Outdoor Kitchen - I have one too now!

I've seen some fantastic outdoor kitchens on the internet and my response has always been, 'wow I'd love one but my garden isn't that big and as it is also my home, I'm not sure it is something I would want to look at when I am not working (imagining how messy it would get!)'.   However, it was a post by Anna at the Imagination Tree that convinced me that I needed one! But where to put it?  I decided on the area to the side of our house which was currently used for storage.  Ideally it would have been better positioned close to the sand and soil, but there just wasn't space (and I didn't want to be looking at it constantly:)).  So I just needed some sort of cupboard or storage unit...  I couldn't find anything suitable at the local tip (this was a project where no expense was going to be spared:)) but did spot these at the carboot sale yesterday.

Okay, so they did look a bit too nice to go in the garden, BUT I got both of them for £4!! bargain, so it didn't really matter.  I have put a piece of plastic across the top to try to protect them a bit.  So then I searched the internet for a bit more inspiration. 

Mud was a definite requirement unsurprisingly! 

I solved this problem by placing a bucket  of mud in the area. They would have to walk the sand across from the sand tray if they wanted that!

Having a nose at Teacher Tom's outdoor kitchen, I pinched his idea and used foam circles for the cooker. 

Then he got me thinking.......as he said, 'outdoor kitchen's need a sink and a tap'.......but how.  The hose pipe?   hmmm we are on a meter, maybe not!  But a camping water storage container might work. I got a couple of these in Poundland a few weeks ago.  I sat one on a few bricks, put a bowl underneath and voila, one sink!

I also managed to get a few saucepans and a teapot at the carboot sale and raided the cupboard for containers, dishes, cups etc. 

We also went to Asda and brought some of their budget cooking utensils (35p each).

So what did they think of it.....

Well they have been very busy!  I think they like it:)  Tea anyone?

Links to EYFS:

Role-play Vets

Last week the children began their own role-play game which started with a 'tiger loose in the front room!'  To enhance their play I provided them with; a toy tiger (raided my son's room!), a storage crate (cage) and a net to catch the tiger. 

Well this kept them entertained all after noon.  I watched as their game gradually evolved from 'capturing a dangerous tiger and returning it to the zoo (repeatedly)' to 'caring for the tiger, who wasn't scary anymore'. This week I thought the children might like a role-play vets providing them with the opportunity to 'care' for a range of animals. I raided the local Pet City for leaflets and designed some simple forms for the children to incorporate into their play. 

I also used cardboard boxes to make cages, by cutting out strips from one side of the box and made a medine cabinet out of another box.

We then rounded up all the furry 'pet' animals we could find and ended up with; dogs, guinea pigs, piglet,  parrot, and a turtle family (it's times like this that my daughter's obsession with cuddly toys comes in handy!).  I set up a waiting room and reception area and the vets surgery.  I also had the added advantage of the older children being off of school, who I knew would want to join in (I am under strict instructions that I am not allowed to put their photos on the web, incase their friends should see) and through their involvement would help the younger ones to understand the various roles within the play.
Well the waiting room has been busy all week!

We've registered our pets, phoned up for emergency appointments, gone out on emergency call-outs......

...explained what is wrong with our pet...

.... had to have our animals stay at the vets overnight for operations.....

....swapped roles...

and wrapped and bandaged ....and wrapped and bandaged!

And now they've pinched the chairs and made a school in the hallway!

Links to EYFS:
PSED: Making Relationships (interacting with other children and negotating roles)
CLL: Language for Communication (communicating during play)
CLL: Language for Thinking (using language to explain what will happen next in the game)
CLL: Writing (using pens to fill in the forms, make appointments etc)
CLL: Handwriting (using pens to fill in forms, make appoinments etc)
PSRN: Numbers as Labels and for Counting (suggesting appointment times, providing / writing down telephone numbers, billing customers for treatment)
KUW: ICT (using telephones, mobiles during their play)
KUW: Time (talking about when the animals needed to be collected / return to the vet, when an appointment would be available)
PD: Using Equipment and Materials (using pens etc)
CD: Developing Imagination and Imaginative  Play (taking on a role within the game, acting out that role, using props to support their play, suggesting a story-line)

Outdoor Creative Kitchen Role-play

As last week was such a lovely week, we took our role-play kitchen outside.  Being outdoors meant we could be as messy as we liked so we added some extras to our kitchen.  These included extra bowls and spoons and a variety of ingredients (coffee, food colouring, salt, flour, water, rice krispies, baking powder, vinegar, cornflour, lavender, chives, hair gel, toothpaste, shaving foam).  The children got to work straight away and were engaged in the activity for the majority of the morning.
The assorted containers provided opportunities to develop our hand and arm muscles,
shaking....

squeezing...

...pouring

and stirring!

As well as coordinating the actions of both our hands.

The children made me some fantastic concoctions, lucky me!

 And once I was full up they moved on to other unsuspecting victims!!

But don't worry, we cleaned dolly up afterwards!

One of us discovered that the greater the force used to drop dolly into the bath, the bigger the splash!!

Links to EYFS:

CD: Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play - where children pretend they are cooking / making potions etc.

CD: Exploring Media and Materials - where children talk about and describe the texture of their mixture.

PD: Using Equipment and Materials - where children show good control over their use of equipment, for example when using spoons to scoop and mix.

PSRN: Numbers as Labels and for Counting - where children use numbers, for example, counting spoonfuls into their bowls.

CLL: Language for Communication - when children talk about and describe what they are doing.

Moon Sand Icecream

We had a go at making moon sand this week. (I've added the recipe to the Recipe Page).  Even though I found it quite fascinating to watch, the children weren't overly interested.  As they created a role-play icecream van scenario (probably inspired by the tuneful sounds from the road) with jenga blocks for icecream, it struck me that the moon sand could enhance their play as 'icecream'.  I found an empty container, icecream cones and a spoon, modelled how to make icecreams and left the children to play.  The enhancements encouraged turn-taking and working cooperatively as everybody wanted to be the 'icecream seller' but equally the game wouldn't work without 'customers'.  It also supported small motor skills as it required the moon sand to be placed carefully on the cone to make it balance and to prevent the cone from breaking.

Of course there were those that couldn't resist eating the cones, but were sensible enough not to eat those that had been filled with sand!

Links to EYFS:

CD: Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play - where children are using the available resources to support their role-play

CLL: Language for Communication - where children interact with each other during their play, taking turns in conversation.

CLL: Language for Thinking - where children use language to pretend.

PSRN: Numbers as Labels and for Counting - If children use number language in their play, for example, asking for two icecreams

KUW: Communities - where children are involved in role-play / where the role play highlights their interest in occupations.

PSED: Making Relationships - where children form friendships with others during their play and show an awareness of the needs of others during their play for example, taking turns with roles or negotiating a storyline.

Builder's Role-play

During his week off my husband decided to repair the block-paving in the garden.  This attracted the interest of the children, who at some point all wandered over to have a look at what was going on (just what he needed!)

As we already had the builder's role-play equipment out inside I thought I would enhance this outdoors.

I gathered the large plastic jenga blocks, small buckets, wet sand and trowels (real & pretend).  After modelling how to build walls by spreading the sand onto the blocks and positioning another on the top, the children soon got the hang of it and spent the majority of the morning busily trying to construct walls.

Other possible enhancements to builder's role play:

Polystyrene makes a great addition to the role-play area. I've got a large square piece that was used as packaging and it's lasting well!  The children love; trying to saw it, attach the vice to it and trying to hammer nails and screw screws into it (you need to make holes for play nails and screws first as they are quite chunky).
Cardboard boxes. Again make some holes for nails and screws and cut slits with a knife along the edges for sawing.

Golf tees also make brilliant nails.  They are big enough for the children to hit with the hammer and mine spend ages seeing how far they can hammer them in.  I got some from Asda for about £1.

Possible links to EYFS:

PSED: Making Relationships (if the children are working together)

PSED: Behaviour and Self-Control (if the children are sharing the resources and sorting out and disputes

CLL: Handwriting (if the children are using the tools effectively)

PSRN: Numbers as Labels and for Counting (are children using numbers in their play?)

PSRN: Calculating (are the children comparing the number of bricks in their walls?)

PSRN: Shapes, Spaces and Measures (are the children comparing the length / height of their walls?)

KUW: Communities (do the children develop their play into a role-play game?)

PD: Using Equipment & Materials (If the children are using the tools for a particular purpose / can use them effectively)

CD: Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play (If the children are imitating what they have observed / are developing their play into a role-play game)

These are just some possible examples, there are many other potential links depending on the age of the child and the direction they take their play.