Jane Merewether

For many years I taught in an early learning centre where the outdoor area was dominated by grass. I put a lot of thought into ensuring the indoor environment was a stimulating space that acted as a 'third educator [Gandini, 2012]. However, these efforts did not extend to the outdoor space, because at the time, I saw it primarily as a place for children to 'let-off steam'. In an attempt to gain more classroom space, I moved my practice to 'indoor/outdoor', whereby children could freely move between both areas. In doing so, I noticed the majority of children opted to be outside, even though it was uninspiring compared to the inside. This prompted me to explore ways to capitalise on children's preference to be outside and led to a redevelopment of the outdoor space. This included the replacement of much of the grass with shrubs, ground covers and climbers, which were arranged into semi-enclosed 'rooms' that welcomed small groups of children, and the introduction of sensory elements such as sand, water and musical instruments.