Nursery Equipment: Shelters - Rain or shine

Who knows what the British weather will bring next? Early years settings need to be prepared for wind, rain, snow and sun, so that children can be protected from the harsher elements as they access the EYFS curriculum outdoors throughout the year.

There are many companies that can supply clever, bespoke shades and shelters for your outdoor area. Before splurging your budget, though, be careful to discuss where you want to create cover and what you want to do with the area - one school bought a wooden pergola and then found it was too small for the activities they wanted to provide beneath it.

Providing shade need not be an expensive endeavour. An inventive nursery used cheap railway sleepers and rolls of rushed screening fixed around poles to create a three-walled 'room' that shaded playing children from the wind and sun.

And willow tunnels, tents, large trees, play houses or even cardboard boxes can all provide a cosy, shaded retreat for children.

Children are attracted to such small, sheltered areas, which have the added advantage of 'enclosing' their play, reducing through-traffic and aiding concentration and focus.

- Helen Fletcher-Reilly, head of St Margaret's Church of England Primary School, Crawley, Sussex

'We are very pleased with the Shade Sail. The visual impact is great - it is in four different colours, looks effective and creates an interesting feature. We primarily use it for shading the area from the sun. It keeps out light rain and children play under it when it is drizzling, but hard rain comes through so its primary purpose is to provide shade.

'We purchased the sail around three years ago after a hot summer, when we realised we had little shade and wanted to introduce something quickly that would add colour to the outdoor area.

'It gives the playground a focus and a place for the children to be. It is in a central area where all the children can access it, and we put activities out under it at lunch and break times. We tend to set up quieter activities such as small ball games.

'Later this year we hope to buy two more sails for the early years reception garden and nursery garden. They will be perfect for going over larger equipment such as sand pits.

'One sail has blown down during heavy wind, but there is very little maintenance needed. It is practically self-cleaning when it rains. Just the yellow sail can show the grime so we take that down ourselves and mop it occasionally.

'The sails are suspended across wooden poles and we did have a few splinter incidents when children hung off them and ran around, but that was only in the beginning.'

Shade Sails, www.shadesails.co.uk, price dependent on size.

- Julia Rennie, owner of Puddle Ducks Nursery, Raglan, Monmouthshire

'We don't have a sheltered area and went through several types of gazebo from different companies, only to face problems such as pegs and poles bending or falling down. But we've had this one from School Gazebo for around two years; it is made from strong and durable material and the poles don't bend. It also stays up in strong winds. It's surprisingly big and can house up to 30 children.

'All the children use it. It creates a lovely sheltered area for our nought to two-year-olds, and they enjoy crawling in and out of it. We try to provide everything outdoors that we also do indoors, so it is important to have a sheltered area so the children can access the curriculum outside all year around, even in the rain.

'Children like using the gazebo as a den to hide away from everyone. We also offer activities in it such as playdough on mats. We sometimes set it up as a music corner and have music sessions in it at the end of the day so that parents can join in when they collect their children.

'It's easy to assemble, taking about 15 minutes, and packs away neatly into a handy zip bag, although we use it the majority of the year.'

School Gazebo, £49.99, www.schoolgazebo.co.uk

OTHER SUPPLIERS
- Able Canopies www.ablecanopies.co.uk
- Fawns Saferplay www.fawns.co.uk
- Keep it Kool www.keepitkool.co.uk
- Plane and Simple www.planeandsimple.co.uk
- Timotay Landscapes www.timotaylandscapes.co.uk