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Recycled Plastic Is The Future of School Playground Equipment

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recycled plastic play equipment

I used to have a company called Timberline which manufactured a whole range of play equipment and outdoor classrooms for schools in the UK and as the name of the organisation would suggest, everything we produced was made out of timber. That was a few years ago now.

Then recently on my many visits to see schools up and down the country, I began to notice in the playground that a lot of picnic tables/BBQ tables were no longer made out of timber (as we used to supply them) but out of recycled plastic instead. Some I saw were even in bright primary colours to add a bit more creativity to them.

I happened to be on a trip to Germany seeing a potential distributor over there who took me round a few schools and kindergartens and again I noticed that in every school I went to in that area of Germany they had playground equipment also manufactured out of recycled plastic. I managed to track down the German company who manufactured ad supplied this and after undertaking some due diligence found out that this company’s turnover had increased seven times over a period of just three years! Seven times. And for love nor money could you find a product in their range made of out timber – not even a component.

And that is why we have just developed a new range of trim trail school playground equipment made of out the same material as that afore-mentioned German company. And do you want to know why this is the future? This material has so many additional benefits over and above timber such as it doesn’t rot or decay, it is made from recycled plastic bottles (so instead of filling up landfill and the world’s oceans with this wretched stuff we get to use it in a more positive way and help the environment along the way – pat yourself on the back for that one Eco Schools), it lasts about 10 times longer than timber so some real savings here for a school, children cannot get splinters off it, it is a lot harder to vandalise than timber, you can easily dig the posts into the ground without any fear of eventual rot setting in below the surface and it doesn’t degrade or discolour with UV light.

For further information on this range, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01832 275902, email info@hideouthouse.com or visit the website www.hideouthouse.com

recycled plastic play equipment

Package F

Outdoor Shelters and Eco Hub for Primary School

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eco classrooms

outdoor shelter with renewable energy equipment

We have just completed quite an interesting project for a school in South London where we have basically supplied them with an “eco hub” which is designed to be both an outdoor classroom or outdoor shelter but which is also an educational tool to help children learn about and appreciate the environment.

We started working on the project with the school last year and came up with the idea of having a small 3m octagonal shelter which say 15 children could sit in at any one given time. It was to be sited next to the school’s existing gardening and planting area so fitted in very well with the whole overall eco schools ethos of healthy living and renewable energy.

We were easily able to supply a building from our comprehensive range of outdoor shelters for schools as the school specifically wanted one which needed to be both “sideless and floorless”. We did however fit an upper panel to one side of the building as this was going to be used to host the board for the renewable energy system.

On the roof, we have fitted a solar panel (which is made from special materials to easily withstand errant footballs and potential vandalism) and a mini wind turbine which is mounted to the side on a pole. The siting of the outdoor shelter at the school is in a very good position because it is south facing (so plenty of sun and natural light for the solar panel) and is not shielded by any trees which would act as a wind block for the turbine. The energy created by these two items is then stored in a special battery which is mounted (but yet concealed) onto the main control board. This power is then in turn converted into usable electricity via an inverter whereby the children can plug in their laptops, tablets, mobiles etc into the two power sockets – and thereby appreciate 100% green energy powered by the elements!

We have also supplied the school with a special dynamo bike which is fitted into a back A frame holster. When the children pedal the bike, it creates energy via a dynamo system and this feeds into a special charging unit for mobile devices. As above, the children can then charge up their mobile devices through clean energy and good old fashioned pedal power.

Both these renewable energy systems are also actively involving the participation of the school children and therefore this way, they will appreciate how we can easily create clean and green energy which does not pollute the environment without having to burn fossil fuels. And of course, there is a bit of fun involved too.

The school has further plans for future developments along this eco theme including a music system which is powered by renewable energy. And a water butt and roof guttering system which will be retro-fitted to the outdoor shelter so that the harvested rain water can be used to water the planters and beds in the next door gardening facility – which at the moment is a problem as there is no water supply to this area and is beyond the reach of a hose.

The project was funded by Tesco’s Bags of Help community grant.

A short video of this installation and project can be seen on the eco classroom link.

For further information on our eco outdoor shelters, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

 

Eco outdoor classroom at William Gilpin Primary School

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solar panel and wind turbine system

eco classroom

We have just completed an eco outdoor classroom at this school in the New Forest. The outdoor classroom itself is a 5m octagonal gazebo which can easily cater for a class of 30 children and features an attractive cedar shingle tile roof and exterior cedar cladding.

But the school wanted to add an extra dimension and turn into a fully fledged eco classroom where the children can learn all about renewable energy and how it is made. The Hideout House Company were commissioned to supply this eco outdoor classroom and came up with the idea of having a solar panel and wind turbine mounted onto the side of the building. The energy created from the wind and the sun is then stored into a battery which is mounted onto an internal power board in the classroom building itself. If they so wish, the children can isolate the power coming from the turbine and solar panel so that they can see for example on a windy day how much energy is coming off the turbine…or if it is a sunny day, how much energy is produced via the solar panel.

By way of an inverter, the energy stored in the battery is then turned into usable electricity. There are two power sockets mounted on the board which the school children can then use to power up their laptops, mobiles, visualisers. So green energy in its purest form!

There is also a datalogger system built into the system which allows the children to store and monitor relevant information from the system and to undertake outdoor eco exercises.

Eco studies is now such a big and important issue within schools and there are now nearly 18,000 registered Eco Schools in England alone. This type of equipment therefore helps towards schools eco schools accreditations.

For further information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

renewable energy board

renewable energy board

Outdoor Classroom at Ashford Prep School

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enclosed outdoor classrooms

6m octagonal outdoor classroom

We have just installed a 6m octagonal outdoor classroom building at Ashford Prep School in Kent who are absolutely delighted with it. It is going to be used for a whole host of applications and since its installation earlier this month, the school’s PTA have now agreed to turn into a truly eco classroom. We are therefore going to add a water butt and roof guttering system for rainwater harvesting and install a special renewable energy monitoring system.

This will consist of an energy monitoring board attached to a post-mounted wind turbine and solar panel system so that the children can see how much energy is being created by the wind and sun and thanks to an in-built datalogger, they can also register and monitor this information for outdoor studies and eco sustainability lessons. The monitoring board also has two outdoor power sockets so that the energy created by the wind turbine and solar panel is stored into a battery and by means of an inverter is then turned into usable electricity – so green power in its purest form! Children can therefore appreciate how renewable energy can be created & harnessed and used for appliances such as laptops, mobile phones, visualisers etc

Renewable energy system with sensory light panel

Renewable energy system with sensory light panel

Eco classrooms from the Hideout House Company are proving to be very popular especially by those schools who have an Eco Schools Accreditation.

For further information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

 

 

How Eco Is Your Eco Classroom Really?

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It certainly can be an easy boast or claim about your classroom’s eco credentials and there are some buildings out which claim to be eco friendly simply because they are well insulated (which is stipulated  anyway in building regs if so required) and thereby thermally efficient. Or the timber has some sort of FSC or PEFC accreditation.

Well, we believe that eco classrooms should not only be environmentally friendly, it should also teach children about environmental and sustainability issues as well. If you are going to teach a child something, it is always better if you can actually demonstrate it and they to be a part of the educational process. And that is why we have developed our eco classrooms to feature the following:

  • Living sedum roofs to attract bio-diversity
  • Renewable energy systems such as educational wind turbine/solar panel/energy monitoring board with power points & special dynamo bikes which the children have to pedal to create power
  • Roof guttering and water butt systems for rainwater harvesting
  • Low energy lighting and solar pipes
  • External planters for growing food
  • Mini greenhouses and storage units
  • Mini dipping ponds

The whole Eco Schools programme is now becoming popular in UK schools and indeed there are now nearly 18,000 registered eco schools in England alone. We have successfully installed these type of buildings in eco schools throughout the UK in various different formats – fully enclosed and insulated buildings or as outdoor classrooms. For further details on these buildings, please visit

www.hideouthouse.com

The Green Room

The Benefits of Eco Classrooms

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There are indeed some very good reasons why your school should consider buying an eco classroom building as opposed to a more traditional design and specification. Below we list the principle reasons for going down the eco design route:

  • It goes without saying of course that eco classrooms are environmentally friendly and are doing their bit to keep the environment in check. Quite simply, you are protecting the planet for future generations to enjoy
  • Reduced costs – energy efficient and sustainable buildings reduce overall energy bills
  • With modular builds, you save on transport and on-site build costs and therefore reduce the CO2 footprint of costly distribution and production methods
  • Your school can promote environmental awareness to the school and local community as well as connecting children with nature
  • Use the building as an educational resource so that children can actually be part of the sustainability knowledge process
  • They are usually manufactured from eco friendly materials – accredited sustainable timber from managed plantations, living sedum roofs, rainwater harvesting systems and sun pipes
  • They can use renewable energy sources for heating and lighting (solar panels, wind turbines and air source heat pumps)
  • Eco classrooms can help towards your Eco Schools accreditations as they compliment some of the major eco school topics – RENEWABLE ENERGY, BIO-DIVERSITY, SCHOOL GROUNDS, RE-CYCLING & GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
  • There could be some grants available too which will support the funding of these types of classroom buildings

For further information, please visit

The Hideout House Company Ltd

www.hideouthouse.com

eco outdoor classroom

eco outdoor classroom

The Green Room

 

 

Why You Should Buy School Playground Equipment Made From Recycled Plastic

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If you are looking to replace your existing school playground equipment or indeed are looking to purchase some additional items, then we would advise you to strongly consider buying it out of recycled plastic as opposed to traditional timber. I was at a school just last week who are wanting to replace some existing adventure trim trail items because they have split very badly and when the site manager tried to move them found out that they were rotten to the core below ground level. And this is equipment which was only installed less than five years ago!

Nowadays you will probably see in school playgrounds a lot of outdoor picnic tables made from recycled plastic and there are some very good reasons why. We love selling it because it is of course very eco friendly due to the fact that it is made out of 100% recycled materials – mainly plastic bottles. But aside from saving the planet, these are the other principal benefits of recycled plastic play equipment:

Maintenance free as it doesn’t ever rot, corrode or splinter like traditional timber

Crack proof and does not have “shakes” (like traditional timber)

Eco friendly as it is made out of recycled plastic bottles and is fully recyclable at the end of its use

UV resistant with little colour loss due to direct sunlight

Resistant to graffiti, insects and algae

Less flammable than traditional timber and resistant to most chemicals

Hard wearing and exceptionally durable – typically lasting five times longer than timber and does not degrade with age

With budgets tighter than ever, schools have to ensure that they are getting value for money but a quality product too which is going to last. That is why we strongly believe that in the non too distant future school playground equipment made out of recycled plastic will be the standard specification.

For further details, please visit

The Hideout House Company

www.hideouthouse.com

Recyled plastic Trim trail

Recyled plastic Trim trail

What Exactly Are Eco Classrooms?

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The Green Room

These type of eco friendly buildings are becoming ever more popular in schools but what exactly are they? And why are they different from standard classroom buildings?

One could simply argue that any building is now eco friendly as current building methods and building regulations stipulate that they have to be thermally efficient on account of their insulation properties (indeed for larger buildings you have to submit SBEM  – simplified building energy model – calculations which essentially provide for an analysis of building energy consumption and Co2 emission rates). If they are timber clad, you would also need to ensure that the original source of the timber supply is either FSC or PEFC accredited or certified – basically this ensures that for every tree cut down, another one is planted.

But you can go a whole step further in the design of eco classrooms to ensure they are truly eco friendly:

*Sedum Living Roofs – these can usually only be applied to flat or shallow mono pitch roofs because they do not work with steep roof pitches. And they tend to be more expensive than other roof systems as the building has to be structurally  “beefed up” in order to take the extra weight of the sedum and its underlays. BUT they do naturally absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, sedum is a natural insulator and they attract all sorts of bio-diversity

*Renewable Energy – dependent upon the power load required for your classroom building, you can use solar panels and wind turbines to provide some if not all of the electricity. Usually however these type of systems provide for say 40% of the overall electricity pull with the rest coming directly from the grid. However you can also earn money from solar panel systems by feeding electricity back into the grid as well as benefitting from the lower energy bills. We have also worked on projects where some of the power is generated by children pedalling special dynamo bikes!

*Air source heat pumps – act both as a combined space heating and air conditioning unit but they produce less C02 than traditional systems because air is the main component being used which of course is a renewable resource

*Guttering and water butts – these can be used as rainwater harvesting systems

*LED lighting and sun pipes in the roof to allow in extra natural light

And of course the added benefit is that these type of eco classrooms teach the children about environmental issues and demonstrate how we can lead more of a sustainable life.

For more information, please contact Simon Fearnehough on 01865 858982 or email simon@hideouthouse.com

or simply visit

The Hideout House Company Ltd

 

the eco centre

the eco classroom

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