In picturesque North Dorset sits the town of Blandford which is served by Blandford Leisure Centre.
The leisure centre features two swimming pools, a gym, a multi-use hall, sport hall, Nordic sauna, café and tennis courts.
Early Years (2-4)
Early Years (2-4)
In recent years there has been a cultural shift in our society that has reduced the access and use of outdoors for many young children.
A number of factors are blamed, including increased fear amongst adults in relation to children’s safety, anxieties about the threat of abduction, and technological advances leading to an overwhelming prominence of more sedentary indoor activities, such as television and computer games. However, the developmental needs of young children have remained constant and the outdoor environment continues to be essential to their health, development and well-being. Therefore, regular opportunities for sustained periods of play in a rich and stimulating outdoor environment offer a wide range of benefits to babies, toddlers and young children.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum, which covers children aged birth to the end of the Reception year, became statutory in September 2008 and places strong emphasis on the importance and value of daily outdoor experiences for children’s learning and development.
Learning outside the classroom supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by offering children opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of well-being. It gives them contact with the natural world and offers them experiences that are unique to outdoors, such as direct contact with the weather and the seasons. Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness.
And, of course, the outdoor environment offers more space than indoors and therefore is particularly important to those children who learn best through active movement. For many children, playing outdoors at their early years setting may be the only opportunity they have to play safely and freely while they learn to assess risk and develop the skills to manage new situations.
While many of these experiences will take place on-site, outdoor learning may also take place within the local community, for example a walk to the bakery, or past the building site on the way to the park. These off-site ‘expeditions’ offer both children and adults a catalyst for play and conversations. Ultimately, play and learning that flow seamlessly between indoors and outdoors make the most efficient use of resources and build on interests and enthusiasms. Forest Schools are growing in popularity across the UK and are increasingly offered as part of the early years curriculum in schools and settings.
Finally, parental involvement in children’s learning is particularly important in the early years as parents and carers are the child’s first educators. Early years settings, including children’s centres, are increasingly involving parents in developing and using their outdoor areas and in supporting other outdoor learning opportunities.
Suitable Venues
Set in the Hertfordshire town of Sawbridgeworth, Leventhorpe Pool and Gym offers the local community the opportunity to get active both in and out of the water.
At Fanshawe Pool and Gym in Ware, Hertfordshire, you will find a new and improved gym, multi activity room and a swimming pool.
This Hertfordshire gym offers the very latest in fitness equipment and is staffed by our fully qualified gym staff. In the pool you will find our award winning swim school as well as a range of water based activities.
Saltdean Lido at Saltdean Park Road, Saltdean, in the city of Brighton and Hove, is an Art Deco Lido designed by architect R.W.H. Jones and opened in 1938.
PLEASE NOTE THE LIDO'S SWIMMING FACILITIES ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED BUT THE LIBRARY AND COMMUNITY CENTRE ARE OPEN.
Whether you are studying the Romans, Normans, castles, Victorians, or the Home Front and World War II, you will find plenty to keep your pupils engrossed both whilst visiting Cardiff Castle and during preparation and follow-up work at school.
In our fun, free and interactive galleries, discover how Cardiff was transformed from the small market town of the 1300s, to one of the world's biggest ports in the 1900s, to the cool, cosmopolitan capital we know today.
Bickleigh Castle is sure to cast its magical spell on you. With its romance, rich history and stunning setting it has become a unique venue.
There are a huge range of activities available both at the Castle itself or very nearby, including:
A fascinating medieval cob house, containing a cross-passage screen decorated with a painting of St Andrew. See the smoke-blackened timbers. Discover the fascinating history behind the cottage and enjoy the garden with contemporary cob summer house.
Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre is a 45,000 square foot indoor attraction that provides a unique opportunity to view our Fairground Heritage in a beautiful rural location. It is a facility unique in the UK, designed to capture the magic of a bygone age through exhibits, vintage engineering and stunning artwork displays - offering a great day out for all the family.
The displays in Dawlish Museum are changed regularly and aim to represent life past and present in the town, for example the acclaimed display of the February storms which severely damaged the railway.
Children as well as adults are catered for and there are activities especially for them.
Devon's Crealy Great Adventure Theme Park is an award winning family attraction located just minutes from junction 30 of the M5 near Exeter. The Park has over 60 rides and attractions set in over 100 acres of glorious Devon countryside. We are proud to be a theme park that caters for the whole family, from the smallest children to parents and grandparents alike.
Opening in 1898, the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway in North Devon was considered one of the world's most famous and picturesque narrow-gauge railways. Despite its attraction, it closed in September 1935 because of declining passenger numbers.
One of the country’s leading sporting venues, Plymouth Life Centre provides both locals and tourists with a fantastic range of sport and activity to get involved with.
Open during the summer months, Mount Wise Swimming Pools offer local people and visitors to Devon with a choice of outdoor swimming.
We have a 25m main pool, a paddling pool and an activity pool alongside a sunbathing terrace. If you are looking to swim or just paddle in the warm British sunshine then make sure you visit Mount Wise Swimming Pools in Plymouth, Devon.
The remains of the largest castle in Devon, in a stunning setting on a wooded spur above the rushing River Okement. Begun soon after the Norman Conquest as a motte and bailey castle with a stone keep, it was converted into a sumptuous residence in the 14th century by Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon, much of whose work survives.
Cornwall's Crealy Great Adventure Theme Park is a vibrant and welcoming visitor destination year-round, uniquely interpreting the legends of the area and famous for delivering great adventures and days out for the whole family. The Park opens in February up to early November, with annual activities reflecting the seasons.
Diggerland has many educational benefits. Students are taught to use everyday construction machinery including real diggers and dumpers!
The North Devon Maritime Museum offers a fascinating insight into the rich shipbuilding and seafaring history of the area. It is housed in a fine, Georgian Grade II listed building which has been the home of several ship owners and master mariners in the past 200 years and is situated in the picturesque village and sea port of Appledore.
It’s a day out for the whole family with model/miniature railways and a country park as well as heritage steam and diesel locomotives operating and a host of other attractions. Sometimes you can see special visitors, be it Thomas the Tank Engine, a vintage Steam or historic Diesel Loco.
Bognor Regis is a traditional West Sussex seaside town. We’ve got three contemporary resort hotels, a funky spa, a restaurant by celebrity chef Brian Turner, a 2012 Quality Coast Award beach and the South Downs National Park on our doorstep.
The Whimple Heritage Centre is managed and maintained by an enthusiastic group of volunteers interested in Whimple's past and also its present.
Welcomes you to journey back to a bygone age and experience the thrill of steam and diesel on their preserved railway.
Peak Rail welcomes you to journey back to a bygone age and experience the thrill of steam and diesel on their preserved railway, operating between Rowsley South and Matlock Platform 2 for a distance of 4 miles and open to the public throughout the year.
Come explore amongst the 200-year-old trees!
Penn Woods are achingly explorable, ideal for minibeast hunting, leaf collecting, pond dipping, ladybird spotting, snail racing, picnicking and almost anything else you like to do outdoors with the kids!
In an area renowned for its rich stock of ancient woodland, Penn Wood, at its very heart, stands out as one of the largest.
Woods Mill is a 44-acre Nature Reserve that covers a variety of habitats including meadow with hedgerow, freshwaters and woodland. Most of the reserve is now accessible by wheelchair. There is a classroom with a wide range of equipment for indoor and outdoor studies suitable for all age groups.
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