Play Resources and Equipment
JOURNEY INFORMATION
This page outlines your play resources and equipment eco-journey and is here to help you stay determined and on track! It contains detailed actions that you and your nursery setting can take at every step of your journey towards sustainability (including ways to share the message).
If you haven’t already, visit the Eco wheel page which will give you step by step instructions on utilising the information available on this site, in the most logical order!
If you’re one step ahead and ready to get going with your journey docs, either follow the stages one-by-one by scrolling down and reading the steps in order. Or use the menu to the left to jump to your desired stage!
Next step: Getting familiar with the Play Resources & Equipment impact docs!
Alternatively, to view the downloadable PDF version of this content select the link below
No Priority for the environment
If you are at this stage…..
Below is a description of a setting at the beginning of its eco-journey which currently has No Priority for the Environment in terms of supplies, equipment and play resources.
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Supplies, equipment and play resources are bought without any consideration for the environment and nothing is recycled.
If you are at this stage…..
Some Consideration for the environment
In-House Actions
Below is a description of a setting which qualifies for the stage: Some Consideration for the Environment, in terms of supplies, equipment and play resources.
Office
Paper supplies
- Use both sides of the paper when writing by hand and print double sided when possible.
- Printers are used in eco-mode.
- If paper must be printed on only one side, it is later reused during children’s play.
- Some communication with parents is moved online (e.g. newsletters).
Equipment
- Some printers, shredders and PC monitors are energy efficient and some have sleep modes.
Stationary suppliers
- Folders are reused.
- Some consideration is given to the materials used in stationary products and the resultant waste produced.
Marketing Materials
- If internally or externally produced, marketing materials are made from recycled materials.
Play Equipment
Toys
- Fewer plastic toys are bought to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used.
- Instead FSC certified wooden toys are bought.
Furniture
- Some consideration is given to the longevity of the product (this is often indicated by the guarantees/warranties offered with the item).
- Some items are bought second-hand.
Outdoor Equipment
- Investment is focussed on durable, long-lasting products.
Play Resources
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There is some consideration for the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle).
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Some materials are reused once and recycled e.g. face paint containers and empty paint bottles can be refilled or repurposed.
Craft Items
- A number of the ‘baddies’ (e.g. glitter and balloons which can; enter the marine environment, be accidentally ingested or persist for hundreds of years) have been banned.
- Paint/PVA is bought in bulk and decanted into smaller containers, to reduce packaging waste.
Messy Play
- Some messy play items are eliminated where similar effects can be achieved with more sustainable resources (refer to the ‘Food’ journey document for advice on food messy play alternatives).
- Playdough is made rather than bought.
Mark Making
- Single use plastic (SUP) consumption is reduced by making simple switches (e.g. replacing felt tip pens with crayons and pencils).
- Waste materials are sorted and recycled and reused where possible.
Sharing the Message
Colleague Engagement
Pedagogy & Curricula
Parents & Community
Colleague Engagement
Office
Staff know when paper can and can’t be recycled i.e. any documents displaying sensitive information cannot be put in a recycling bin and must be shredded instead.
Play Equipment
Staff are engaged with a ‘less is more approach’ to resources, where fewer better-quality, multipurpose resources are preferred to lots of specific toys.
Play Resources
Single use items used in play are recycled whenever possible at the end of life. Staff share changes in resource use and purchasing with parents to help them make similar changes at home.
Pedagogy & Curricula
Play Equipment
Children are engaged by the play activity rather than the toy itself. Children begin to be more imaginative in play with multipurpose resources.
Play Resources
Children have some appreciation for what a single use resource is. Children are taught about environmental ‘baddies’. Children are happy to reuse scrap paper.
Parents & Community
Office
Parents are aware that the setting is beginning to reduce its environmental impact and resultantly they are happy to receive communications electronically. Any issues with changes are addressed before they are implemented.
Play Equipment
Parents are aware of the ‘less is more’ message and understand the benefits of multipurpose resources such as cardboard boxes.
Play Resources
Parents make informed choices when buying consumable resources. i.e. buying recycled paper for children’s art work.
Improvements making a difference
If you are at this stage….
In-House Actions
Below is a description of a setting which qualifies for the stage: Improvements Making a Difference, in terms of supplies, equipment and play resources.
Office
Paper Supplies
- Only recycled paper is purchased. Printing is only done when necessary.
- Paper is partially recycled after use.
Equipment
- Equipment is used in energy efficient mode and turned off when not in use.
- When equipment breaks, it is repaired rather than replaced.
Stationary Supplies
- Only recycled stationary is purchased, and plastic is avoided unless essential.
- Pencils without an eraser are the eco-friendliest option.
- Consumables (e.g. ring binders and lever arch folders) are reused as much as possible.
- An archiving system has been established to facilitate this.
- A recycling system is in place to sort and recycle office waste.
- Staff are supplied with pencils or refillable metal pens with metal refills.
Marketing Materials
- The 8Rs are starting to be considered in association with marketing materials.
- As a result these are becoming electronic rather than paper-based.
Play Equipment
- When items must be bought new, research is conducted to minimise the environmental impact.
- The following questions are considered:
- Is it made from a renewable material?
- If wooden, is it sustainable and/or FSC certified?
- Does it require the mining of minerals, which damages the surrounding environment?
- How far must the material be transported?
- How long does the resource last?
Some websites do this work for you such as www.ethicalconsumer.org.
Outdoor equipment
- Equipment is made of natural resources and multipurpose materials are sourced second-hand.
Toys
- Second-hand items are purchased where possible.
- Old toys are recycled or given to charity.
- Toys when broken are repaired rather than thrown away.
Furniture
- Consideration is always given to the longevity of the product.
- Many items are bought second-hand.
- Upcycling is considered where possible.
Play Resources
Craft Items
- Most ‘baddies’ have been banned e.g. plastic stickers which produce considerable plastic waste.
- Staff replace ‘baddies’ with natural resources from their surroundings e.g. glitter replaced with hole punched leaves or flowers collected from the garden.
- Consideration is given to how natural resources are obtained e.g. are shells purchased that require the killing of organisms? Is fabric supplied from sweatshops?
- Items are occasionally bought from second-hand retailers such as scrapstores.
Messy Play
- Natural resources such as mud, sand and water, are introduced to messy play to promote curiosity and sensory exploration.
Mark Making
- Plastics are eliminated from mark making activities (e.g. laminating sheets) and some consideration is also given to the materials and manufacturing of the products (e.g. only water-based paints are used and paint is bought as light weight powder and mixed up when used, saving shipping costs and packaging sizes).
Sharing the Message
Colleague Engagement
Pedagogy & Curricula
Parents & Community
Colleague Engagement
Office
Staff engage with reducing waste by being careful not to lose pens and pencils.
Play Equipment
Staff respect and value resources by looking after items so they last (not leaving them out in the rain or being played with inappropriately so they break). Staff share these values with children.
Play Resources
Staff can identify single use items and plan to reduce the amount of waste. Staff help set up natural resource messy play.
Pedagogy & Curricula
Play Equipment
Children choose open ended resources as their preferred choice of play item. Children are taught how to value and look after items to allow them to last longer. Children are happy to reuse materials and understand why pencils are replacing pens. Children help recycle materials.
Play Resources
Children play using the resources as if they are valuable, i.e. a piece of paper is drawn on both sides. Children understand that wasting resources is bad.
Parents & Community
Office
Any paper documents that parents receive are printed on recycled paper. Some marketing and communications are received electronically.
Play Equipment
Parents value multipurpose resources that enable imaginative play and begin to introduce this at home. Parents are aware of the considerations that go into new purchases.
Play Resources
Parents actively encourage play which reuses scrap items (i.e. making models from cardboard tubes, plastic bottles, cereal packets) and they help supply these materials from home.
Doing well on your eco journey
If you are this stage…
In-House Actions
Below is a description of a setting which qualifies for the stage: Doing Well on Your Eco Journey, in terms of supplies, equipment and play resources.
Office
Paper Supplies
- The office is predominantly ‘paperless’.
- Suppliers are asked to email invoices and receipts.
- All paper used is recycled after use.
Equipment
- When appliances need replacing, energy efficiency and repairability are key factors in purchasing choice.
- Printers with refillable cartridges are preferable.
- Suppliers are asked to deliver items in returnable or recyclable containers.
Stationary Supplies
- Only essential stationary items are purchased, and these are made of recycled materials, recyclable and often reused.
Marketing Materials
- The 8Rs feature strongly in the decision to introduce new paper marketing materials.
- Online marketing is becoming more prevalent.
Play Equipment
- A considerable amount of thought has been put into the type of play areas used and how to lessen environmental impacts and increase longevity.
Toys
- Suppliers are made aware that the setting only want to purchase products with no damaging environmental impacts.
- Plastic toys are never purchased new.
Furniture
- Most furniture is repaired to extend longevity and is then donated to charity or recycled after use.
Outdoor equipment
- Playground equipment is bought to last, and suppliers have high environmental standards.
- Movement away from artificial lawns to more sustainable alternatives.
- If not possible, offsetting measures are introduced to promote biodiversity such as natural meadow/ wildflower areas.
Play Resources
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All 8Rs are introduced and considered with respect to play resources.
Craft Items
- All ‘baddies’ are banned e.g. plastic googly eyes.
- Staff, children and parents collect natural resources (e.g. leaves and conkers) from their surroundings for loose parts play.
- Most natural resources are obtained sustainably. Resultantly, most is sourced second-hand or the supplier has high environmental standards.
Messy Play
- Playdough is made from environmentally friendly ingredients (e.g. fairtrade, organic, vegan).
Mark Making
- Natural alternatives are used where possible to minimise environmental impact.
Sharing the Message
Colleague Engagement
Pedagogy & Curricula
Parents & Community
Colleague Engagement
Office
Staff minimise the paperwork received from the setting, by choosing electronic communications.
Play Equipment
Staff engage with a thrift culture where items are repaired when broken. Staff make suggestions to improve existing resources by addition and modification.
Play Resources
Staff see all items that are being disposed of as a potential resource for play, they find a second use for lots of items.
Pedagogy & Curricula
Play Equipment
Children are very happy to use recycled materials when playing and this facilitates imaginative play i.e. using a cardboard box with numbers drawn on as a till. Children value and look after items without being reminded.
Play Resources
Children’s imaginations are allowed to grow through the use of second-hand items. Children share their knowledge about the value of resources with their parents.
Parents & Community
Office
Potential customers receive information packs and forms electronically when accepting a place at the setting. Most marketing and communication is received online.
Play Equipment
Parents decline throw away plastic toys that come with fast foods or cereals. Parents are aware of the issues associated with artificial and regular lawns. Parents begin to apply similar changes at home (e.g. wildflower areas in the garden).
Play Resources
Parents collect resources for reuse and natural resources to bring into the nursery to share.
Gone Fully Green
If you are this stage…
Below is a description of a setting which qualifies for the stage: Gone Fully Green, in terms of supplies, equipment and play resources.
In-House Actions
Office
- The 8Rs are fully embedded in every aspect of the office.
Paper Supplies
- The office is entirely ‘paperless’ with the exception of printed essentials.
- Most communication is electronic or disseminated in person.
- Emails contain ‘green’ messages about only printing when necessary.
Equipment
- All equipment is highly energy efficient and always turned off when not in use.
- Energy efficiency, repairability, longevity and end of life recyclability are all prioritised when new equipment is purchased.
Stationary Supplies
- No office waste goes to landfill.
Marketing Materials
- Marketing is largely paperless with any printed materials done on recycled paper and with recyclability messages on it.
Play Equipment
- The 8Rs are fully embedded in every aspect of play time.
Toys
- Educational themed sustainable toys are dominant within the setting.
- A ‘swap-scheme’ is set up to allow toys (e.g. bikes, baby toys) to be swapped amongst parents, reducing the number of new toys bought.
Furniture
- All furniture is long-lasting and repaired when broken to extend longevity.
- When no longer needed it is donated to charity or recycled.
Outdoor equipment
- Areas of the outdoor environment are left natural (e.g. wildflower areas). No artificial lawns are used.
- Lawn is left to grow regularly (mowed every 2.5 weeks at most) to allow pollinators access to lawn plants (dandelions and clover).
- Children dress in onesies when playing outside, to reduce the amount of muddy clothes and washing.
Play Resources
- The 8Rs are fully embedded in every aspect of play time.
Craft Items
- All resources (natural and artificial) are obtained sustainably.
- Resultantly, they are all sourced second-hand or the supplier has high environmental standards.
Messy Play
- Children enjoy messy play and it has a low carbon footprint and does not impact waterways or create unnecessary food waste.
Mark Making
- Natural alternatives are predominantly (if not entirely) used.
- Single use plastics are eliminated, and plastic containers are reused multiple times and recycled at the end of their use.
Sharing the Message
Colleague Engagement
Pedagogy & Curricula
Parents & Community
Colleague Engagement
Office
Staff receive all job-related paperwork electronically i.e. job offers, payslips etc.
Play Equipment
Staff set up parent swap/donate toy boards to allow the reuse of toys in ‘swap-schemes’. Parents are directed to repair cafes to fix toys (and other resources) and to increase their longevity.
Play Resources
Staff are informed about the source of play consumables and encourage play with reusable items. Staff make the most of local natural resources.
Pedagogy & Curricula
Play Equipment
Children don’t expect or demand brand new toys and resources. A reuse approach is now considered the norm. Children expect and are happy for their old toys to be passed on to new owners. Children respect the world’s resources.
Play Resources
Children learn to play with natural items from trees (e.g. seed helicopters, leaves, sticks, conkers). Children choose sustainable natural play resources over typical plastic toys.
Parents & Community
Office
All parents receive invoices via email and pay electronically. Parents interact electronically regarding all paperwork.
Play Equipment
Parents are involved in making toys and games for their children from sustainable sources (e.g. wooden toys dressing up capes from old cloths, dens). This may be facilitated by workshops held at the setting. Parents make several similar changes at home.
Play Resources
Parents share resources bought in bulk, reducing transportation and packaging waste.