OPAL - Outdoor Learning and Play

Our mission at Willowcroft is to ensure that every child has an amazing playtime, every day with no exceptions. 

Outdoor play helps children develop their motor skills, balance, and coordination. Activities like running, climbing, and jumping build strength and improve fitness. By using Opal and stocking our playground with resources, our children have the opportunity to develop these skills every lunch time as spending time outside can reduce stress, boost mood, and improve focus. Nature has a calming effect, which is beneficial for our children's emotional well-being.

Outdoor play often involves interacting with other children, which helps develop important social skills like sharing, problem-solving, and teamwork. Our playground and extended grounds provide a limitless playground for our children to explore and use their imaginations. Whether they're pretending to be explorers, building forts, or playing games, outdoor environments encourage creativity.

When children play outside, especially in less structured environments, they often take on leadership roles, make decisions, and solve problems on their own, which builds their confidence and independence. In short, outdoor play is a great way for children to grow physically, mentally, and socially, all while having fun! 

When you address a need that is so fundamental to children's physical and mental well-being as play, and you do it well, it is impossible to think of how this has not been done before. We are at the very beginning of our OPAL journey at Willowcroft and we cant wait to see how the playground feels for every child by the time we are finished. 

Our vision is that every child at Willowcroft has an amazing hour of high-quality play every day – with no exceptions. 

The playground has been zoned into specific areas and we have weekly assemblies to celebrate the zones and discuss how we can improve our space. 

Zone 1 - Quiet Area (Reading, Lego, Small world, Chalk)

Zone 2 – Playground (tyres, scooters, guttering, loose parts)

Zone 3 – Cage (winter - football, summer - wheels)

Zone 4  - Adventure Playground and stage (music, adventure playground)

Zone 5A – Field (summer, football, winter weather depending)

Zone 5B – Den building / Adventure trail  / Sensory Garden (dens, sand, mud, kitchen)

We are very thankful for the items that have been sent in and if you can help at all with any resources, please come and see Mrs Brown.