Enabling Environments: Outdoors - Clear thinking

Fascinating action research by academics at the University of British Columbia suggests that the design qualities applied to early childhood outdoor spaces have a significant effect on children's use and enjoyment of these spaces. So far, we've looked at three of the seven Cs that make up the research team's 7Cs approach to planning outdoor spaces: 'character' (Nursery World, 7 April), 'context' and 'connectivity' (Nursery World, 5 May). This month we explore 'clarity' and 'challenge'.

CLARITY - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The 7Cs guidance defines 'clarity' in two ways: visually and physically, with the two being fundamentally connected.

In a physically legible space, children are able to move around in logical ways (by which we, of course, mean logical to children - they will consider 'along the edge of the planter' or 'in between the fence and the hedge' perfectly logical). The flow of children's play is uninterrupted by equipment or features and their activity choices are informed in positive ways by the nature of the space available. A physically legible early childhood play space is designed with flow, visual perception and equality of occupation in mind.