate them and improve their health.
It also links to the Government's Change4life campaign which is aiming to help whole families eat well, get more exercise and live longer, healthier lives.
Woodberry Day Nursery in Southampton reported a successful try-out of activities for the Big Play Experiment.
Nursery manager Kathy Duchamp said, 'The Big Play Experiment is all about fun activities and is really important as it focuses on play, fresh air and outdoor space.'
She added, 'Testing the activities has kick-started thought about how we use our own outdoor space and it was particularly successful with the children, who still ask to play some of the Big Play Experiment games'.
Practitioners can download a Big Play Experiment resource pack offering a fun and challenging range of activity ideas on how to get children outdoors being active, with tips and support on how to manage and assess any setting's experiment.
During the week children are urged to vote for their favourite activity to find the most popular outdoor game.
To take part in the Big Play Experiment and receive a free resource, visit www.ltl.org.uk/nsgw.htm.

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