ABSTRACT
Since The Introduction of the Foundation Stage in 2000 the push for quality outdoor play has been high on the early years agenda. The outdoor play area can provide the perfect medium through which the key principles of active and exploratory learning take place. The outdoors affords opportunities for children to work freely, on a large scale, in a challenging and stimulating environment. The division between indoor and outdoor play should become blurred, as more practitioners see how children can access a whole curriculum just as effectively outside (Bilton 2002). Indeed, for many young children being outdoors is more appropriate for their stage of development and learning. Working outside enables them to make choices, take risks, work collaboratively, and follow through their own ideas, without the constraints of lack of space, timetables and the ever present adult.
