grant help ideas please

[mushpea]

i am going to apply for a grant to put artifical grass on my grassed area so that we can use it all year round, its the only way to access the play house/shed so in the winter autumn and spring the children cant use it, trouble is i am no good at form filling and need to sell this to the grants people by telling them the benifits to the children so can anyone please help me by giving me some ideas of the benifits to the children, these are what springs to mind then i go blank
1. more room to play
2. clean area to play in ie no mud!!
3.fresh air and excersise all year round
4. can get to the play house and use it for pretend play therefore widing the imagination.

then i get stuck on what else to put!

also has anyone had artifcial grass laid and could suggest a reliable firm please.

[beccas]

i was also thinking about doing this but cant use my capital grant for it as its not a resource. good luck sori no help with forms either

[Mrs Book]

How did you get a grant? I would love one so I can sort out my garden. Currently have slabs and would like them up and relaid with something a bit more child friendly.

[susi513]

I was lucky to get a grant for garden work but it took 9 months to get approved, with several requests for more information after the initial application which was a real ***** to complete.

I had to refer specifically to EYFS. I quoted W. p35 access to outdoors/adequate space, Enabling Environments 3.3.

I listed the areas of learning and what might be achieved. This sort of thing:

PSE, seating and large play equipment enables group play & facilitates social experiences
PSRN, gardening/sand/water activities provide opportunities to count, classify and measure and explore shapes and patterns.
CLL new activities provide new vocabulary, reading outside, listening to sounds of nature, wind chimes & natural instruments (sticks & stones)
PD, space for children to move freely, exploring different types of movements and negotiating space safely, developing spatial awareness, using garden tools, water/sand play,
KUW observing birds/bugs etc using binoculars and camera. learning about environment wildlife/weather/seasons etc.
CD project provides many opportunities for imaginative and creative play including group role play games using large play equipment, art attack "big picture" style projects as well as bringing indoor activities outdoors to add variety and stimulate imagination eg painting and drawing, messy play etc.


For me, the emphasis was on safety, as my garden is out of use (waiting for Ofsted to change my certificate). You could put that you are required to follow EYFS all year round and the grant would ensure that you are able to meet the requirements under Enabling Environments (read it and see if you can quote a line or two) throughout the year.

When we finally get in the garden, I then have to do lots of obs and photos to prove they're all learning lots and the money was well spent etc.

[Mrs.L.C]

just wondering how much you would pay to have something like this done?

[mushpea]

well thanks folks, after a lot of discusion with the OH and also talking to my network officer I have decided to hold off for a whild because apparently the grants pannel are considering letting childminders access a building grant for which i can apply for a conservatory to be built, if this happens i would rather apply for the conservatory and pay for the garden myself so fingers crossed that they allow us to have this grant.