If you ask your primary school students what their favourite time of day was, would the vast majority of them say playtime or outside break time? It’s no secret that most children love being outside and expending their energy running, jumping and climbing. What if you could harness that same energy and put it into creative lesson time? Playground based learning is a fantastic way to get children excited about learning through the use of their school playground equipment.
At Rhino Play, we have a wide range of school playground equipment designed to help children learn through play. All of our equipment can be used during playtime or incorporated into the curriculum with ease.
In this article, we will talk about some of Rhino Play’s product ranges and how they can be used during lesson time as well as playtime.
School playground based learning is the type of teaching that happens when a child is learning through their senses and having fun away from the traditional classroom environment. Jean Piaget, an educational theorist who published Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development, suggested that between birth and 11 years old, children progress rapidly through four key developmental stages, encouraging children to explore, solve problems and socialise through playing is a vital part of children growing up to become thoughtful, rational and responsible adults. Outdoor playing and learning is a great way to encourage Piaget’s four stages of development while also teaching children vital information about the world.
Encouraging teachers and learning support workers to take children outside of the classroom, a space of regime and focus and instead bringing them to the school playground, an area they associate with fun and friends, can help engage their brains in a different way. Let’s face it, some of the main lessons we all remember from school were the lessons taken in the school playground.
Research shows that happier and healthier children are more likely to perform better in school. Up to 60 minutes of outdoor exercise a day is said to boost children’s fitness levels and mental health. Taking learning outside of the classroom and into the school playground or field has the following benefits:
Here at Rhino Play, we work hard to design school playground equipment that can be used as both recreational and educational tools in the traditional and non-traditional senses. Outdoor play has a wide range of benefits for children, learn more about ‘the benefits of creative play’ in our blog. Read on to explore some of the products we have available which could assist in outside learning.
Made of thermoplastic materials, Rhino Play’s wide range of playground markings are the perfect addition to any school playground, the bright colours and unique designs create a bright, vibrant and fun environment for children to play and learn in.
With a wide range of designs available from buildings & places, roadways, maps and shape markings and letters & number markings. Playground markings can be incorporated into a variety of lesson plans or can be used to encourage children to practise what they’ve learnt in the classroom before or after school or during break times. With a wide range of playground markings to choose from, take your literacy lesson outside, and practise phonics, the alphabet with the alphabet spiral. Or children can become familiar with their multiplications by playing games on the Rhino Play multiplication grid. With hundreds of playground markings to choose from, children can learn a wide range of subjects and topics including learning Spanish, the solar system and the world map by playing or having lessons in their school playground.
Our wide variety of playground markings transform the appearance of your school playground and can be used in a variety of curriculum lessons, including PE, literacy, numeracy and more, as mentioned above. But, the playground markings can also encourage children to learn and play together, learning about general life items including animals prints, the UK map, clock roman numerals and so much more.
We have designed a wide range of brightly coloured and attractive play panels which are available in various shapes, sizes and themes. These panels can be installed in the playground for children to enjoy during their recreational time, and also used during lessons. Teachers can integrate the playground play panels into their lessons for most school subjects, including geography, music, literacy and numeracy. Teach children how to tell the time, discuss what the weather’s like, learn what this shape is, learn the alphabet and more outside of the classroom environment.
Rhino Play has a range of shelters including lean-to shelters, a gazebo 5m and the brand new platinum shelter. These shelters are the perfect addition to any school playground as they can be used as a sheltered outside learning classroom, and places for children to hang out, play and eat their lunch during breaks and lunchtimes. Designed and installed to your sizes and requirements means a frame table, seating, whiteboards, and chalkboards can be installed within the shelter, to create the perfect outdoor learning environment.
Rhino Play’s goal end makes for a fantastic addition to not only the playground. but also to physical education lessons, teaching children rules of basketball and football in P.E lessons, as well as numeracy and science lessons as well, why not see how many balls are shot into the goal, or through the hoop in a time period and teach children percentages and fractions though counting how many balls didn’t make it into the goal or basket? The timber goal end with its attached basketball hoop can be used to teach children coordination skills, the movements of the body, fractions, percentages and many more. The timber goal end is designed as an enclosed fencing area so balls can be thrown and kicked without the risk of them flying all over the playground.
We have been designing and installing school playground equipment for almost a decade and have built up a large knowledge base to help ensure your school builds the best playground to benefit your children. If you would like to encourage outdoor learning environments in your school, get in touch with a member of our friendly team today by emailing us at info@rhinoplay.co.uk for your free quote.
"Please note that we don't offer domestic / home garden play equipment generally."
