P&LO December 2017 | School Newsletter

December 2017

Play & Lear n Outdoor s Fun Ideas to Expand a Safe Learning Environment for Your School

?Tis theseason Welcome to the last Play & Learn Outdoors of 2017. As Christmas rapidly approaches, thoughts don?t so much drift as dash towards the end of term and the Christmas holiday. To help you get there at a reasonable speed this edition includes ideas on Christmas fundraising (we had to really!) and interesting thoughts on making the most of outdoor learning and activities. We also cast an eye towards some useful events for the new year.

We hope that you have a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year and we look forward to catching up with you again in 2018.

Everyone at Able Canopies.

Beat t h e Ru sh If you are thinking about ordering a canopy for your school, then book your free site survey now to ensure you get to choose an installation date that suits you. Slots still available for February half term. Easter 2018 is also filling up fast! Call us on 0800 389 9072 to secure your dates.

IN THIS ISSUE: Lear n in g by doin g

Obser vin g you r ch ildr en In t h e gr eat ou t door s Ch r ist m as f u n dr aisin g ideas Car in g f or you r can opy in t h e Win t er & Ideas f or n ext t er m How t o m ake t h e m ost of you r can opy in colder w eat h er

FREEGUIDES Download our free guides to help you find fundraising ideas, available grants and outdoor learning ideas. You can also choose the ideal canopy, shade sail or awning for your school.

Dow n load Now : w w w.ablecan opies.co.u k / gu ides

LEARNING BY DOING There are many ways in which children can learn. Most children have a preferred learning method whether that is by listening to instructions from a teacher, reading about it in a book, or putting theory into practice.

of the soil and seeds can enhance memory, making it easier for concepts and lessons to be remembered. The activities are also more fun than traditional instruction sessions, which can improve information retention.

However, there are other ways to learn, such as learning through doing an activity.

Also, learning by doing can help children learn more at one time.

Children who are planting seeds, for instance, don?t have to be constrained by one subject: the plant?s lifecycle. They can undertake numerous lessons such as healthy eating, the food chain, hygiene, and colours to name just a few.

Take for instance a flower ?s lifecycle or healthy eating. Children could learn from books or from you telling them about it ? or you could get some seeds, soil and a growing area and let the children experience it for themselves.

En h an ced Exper ien ces Getting their hands dirty while they are learning is nothing new, but it does have significant learning benefits. Firstly, the tactile touching

Learning by doing is also a great way for children to develop bonds with classmates and learn better social skills. This, in turn, can help them later in life to develop working relationships that are productive and enjoyable.

M or e Lear n in g Applied To Th e Real Wor ld While learning by doing is sometimes not consider the best method of teaching ? it is a vital one and one proven to succeed. After all, apprenticeships are developed around the concept of learning by doing and so are other training schemes.

In the same way that those schemes work, learning by doing in education can also work. Children can take lessons learned in the classroom and by partaking in associated activities, correctly apply their learning to real-world scenarios.

What learning by doing activities do you use in your educational setting?

Do you see children apply those to new situations later?

For some hands on outdoor learning ideas, download you free copy of the How to get the most out of your canopy guide Dow n load Now : w w w.ablecan opies.co.u k / gu ides

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CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISING IDEAS Get you r Ch r ist m as f u n dr aisin g w r apped u p This is a great time of year to ramp up the school fundraising activity and take advantage of people being in the gift giving mood.

Of course, you can take the fundraising staples and give them a Christmas theme: The Christmas Quiz, the Christmas Raffle, The Christmas Bake Sale (no matter what Jamie Oliver says? its Christmas!) but there are also the activities that only really work at Christmas.

Gift making and selling is a great choice. Involve pupils

in the creation and production of gifts (painting, baking, jewellery making, Christmas cards etc.) and then arrange the selling through school Christmas Fayres or at the school Christmas activities ? the carol service, school Christmas play and so on.

This allows pupils to use their creativity and test their business skills with decisions on pricing and negotiating. An all-round winner.

Not forgetting of course the trusty school Christmas disco.

Wh at ou r cu st om er s say:

"Excellent product, great value, excellent installation team. We are very pleased with the installed of our new canopy."

Alexandr a Park School Har ingey, London

REFERRAL REWARD If you recommend us to a neighboring school, not only will we send you a thank you gift in the post, we will also double your existing customer voucher from £250 to £500 and we will also send a £250 voucher to your friend for them to use against their first order.

A minimum spend of £5,000 each applies in order to receive the discount. For more info visit: conditions of the voucher please visit: w w w.ablecan opies.co.u k / r ew ar d

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WATCH OUT: OBSERVING YOUR CHILDREN IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS Children love playing outside and this environment can yield much information which can be used to decide on the best way to teach children to reach critical development milestones. All that teachers need to do is watch and observe the children in their care to see what?s helping them.

M or e Con f iden t To Be Th em selves One of the main benefits of observing children outside is that they are more themselves than they are in a classroom. Children can choose their favourite areas to play in, apparatus and demonstrate how they interact with others while playing.

imitation. This could be by asking them to play-act like an emergency service or as their favourite animal.

In these games, they can demonstrate not only how they interact with others, but what they have learned in the classroom such as the responsibilities of the emergency services or the lifecycle of an animal.

You can even add equipment outside for a new dimension to their play. For instance, a playhouse as a building on fire and a trike as a fire engine, or boxes to create buildings or animal homes (like a badger set,

birds nest, etc.).

Another option is to conduct experiments outside. Ask children to grow their own garden, build a sandcastle, or use a paddling pool to demonstrate how a duck?s webbed feet work.

These little experiments can be messy ? but isn?t that part of the fun? And we know that when children have fun, they can learn better.

So, do you observe children playing outside? What do you ask your children to imitate?

They can also demonstrate critical milestones that they might not demonstrate when they are in a classroom environment. The main reason for this is that children are in a relaxed situation without the knowledge that they are learning or being assessed.

Ways You Can St im u lat e Ou t side Play One of the main ways you can encourage children to demonstrate what they have learned is through

Wh at ou r cu st om er s say: "Service throughout was excellent, from your prompt reply to our initial enquiry, your proactive sales rep and surveyor to the professional installation team. Your team worked extremely hard to get the canopy installed in record time, leaving the site clean and tidy. We are very pleased with the product."

King Alfred School - Barnet, London

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CARING FOR YOUR CANOPY Looking after your canopy or shade structure during the autumn and winter months is very important.

All our structures are fully tested to exacting load calculations but if snow and ice is allowed to build up on your structure it will be subjected to a higher than average snow load, which could put excess strain on the structure.

It is important to remove snow from the roof of your

canopy. The snow can easily be removed with a soft, long handled broom.

Please ensure the correct access equipment is used when clearing snow from any of our canopy structures.

The change of seasons means that gutters will need to be checked

regularly to ensure rainwater can runaway efficiently.

Gu t t er in g M ain t en an ce Don?t forget to regularly check and clear away any build-up of leaves and other debris which has fallen in to the guttering.

BEAT THE RUSH If you are thinking about ordering a canopy for your school, then book your free site survey now to ensure you get to choose an installation date that suits you. Slots still available for February half term. East er 2018 is also filling up fast! Call us on 0800 389 9072 to secure your dates.

IDEAS FOR NEXT TERM We hate to mention it but the new term isn?t that far away and before you know it, you will need to think about ideas for lesson and activities in January. So, to get the creative juices flowing we thought we would mention these:

16 January ? celebrate the Chinese New Year. This year it is the year of the Dog. There are lots of ideas associated with this ? create your own Chinese lanterns of even a Chinese dragon, look into the cultural relevance of the

Chinese New Year celebrations and so on.

Then at the end of January (starting on the 30) there is National Story Telling Week. This well-established initiative is a brilliant way to involve children in the writing and delivering of

their own stories. It will stimulate imagination and creativity, improving English as they go along.

And for real confidence development they can tell their stories to their class and school mates.

Wh at ou r cu st om er s say: "Excellent workers can't fault the service provided.

Best contractors I?ve had here in a long time."

Holton Road Pr imar y School, Vale of Glamor gan, 5

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CANOPY IN COLDER WEATHER As the weather gets colder and wetter it is tempting to move all activities indoors yet the outdoors still offers so many benefits and with your canopy you can enjoy these benefits even when the weather gets more wintery!

Ear ly Year s Ideas Here are some ?under the canopy? play and learning suggestions: M ove ou t door play equ ipm en t u n der t h e can opy ? if safe to do so, to allow use of equipment even in snow or ice ? make sure you do an inspection before letting the children use it to ensure it?s not icy.

Nat u r al r esou r ces ? collect leaves and twigs from around your grounds (or have parents or staff bring them from their own gardens) and have fun making collages with coloured leaves or use the leaves as stamps to create interesting designs.

Developin g sk ills ? Playing outdoors in colder weather also offers a great opportunities for children to learn about wrapping up warm and helps them develop their fine motor skills when doing up their coats and putting on scarves and gloves etc.

Pr im ar y & Secon dar y Sch ool Ideas: Ou t door lesson s ? have pupils wrap up warm and turn the canopy into a wildlife shelter to see what wildlife is living in your playground ? this could be a great introduction to lessons about hibernation and migration and also the life cycle of trees. Setting up a weather watch is another great way to use the natural resources to reinforce learning about the seasons and wind, rain and snow.

Ou t door even t s ? A canopy also offers great outdoor cover for any

events you have planned. For if you are holding a fireworks display you could serve soup, hot dogs or hot chocolate under the canopy, or even mulled cider for adults! It can also provide extra space for your Christmas fair or market ?by allowing you to bring some stalls outside, such as food or drink ones.

Ou t door seat in g ? By adding picnic tables or benches under your canopy you can create a pleasant seating area where people can get a breath of fresh air, or enjoy some alfresco dining even when it?s raining.

En h an ce you r can opy w it h secu r e r oller sh u t t er s, side f ills an d saf et y bar r ier s ? we offer a range of canopy extras to create a more enclosed space, which can offer more shelter from the wind and rain. Find out more about our canopy extras here.

Below left: The Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy with Secure Roller Shutters installed at Middlewich Primary School in Cheshire.

Below right: The Coniston Wall Mounted Canopy with Secure Roller Shutters installed at Llanharan Primary School in Rhondda Cynon Taff

If you w ou ld like a can opy, sh ade sail or aw n in g qu ot at ion , con t act u s t oday: Call: 0800 389 9072 Em ail: sales@ablecanopies.co.uk Facebook : @ablecanopies Tw it t er : @ablecanopies