We've Moved!

We're proud to announce the launch of the brand new Red Monkey Play site, establishing Red Monkey for 2014 and beyond!

The new website is the place to visit for Red Monkey products and deals, play industry news and information, and play and learning tips.

With the launch of the new site, we're moving the blog over there too. You can find all our articles, new and old, over on our news page, so make sure you bookmark us to keep up to date with news and information from Red Monkey.

Wishing you all a very happy new year, and we look forward to seeing you on the new site!

Case Study: Richardson Endowed Primary

The brief

The staff at Richardson Endowed wanted to transform their playground into an interactive play and learning environment for their Key Stage 1 classes. Before Red Monkey arrived, the playground was a square of grey tarmac with a canopy shelter at the centre and a few playground markings - not the most inspiring place for the children to play!

The Red Monkey design team set to work planning out a play area that includes favourites from our play and learning range, while making the most of the features already present in the play area. The final design included one of our popular Pirate Ship play units in a dedicated pirate play area, and a learning zone that incorporated the existing shelter.

From dusty tarmac...

...to a charming play area!

The H.M.S. Richard Endowed sets sail!

The result

The finished play area is a vibrant environment full of great ways to play and learn. The Crow’s Nest Pirate Ship takes centre stage, with palm trees and coloured safety flooring providing a great role play zone for the kids.

Hide away in the Explorer's Den.

The tarmac play area has been replaced with all-weather play grass, and the existing canopy shelter has been incorporated into the design, filled with play grass of its own and ringed by a path with thermoplastic road markings for children to race around.

The canopy itself has been filled with learning and play panels, perfect for taking the classroom outdoors. Some tables and benches have been added to create an ideal outdoor learning environment. 

The scenic story area.

Elsewhere, the new play area features some interactive learning panels, a reading circle feature our reading chair and rubber mushroom seats, an exciting water wall and our Explorer’s Den, a great hideaway for some creative play.

The reception

Both the kids and the staff at Richardson Endowed were overjoyed by their new play area - in fact, it sounds as though some of the staff are looking forward to playing on the H.M.S. Richardson even more than the kids.

Those smiles make all the work worthwhile!

You can see how pleased they are with the play area over at the Richardson Endowed Primary blog - we love to see children smiling on our newly-installed play equipment.

If you’d like to see similar smiles on the face of your kids, all you have to do is call us today on 0116 366 9922 and arrange a free site visit - we’ll bring some Red Monkey magic to your play area, just like we did at Richardson Endowed! If you'd like to browse our range of great play products, click here to view our online catalogue.

Fun with Den Building

Children love den building - provide them with some space and a few basic tools, and they'll be off making great little hideaway dens. But den building isn't just good fun - it's also a great way to get children to socialise and practice their creative play skills.

The benefits of den building

Challenging & creative play

Den building is a challenge that tests children's physical and mental skills - from planning out the perfect den to making the most of the resources available to build a great hideaway.

Social & imaginative play

Dens are most fun when shared with others - children love to get together and act out stories, whether their new den is a hobbit hole or a fairy cottage. As well as encouraging imaginative play, the act of den building is great to get kids to cooperate and work together to build the best den possible. 

Independent play

Den building is a great way to get children playing in a safe environment without adult supervision, encouraging independent play and creative thinking.

Natural play

Den building is a great way to get children interacting with their natural environment - the best dens are those constructed from the world around them. Involve trees, twigs, rocks and leaves in your den building and get children involved in the natural world.

Some simple den building tips

Children really don't need much encouragement or many resources to start den building - they can build a den almost anywhere! Try taking them out to a safe natural environment and providing them with some simple equipment - sticks, poles, blankets, that kind of thing. You'll be amazed how quickly they can put a den together from next to nothing.

Red Monkey provide a great range of play equipment especially designed to encourage den building - from simple den poles to ready-made outdoor den environments. If you're interested in adding some creative den building equipment to your play area, get in touch in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter, or simply give us a call on 0116 366 9922.

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Winter Outdoor Play Ideas

Winter is a great time for children to play outdoors. Wrapped up against the chill, children love to play out in the frost and snow. We've written about the necessities of keeping children's play safe during winter months - now we're brining you some great play ideas to help you make the most of winter playtime!

If we're lucky enough to see some snow this winter, here are a few games your kids will love:

Footprint tag

It's just like tag, with a snowy twist; the chasing player can only step in others' footprints! An extra bit of challenge that only the snow can bring - it's a wintery take on a classic outdoor game.

Snowball target practice

The first thing children do when faced with a garden full of snow is roll up a snowball - so why not give them some target practice? Set up a target and a point to throw from, and they'll have great fun honing their snowball-chucking skills.

Snow hurdles

Snow makes for a natural obstacle course - why not roll up some small balls of snow and use them to set out a hurdle course. Children will love running and jumping over snow mounds, and it's a great way for them to get some exercise too.

Hat frisbee

First you'll need a snowman - that's a whole extra game in itself! Then you'll need a hat. Children take turns throwing the hat frisbee-style onto the head of the snowman - they score a point every time they successfully land it on his head.

These are just a few of the ways you can make the most of the winter months. Winter doesn't mean your children have to stay cooped up inside - get out there and start playing!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Winter Play Safety Tips

Winter can be a great time for outdoor play, but with temperatures dropping and the long nights setting in it's important to take a few extra safety precautions to keep children safe at play during winter months. Here are a few measures you can take to keep outdoor play safe and fun all winter long.

Wrap up warm

It may seem obvious, but keeping kids wrapped up warm in vital when they're out playing in cold weather. A thick waterproof coat, some good gloves, a hat and scarf are all important. Keep them bundled up underneath, too, with good thick jumpers and thermal underwear for those really bitter days.

Get some good wellies to keep their feet warm and dry in snowy conditions, and try to keep the rest of your child's clothes as waterproof as possible. Wool is better than cotton for this, as well as being warmer to boot. Of course, you can't always guarantee they'll stay dry, so...

Pack a change of clothing

If you're heading away from home for play time, you should pack some spare clothing just in case the children get wet. Nothing brings on a chill quicker than shivering in cold, wet clothing - if your child gets wet in the snow, then they should change out of their damp clothing as quickly as possible. Keeping a spare set of clothes in the boot of the car can save on some very damp and unhappy homeward journeys!

Supervise their play time

It's always important that children's outdoor play should be supervised, but this goes doubly for winter play. Always keep an eye on children playing around snow and water, and make sure to keep them away from any icy patches. And you should take extra care when it comes to outdoor play equipment...

Inspect outdoor play equipment

All good play equipment is designed to be used in any weather, but in wintery conditions you should always check the play equipment your children are going to be using before they play on it. Clear any buildups of snow or leaves, and check for any icy patches or sloppy surfaces. Metal play equipment in particular can become slippy when wet, so make extra sure that the equipment your children are going to be using is safe before they start playing.

Red Monkey Play equipment is designed to be safe and fun in any weather - with robust play-grade timber and non-slip decking, our equipment is perfect for play all year around. Click here to find out more about our great all-weather play equipment.

Follow these simple tips, and you're on your way to keeping your children safe and warm at play this winter. The cold weather doesn't mean you have to keep your kids shut up inside - get out there and play!

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Learn through play with Play Blocks

We've written before about how play blocks can play an important part in a child's growing up - more than just a toy, they encourage creativity, cooperation and improve spatial awareness.

To help you make the most of play blocks as a fun learning tool, we've put together these simple tips to turn playtime into an exciting and educational adventure!

Play Blocks - Learning Tips

Encourage cooperation.

Having children build together is a great way to improve their social skills and encourage cooperation. Try to set cooperative building tasks with your play blocks - perhaps you could give different children different roles - Alice could be in charge of building turrets, while Jimmy is on bridge-building duty.

Set a building goal.

Challenge your children to improvise and work towards a specific goal by setting them a building goal. Task them with building a castle with three turrets, or a tower more than four blocks high. This exercise will help improve their focus and their problem-solving capabilities. 

Involve toys and stories.

Introduce an element of role-play to playtime by including play blocks as part of a story-telling experience. Other toys can easily be added to help tell the story - the children could be building a tower for Rapunzel, or houses for the three little pigs. Introducing guided role-playing is a great way to fuel children's imaginations. 

For more role-playing ideas, check out our article on teaching with role-play.

Play together.

Get down on the floor with your children and help guide their play directly. Not only will your children love playing with you, but research has shown that children benefit the most from creative play when they have someone there to guide their playtime.

Red Monkey Play Blocks - Built Just For You

Looking for the best way to introduce play blocks to your learning environment? Our new Play Blocks are designed specifically with learning and play in mind, coming in a variety of shapes and sizes to encourage creativity and role playing.

Built from the same play-grade timber as our playground equipment, these are a first-class play product. At only £19.90 for a box of 25 blocks (including delivery!), adding some creative play to your playtime won't break the bank!

To get yours call 0116 2813 975 today, drop us an email to service@redmonkeyplay.co.uk, or simply get in touch in the comments or by social media.

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.

Outdoor Autumn Games

Autumn is a beautiful time of year - red leaves on the trees, freshly frosted grass, and piles of leaves on the ground too. It's a great time for kids to play outdoors, and easier than ever to use natural resources to make some great autumn games.

We've already discussed how conkers is a great playground game for autumn. Here are three new ideas for playground activities you can introduce this autumn, all of which make the most of the natural autumn environment!

Apple Bowling

All you need is some apples and a single conker. The game plays out just like lawn bowls, or boules; the conker is thrown first, and acts as a 'jack.' Then kids take turns rolling their apples, and the player that gets their apple closest to the conker jack wins the round. An easy autumnal take on a classic lawn game!

Autumn Obstacle Course

Autumn provides all sorts of natural ways to turn your playground into an exciting obstacle course. Make use of all those fallen leaves by making piles to set out the course. If you can get your hands on some hay-bales these make great jumps, and you can hang up strings of apples for kids to crawl under. And pumpkins don't have to be just for Halloween - they can make great obstacles to run around too!

Bobbing for Apples

A classic English game! You just need a suitable container and some apples. Float the apples in the water, and have the kids try to pick them up using only their mouths - no hands allowed!

Our Water Tables are perfect for apple bobbing - and make a great water play addition to your play area at any time of year! Check them out here.

And that's really all you need - some simple games that make the most of the natural beauty of autumn. We hope you enjoy your outdoor play times this autumn, and if you have any other ideas for great autumn games, we'd love to hear them.

Written by Tom for Red Monkey Play. For more play ideas and great play products, visit www.redmonkeyplay.co.uk.