Use the sticky side to make nature bracelets or collect seed when walking through long grass – just wrap a piece onto your foot – sticky side out. This can be an activity in its own right or just useful for lots of little jobs as it’s possible to write on it. As a general rule, I tend to use this rather than give it to very young children to use. I particularly love the transparent types. There is now a huge range of colours so the duct tape blends into the decor. Some resources are better reinforced with duct tape prior to being played with such as these portable willow lattice dividers from Cosy which lasted for years, thanks to the duct tape. It remains my first line of defence for rips, splits and other repair jobs. I first encountered it in my student days when the canoe club used it to temporarily repair canoes. You may also enjoy this wonderful post about clamps from Jeff Johnsonwho is clearly equally obsessed with them. Have a look at this specific blog post on the abundance and diversity of pegs and why this matters. My favourite use of giant pegs are fun for all sorts of jobs, such as being a clamp for woodwork activities or to keep tarp in place. Having a variety of pegs for different purposes helps keep material in place, attach items on to washing lines and are just useful all round. This type of bungee seems to be more moderate, but care with their use is still needed. Normally I’m a little wary of bungee cords with the hooks as the ping back can be surprisingly intense. They can be a helpful accessory for den building too. They are useful washing lines and work well to wrap up bundles of sticks. Check out the Velcro and the pulley – all very useful resources Ask a climber for some old stock if they won’t be used for load-bearing e.g. They are bigger and strong than most wimpy fake versions. My preferred sort are real climbing karabiners. I use these as informal locks on gates, to clip bags onto fences and as part of any work with ropes and pulleys. If your hands are cold or you have children wanting to fasten their own objects to other things then it’s the bees-knees. It is also very strong and makes a wonderful sound when being pulled apart. It doesn’t mind getting wet and is easy to use in cold weather when little hands have difficulty tying washing line or string. I use it for attaching objects to fences such as guttering. I always have bags of the stuff ready for den making. The stuff you need comes in a roll and can be cut to size. When I talk about Velcro, I’m referring to a specific sort often called Self Gripping Ties. Here’s my little list of useful items (not an exhaustive one either) 1. If you are really with-it, you can make your own willow baskets… Think about the storage of these bits and use old bags.Year-on-year, more products are being made from recycled materials and natural products. Look out for environmentally-friendly alternatives.Have systems in place that ensure children remember and return the little bits to their bags or baskets after use.Often nylon braiding and ribbon is cut to short lengths – keep these in a bag and children can then use them without necessarily needing to cut them further to size. Twine can also be finger knitted into thicker or stronger thread if needed. It is biodegradable and little bits and pieces can be snipped up and added to the compost bin, for example, after using to attach plants to canes. Go for garden twine which is made of jute, a vegetable fibre.All the items can be re-used again and again.What about the environmental sustainability of these items? Remember to evaluate carefully the suitability of each resource for use with the group of children with whom you work. These are summarised within the Ultimate Loose Parts Play download which gives additional thoughts around the use and care of such items. So I thought it might be quite timely to update this post about those other bits and pieces which make my job with children, and staff, a little easier. It is strong enough to sit upon when making a swing and saves me a lot of time looking a suitable stick in situ in a stick-poor school ground or even in a wood. To be honest I’ve been totally obsessed with little items that make a big difference over the years I was training and supporting schools and ELC settings.įor example in my bag of ropes I have a “swing stick”. Part of that know-how is having a small, select pack of Very Useful Things. I was participating in a twilight workshop and one of the participants made a sage comment along the lines of being perfectly comfortable knowing her literacy and maths outside but lacking the practical know-how about outdoor skills. Many years ago years ago, I started blogging about accessories that make a difference to facilitating learning and play outdoors.
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