Month: October 2018

Forget the Rahul, Ruby and Kim-Joy in yesterday’s The Great British Bake Off final, today our very own Creative Play bakers where busy taking part in our Spooktacular Bake Off!

With all the funds raised going to Children in Need everyone put their best bake forward when it came to creating Halloween-themed cakes. From gooey chocolate graveyards to a spooky spider’s web, petrifying pumpkins to a deadly devil cake, there was a whole range of frightening bakes to try! With judging focusing on three main categories, Taste, Texture and Design, everyone at Creative Play HQ channelled their inner Paul and Prue (as well as Sandi and Noel!) and scored the gruesome cakes accordingly.

After the tough scoring process (and lots of tasting) we decided to award Three Star Bakers; one for each scoring category!

TASTE STAR BAKER:

Claire, Telesales department with her Chocolate Devil Cake

TEXTURE STAR BAKER: 

Kelly, Telesales department with her Blood Red Velvet Cake

DESIGN STAR BAKER:

 Chelbie, Design department with her Pumpkin Surprise Cake

Overall, we had an amazing time at the event and we are delighted to have raised over £42.70 for Children in Need! A big thank you to all involved!

There is a range of varying benefits from introducing physical education to children in early years. Since the early years of a child’s life are so important to a child’s growth and development, it’s fully recommended that parents, guardians and teachers find ways to ensure proper growth and development to set them up for the rest of life.

One great way of achieving this is through physical education. While playground equipment can help children a great deal, it is also highly beneficial to find the ideal PE equipment for primary schools goes a long way in facilitating physical education. There have been many recommendations advocating for good physical education for children in their early years. If you are wondering what the specific importance of physical education is, here are a few examples to show you how vital PE is to kids, especially when very young.

Development of motor skills

If there is one thing that physical education certainly achieves well, it is in helping children to develop and hone their motor skills. Think of all of the running and climbing that the average child loves to be involved in. Kids can improve their balance and co-ordination with holistic benefits for mobility.

You can pick a range of safe, fun and educational primary sports equipment from Creative Play. We have a broad range of equipment suitable for early years children through teenagers to adults. There are many fundamental motor skills that are developed through physical education, such as learning how to throw, catch, skip and kick.

Development and building of stronger muscles and bones

Having strong muscles and bones is a great benefit to anyone, but especially for young children, since they are often involved in many daring and challenging activities. When engaging in activities such as pulling, pushing, climbing and jumping, physical education has been proven to greatly benefit the growth of strong muscles and bones. Schools and nurseries who select to add proper children’s gym equipment to their playgrounds allow their children to enhance bone health and muscular development at a formative time.

Improved physical and mental health

One of the greatest benefits of physical education is to improve the physical health and mental health at the same time. Children who are involved in regular physical education are much more likely to have better physical health when compared to those who don’t. For those children introduced to physical activity of increasing intensity, their hearts and bones are offered a range of benefits.

There is an increase of cases of cardiovascular health issues among children nowadays, so to curb this, the NHS and WHO recommend at least an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day for children. There is scientific proof that physical activity minimises obesity in children. This can all be achieved through physical education with the right primary sports equipment. Running and cycling style activities are very useful.

Considering mental health, physical education has the potential to greatly boost children’s memories, as well as improving their concentration. Children are always learning, even at those early years, so having physical education is very important to facilitate their learning. Such opportunities can increase the chance of academic benefits. In many cases, these children can solve a range of complex skills thanks to their improved creativity.

Improving personal, emotional and social skills

Children who get physical education from an early age are better placed in many aspects of their lives. The trial and error options offered by physical education using different PE equipment for primary schools allows children to develop a way to deal with various challenges in their lives, helping with confidence, self-esteem and resilience.

Many of the children’s gym equipment on offer from Creative Play are also designed to help in improving social skills. Children playing with seesaws, swing-sets jig-saw play towers and many others have the opportunity to interact and work together to achieve certain play objectives. Such interaction not only improves social skills, but also communication skills, combining fun and education in one package.

Development of their talents

It is no doubt many children develop their talents from a young age. Physical education enables kids to discover and develop some of their talents at an early age. If well taken care of, many of these children will remain active in such exercise interests into later life, giving them a love of sporting activity into adulthood.

It should be noted that quality children’s gym equipment and PE equipment for primary schools is very useful in facilitating physical education. Here at Creative Play UK, we offer a wide selection of primary sports equipment to use in playgrounds. We have more than 25 years in supplying quality items for physical education across the UK.

From our deep understanding of the importance of physical education in early years, we design equipment suitable for all ages and sizes of children. It is clear that physical education in early years is important with the benefits mentioned above. Get in touch with us today by phone 01244 375627, email [email protected] or web form to discuss our range in detail.

Having proper garden gym equipment is a great advantage, since it enables you to have useful exercise times from the comfort of your own home, enjoying the best of both worlds in your home gym space. Still, it can be quite challenging to choose the ideal gym items, so we thought we’d put together a short list of some of the best gym items that you can incorporate into your garden gym. We offer all six of these types of garden workout equipment – and many more – here at Creative Play.

The Rider

This workout station makes a perfect item to add to your garden gym thanks to its versatility. This equipment piece, which is somewhere between an exercise bike and a rowing machine, offers you a full body, cardiovascular and toning exercise. You can exercise your arms, shoulders, abdomen, glutes and legs in one go.

This is made possible by pushing with your legs as you pull with your arms, providing your own workout through the resistance of your body and offering a low impact workout. With the design of The Rider, you will be providing your body with a balanced exercise workout in an enjoyable and playful way.

You can get cardiovascular exercise benefits similar to those achieved by jogging, as well as a leg work out comparable to that offered by pedal bikes. The design of The Rider suits teenagers and adults of age 16 and above, an ideal adult workout piece.

Pull Down Challenger

If you are looking for an item that can greatly increase your strength and stamina, the Pull Down Challenger truly is an ideal option. This is an excellent exercise equipment item for arms and shoulders, as well as the back. You can see from its design how ideal it is for strength and stamina building.

In fact, this type of garden gym item, also known as the Lat Pull Station, is considered to be among the most effective types of equipment for building muscle groups. It is comparable to our gym bars for garden options, except that it lets you manage the amount of weight you pull rather than using your full body weight.

Just like The Rider, the Pull Down Challenger offers exercise options to persons 16 years old and above.

Twist & Step

This garden gym equipment piece is a clever incorporation of two different workout procedures which one or two people can utilise. The twist element offered by the equipment provides hip twisting exercises, which are great for both the abdomen and the obliques.

Users also receive excellent cardiovascular exercise, as well as strengthening of leg muscles provided by the step element. As the name suggests, there are different stations for the step exercise and the twist exercise, so two people aged 16 or above can make use of the Twist & Step at a time, making it a great social gym piece.

These first three garden workout equipment items are under the Fresh-Air Fitness (FAF) equipment range, made from robust steel tubing, with a free zinc primer and thermoplastic powder coating. We offer superior quality stainless steel for all of the fixings of our equipment, as well as a tamper-proof quality. You can check our website for the various types of guarantees, which will differ for various parts of the equipment.

Overhead Ladder

A proper overhead ladder is great for exercise. The equipment we offer here is a high-quality workout overhead ladder that can greatly develop your upper and core body strength. The design of this outdoor gym equipment is ideal for that many varying muscles groups across the arms, shoulders and abdominals.

The ladder is a perfect example of the benefits of gym bars for garden. This is similar to the parallel bars, you can consider this durable fit perfect for your garden gym thanks to its structure. The overhead ladder is made up of 120mm × 120mm timbers with stainless steel rungs. The non-movable parts of the gym item make it excellent for outdoor work out spaces. The ladder is ideal for persons aged 11 and above who are at least 1.4m tall.

Sit-Up Bench

Sit-ups are a popular and great way to work out. It is therefore, often of benefit to also include a sit-up bench in your garden gym. This can help you to develop core body strength. By targeting abdominal, hip and upper thigh muscles, among many other varying groups, you can achieve a real boost to overall general body strength.

With an ideal structure and design, as well as durable materials, this sit-up bench is perfect for your garden gym as it is for playgrounds and parks. Thanks to the 120mm×120mm timbers and stainless-steel elements, with no moving parts, you can comfortably and safely have the bench in your garden gym.

Leg Raises

You wouldn’t want to miss this great gym item to round off your garden workout equipment. With a design specifically made to develop core and lower body strength, this equipment piece makes for a great choice.

By targeting a number of muscles groups, such as the abdominals, hips and upper thighs, the Leg Raises station is undoubtedly an excellent addition to your outdoor gym. Similar to the sit-ups bench and overhead ladder, the timbers of the Leg Raises are 120mm×120mm with stainless steel nonmoving parts for durability and stability.

You can get all the above garden gym equipment for your garden gym from Creative Play. All of our workout equipment comes with full exercise instructions and lengthy guarantees. For each piece of garden workout equipment, you get a product that conforms to the latest safety standards EN 16630 and EN 1176. To find out more about any of our range, from gym bars for garden through to the Twist & Step, you can Contact us today.

As you go through the transition from summer to winter, there are so many things you can do to help the children in your school. One that is often overlooked, when compared to spring and summer activities, is that you can still have the kids spend quality outdoor time by assisting them to fully utilise the playground. Autumn is a great time that brings out the beauty of outdoor spaces. You can use playground equipment together with outdoor sensory equipment to get the children to encounter many sensory experiences, with many offered by this wondrous season.

If you have a playground at your school, there are a number of cross-curricular activities your children can enjoy in these spaces. You might even be able to cover the seven areas of learning required for the Early Years Foundation Stage. As you make lesson plans, you can use some of the ideas below. These are just a few great ideas to help your kids get the best out of a playground area this Autumn:

Physical Education and Physical Development Activities for Autumn

Autumn allows us to enjoy some fantastic outdoor walks, you can just pick a coat and go out for a walk, there is so much to see while you exercise. As for your children, you can help them to play games that encourage physical activity. Take for instance a scavenger hunt. Autumn environments are appealing and kids will enjoy running around looking for Autumn treasures. This a great idea to have them get their exercise, since they won’t even realise the exertion as they enjoy playing so much.

This allows them to develop physically while enjoying themselves. You could have children go back and forth from your main playground area, even combine the hunt with some play time on swings or climbing frames. Sometimes, if your playground is situated near trees, it can be a helpful idea to have children gather and clear away leaves as part of the game.

You can also guide your children to use the playground equipment you have at school to play a range of games.

One ideal game the kids can play is pretending to be any of the Autumn animals. Trim Trails and Climbing Frames are perfect for children who want to pretend to be busy animals like the squirrels. Assist the kids to move, jump, swing and climb across the Trim Trail like balancing squirrels, carrying acorns or nuts from one end to the other.

If you want to increase fun, and learning, you can build teams for the children to compete with each other in the gathering, carrying and storing of most acorns. You can even acquire Den Making equipment for an autumn building task. These help with both educational and physical benefits. Kids can learn about animals that hibernate as they exercise. You can make it a competition for children to navigate the school grounds as they look for leaves and twigs and other suitable materials to build different animal habitats.

Expressive Arts and Design

While you let kids walk around the school playground, they get to see an array of Autumn colours and textures as well as various natural scenes. Sometimes you might not have ideal environments for such walks. Creative Play UK offers sensory garden items which are great for creating environments with engaging surroundings.

You can acquire different types of planters and plant various plants, which in this season will give an appearance of Autumn tones. There are playboards with different types of animals which you can add into certain spaces in the playground for various effect. Creative Play also offer materials that can be used during physical education lessons or break time. You could also get crayons and boards children can draw with. They could lie on leaves in the Autumn and draw the current environment.

Mathematics and Numeracy in Autumn

Your playground offers an ideal space where kids can be involved in gathering, counting, recording and creating charts. This can help even the very young kids to learn statistics, collecting skills, presentation to the group, analysis of colours and patterns, and interpretation of the environment. They can gather acorns, cones and leaves that come in different sizes and shapes.

Children can learn many mathematical concepts like weight, quantity, shape, sizes as they collect and measure things dropped by trees and plants during Autumn. You only need to get them the right equipment and guide them to utilise the school playground and children will do the rest as they learn and understand the world around them as they socialise together.

For more on our range of outdoor playground equipment items, many of which are designed to be used throughout the year and enjoyed in autumn as much as any other season, you can contact us by phone 01244 375627 or email [email protected], or explore the collections here on our site.

Having an outdoor playground at your school, nursery, park or even home is a very good idea, but making sure that the right equipment is installed in it is an even better idea. With the ideal playground equipment incorporated into the spaces, you give the children at home or in your school a chance at some real benefits, including:

1. Combining learning with fun
2. Enjoying their play while improving their physical skills
3. Gaining the physical benefits of exercise
4. Learn how to deal with small fears by taking measured risks
5. Learning how to co-ordinate play and socialise with other children

In short, you help children to get the most out of an outdoor playground by getting the right equipment. There are many items you can add to your ideal outdoor playground, but one of the most popular and enduring equipment pieces in almost every playground is a swing. Swings come in many types, so it might be tricky to pick the right one. To get an idea on some of the best swing types, we’ve put together a short guide with outdoor swings UK options that make great choices. Some of the best types of swing for outdoor playgrounds include:

Basket Swing: The basket swing is a popular outdoor swing choice with unique charm. A round basket-like shape gives it a different appearance and feel from a traditional swing. With a natural look, you can enhance any outdoor play space with this swing. This is one exciting addition to any playground, with a design to allow the young user to learn about gravity and momentum in a very exciting way, you can see why this swing is among the best. Remember the aim of modern playgrounds is to combine both fun, learning and creativity.

The basket swing is very useful. This type of swing is made to accommodate various ages, ranging from under 5 years of age to those above 16, if the basket is big enough! Basket swings come in many sizes, even big enough to allow more than one user in some designs. As mentioned earlier, it is a great idea to have a playground that promotes socialising, so maybe get a row of basket swings that allow children to enjoy swings together. With the design and size of the basket swing seat offering extra security, this swing is also a great idea for children with additional physical needs or those who need more assistance.

Double Swing (Cradle Seat): Another of the best outdoor swing examples is the double cradle seat swing. Since swings have been a traditional playground equipment design to exhilarate kids, it is always a good idea to have the chance for more than one user. The double swing allows more kids to enjoy this playground favourite, you could even have 2 pairs of children use the swing, pushing each other, enjoying themselves and learning how to co-operate. Children can get hours of fun from this safe and secure swing thanks to the great design of cradle seats. Similarly to basket swings, this swing type also enhances any play space with its natural appearance.

Double Swing (Flat Seat): You’d be missing a classic option if your outdoor playground doesn’t have the traditional flat seat swing. This, for many years, has been a favourite playground equipment, a staple playground choice for many years and it never seems to get old. Children will always run to a swing once they spot it in a playground. The flat seat is still one of the best outdoor swing seat options any playground can get. The flat design is especially good for slightly older children with more physical control, allowing them to actually swing themselves back and forth, providing fun even when alone.

You can get a range of very good wooden outdoor swings from Creative Play UK. All of the timbers used to make these wooden swings are pressure treated with a chrome-free and arsenic-free preservative. Of course, a swing becomes an even better option if it can last longer. With swings from Creative Play, you’re guaranteed many years of fun, thanks to our way of preserving and safeguarding our timbers against decay and insect attack.

Platform Swing: One of the most popular modern swings is the platform swing. This is a design that can allow up to four children at the same time. If there is something many children enjoy doing most, it is having their fun together with friends. By having a platform swing in your outdoor playground, you’ll be adding a unique design that will not just attract kids but also offer lots of fun. Imagine a group of kids as they enjoy swings together; it is an idea guaranteed to offer a lot of fun to children. Being a fine type of swing, you can add one or several to your outdoor playground equipment options. The platform swing is among the best types of swings for a modern playground, even better as it comes with different designs and materials for you to choose from.

There is great benefit to making physical education in schools as enjoyable as possible. This has led to many schools opting for PE equipment that will not only provide fitness, but also offer fun to kids as they use them. Another factor that is being increasingly considered is to bring outdoor play spaces a range of PE apparatus that is suitable and accessible to children in the school. At Creative Play, we have studied and researched educational play and its impacts throughout the UK.

Our experts design, deliver, install and maintain our range of items, which are among the best school PE equipment in the country. We have high-quality, durable and easy-to-use PE equipment items that you can use to host dynamic PE lessons that are as fun as they are educational. Here are five PE equipment items our experts recommend and have installed that kids of any school age will have fun using:

Jigsaw Play Towers

Kids have derived fun from jigsaw play towers for many years. This has been the case over the past few decades, as they have become very popular. Making use of a play tower during physical education is a great idea, since it enables children to gain a range of educational boosts. The kids can exercise as they climb up and down the towers, maintaining good health and keeping fit. They can also enjoy the imaginative adventures brought by moving from one end of a tower to the other. The rung ladders on this equipment also greatly improve confidence and courage in kids, and they will have a lot of fun doing learning to balance and climb. They may even compete who can go through the jigsaw play tower quickest.

All these qualities make this item highly enjoyable. Remember that these jigsaw play towers come with slides, which many children find very enjoyable. Here at Creative Play UK, we have a range of play towers to suit varying play spaces. You can also contact our experts and we’ll offer a free playground consultation of your school space and recommend, provide and install the most enjoyable jigsaw play tower for the kids in your school.

Adventure Trails (Spider Nets)

There’s no doubt that kids enjoy playing on adventure trails. The spider net features are useful in any PE lesson thanks to their facilitation of creativity and encouragement of socialising, with children always interested in these items. Children enjoy climbing and moving around while discovering.

You will find many children experience a lot of fun clambering from one side of the spider nets to the other. The ability to achieve their physical goals of moving about the adventure trails gives kids pleasure and satisfaction, while also providing a range of skill acquisition as they navigate. The child can go alone, or go in pairs or groups which could make the physical education lesson even more enjoyable.

You should also not forget that these equipment items are very useful learning tools, especially for PE lessons. The kids in your school will enjoy a range of development options, improving their balance and co-ordination, as well as growing in confidence, gaining all these benefits while having a lot of fun. Our experts at Creative Play design and build in-house superior quality adventure trails to provide fun to kids in your school, and serve PE lesson purposes, for over 20 years. We have spider net options that are ideal for children from 7 to 16 years of age.

Equipment Items for Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs)

Games such as football, netball and tennis are great for physical education lessons. Not only do these games bring many physical benefits, but also offer a lot of fun to children. You can see why the Multi Use Games Areas have become increasingly popular in schools, able to offer a range of sporting games all in one place. The MUGAs we create for you come with very enjoyable games for kids during PE, and you can use the space to conduct anywhere from 5 to 10 fantastic games in the same play area. Kids have a space to enjoy a range of different games, staying active and engaged for hours.

Having a MUGA in your school will elevate your PE lessons into valuable and productive play times where kids can combine fun play with physical activity. This is such an enjoyable opportunity with long-term benefits, considering it links the idea of an active and healthy lifestyle with fun in the minds of young people. The equipment items we install in your MUGAs eliminate the idea of having a single game and the tiresome state of repetitive activity that can come with some other play spaces. Being able to select from a broad range of games is enjoyable. Creative Play constructs excellent MUGAs, through our experts who put a lot of thought and skill into the creation of very enjoyable and useful spaces.

Outdoor Gym Equipment Items

Many schools and parks have, in recent years, embraced the idea of outdoor gyms, and many have even included them in their play areas. This has not only made these essential spaces accessible to many more children, but also changed the face of break times and physical education lessons. The school PE equipment items in these spaces are fun to use for school children of all ages and sizes. All of the outdoor gym equipment items we offer at Creative Play are enjoyable for children.

We have worked with many schools that we have provided gym equipment to and installed playground equipment at, with over 25 years’ activity in the market. We have options such as double cross-country skiers for cardiovascular exercises, seated leg press for excellent flexibility and strength, as well as balance beams for balance and co-ordination. The above items, and a lot of others, are ideal for pairing up, with activities in pairs during PE being fun for most children. Some of our other enjoyable gym equipment items include sit-up benches and children’s arm and pedal bike options. We are confident that kids will always have a lot of fun using our outdoor gym equipment items.

Trim Trails

Introducing trim trails as a PE apparatus option in your school also makes the whole lesson more enjoyable. Kids love to climb, so having the ideal equipment they can climb up on is very useful and satisfying. The teacher conducting the PE lesson can guide the pupils a few times, then allow them to utilise the Trim Trails themselves and grow in their physical skills. Soon enough, the kids will be competing on who can climb the fastest, something that brings a lot of fun. Being able to balance and use muscles to climb up this equipment is also gratifying, which is a great learning tool for children.

If you need more help on which school PE equipment are most enjoyable to kids, you can contact us anytime. We have friendly and knowledgeable experts who can advise and recommend the best PE apparatus to incorporate into your school’s play spaces for excellent PE lessons. We can visit your school for a free consultation and offer free installation of any equipment you purchase for your school, just get in touch with us by phone 01244 375627, email [email protected] or web form today.

We are pleased to announce we have re-launched and re-designed our popular Woodlander Range!

This range is made up of five different tower systems all with each individual play features and unique appearances.

The Woodlander range has been designed with the name in mind! Constructed with timber, and named after forests we have created a range that provides a rustic option with provide a great focal point for any setting and guarantee to keep children active and busy!

They encourage physical, active, imaginative and social play through many forms and great for children of a wide age range!

The 5 Towers are as follows:

WO102 – Greenwood

Our most simple tower of the five, the Greenwood is a one tower system with a Climbing Ramp to access the platform and a slide to exit. The tower is at a platform height of 0.9m making it perfect for children within the age range of Under 5’s to 11! Great for areas with a smaller area and includes a roof with windows to also encourage imaginative and social play!

Click here to view our Greenwood tower system

WO103 – Thetford

Going bigger, we then have our Thetford tower, this is a twin joint tower at a platform height of 1.5m providing play for older children (5-11)! The Thetford offers a selection of play features including a climbing ramp, ladder, slide and even includes a table with benches below the tower for that well deserved break after conquering the climb up!

Click here to view our Thetford tower system

WO109 – Epping

The Epping play tower is also a two tower system although the platform heights are at 0.9m – 1.5m – this promotes active, social and imaginative play over multiple levels and creates an extra challenge! The Epping provides a huge variety of play features including a climbing panel, firefighter’s pole and inclined ladder.

Click here to view our Epping tower system

WO110 – Sherwood

The Sherwood tower is one of the biggest with four tower at platform heights of 1.9m and 1.5m. Again this provides play over multiple levels creating the extra challenge and even has its own ‘den’! The Sherwood is packed full of play features including TWO slides, a climbing ramp, crawling tube, cabin tower and table and benches! This provides a great challenge for children to climb up, though and under and guaranteed to keep children entertained for hours! Promoting physical, active, imaginative and social play, the Sherwood is the perfect focal point for any area!

Click here to view our Sherwood tower system

WO106 – Heartwood

Lastly, we have our whopping Heartwood, this is a tower system with a difference! The Heartwood has a perimeter platform with a centre piece ‘cabin’ feature. There are tonnes of play features including two slides; curved tubular and straight, a net climber, climbing ramp, climbing wall and…. A double bay swing set! What more could you want!?! This truly the perfect tower for older children and encourages children to challenge themselves, interact with others and best of all PLAY! Again for that well deserved break, table and chairs are located beneath the tower.

Click here to view our Heartwood tower system

If you are looking to update your outdoor area, please don’t hesitate to contact us!  We have a team of friendly advisors who can support and guide you through the whole process if you need it. Please call 01244 375627 or email [email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you!