Earlier this year Ease attended the International Toy Fair 2018 in Nuremburg.
The Toy Fair always focuses on the trends it sees as the most important for the next 12 months. One of the largest trends identified was Natural Outdoor Play. Dr. Maria Costa, Director of Children's & Leisure Research, from the AIJU the Technological Institute Children's Products & Leisure specifically addressed the need for Natural Outdoor Play.
Dr Costa's piece focused on how children should be reconnecting with nature. More children than ever before are spending more time indoors and in front of screens. As a result children spend far less time in touch with the outdoor world around them.
There are many benefits to spending more time outdoors, one such interesting benefit is that children who spend more time outdoors are more interested in taking care of the environment around them. Introducing Outdoor Play can be difficult but we have a few products to help you utilise the most of your outdoor space.
Creative Activities
Children love to be creative and allowing them to be creative in the outdoors can help them build a connection with the outdoors.
Drawing allows children to discover through play while also expressing themselves. Using outdoor wall panels they can transform their normal environment into a creative space. Creating their new environment allows them to take ownership of the space. Even on a dull day the children can add colour using chalk. They can wiped clean after so they can be reused time and time again.
Check out more Mark Making Panels here.
Mud Kitchen
Mud kitchens are a great way to take advantage of our natural climate. Mud is a fantastic way for children to connect with the outdoors. They can interact with it in a huge amount of ways. It allows for open ended, creative play. Mud kitchens are great for even a small space as it doesn't take up much room.
Children can use their imaginations to 'bake' mud pies and create mud concoctions. Check out our natural outdoor kitchen. This fantastic kitchen combines all the best elements of natural outdoor play. There's a mark making panel, a planter for some gardening and even some wind chimes to make the wind musical.
Check out more Natural Outdoor Kitchens here.
Sand Play
Sand is fantastic for children because it is tactile and gives a variety of play opportunites, they can construct sand castles, use it to make shapes or draw in it.
They are also learning without even realising, experimenting on what will happen if they add more sand to the sand castle, if they add water what will happen to the sand. They are becoming little engineers learning about balance, weight and quantities.
If you're looking to add Sand Play we have some great options, check out our water and sand trays.
These strong versatile trays come with a water release valve underneath.
Check out more Sand and Water Trays and tables here.
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