Posts

Treehouse Outdoor Classroom

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treehouses for schools

Treehouse round a tree connecting to elevated treehouse

We have just completed a unique treehouse outdoor classroom for Marnel Infant School near Basingstoke. The school originally approached us looking for an outdoor classroom which they could use for their outdoor learning sessions. It had to be big enough to cater for a class of 30 and it had to be totally enclosed so that they could use it all year round. And it had to be interesting in order to fully engage the children!

The original discussions started off with us supplying one of our standard octagonal cedar clad outdoor classrooms which we were going to enclose with French doors and window upper panels and some additional eco options but it soon became obvious that the school had more adventurous plans.

By the main school entrance, there is an area which was suitable for what the school wanted to build – namely an enclosed outdoor classroom which is built around an existing tree in the middle which is then linked by a 10m long elevated walkway to a 5m treehouse elevated off the ground on stilts. This is also totally enclosed on all sides and has French doors to the front elevation so can easily be used all year round.

We have also supplied an additional “mud kitchen” for their forest schools activities which has opening and closing louvre panels on one side (which allows the building to easily adapt to the weather), barn doors to the front elevation and windows on the back to make use of the natural daylight and setting. Like the treehouse outdoor classroom, it is also manufactured out of premium grade cedar with a cedar shingle tile roof.

The school are already reporting that both the treehouse outdoor classroom and the mud kitchen are a great success with the children who love the fact that they can enjoy their outdoor learning in such a unique and special setting.

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

Rectangular outdoor classroom with polycarbonate windows and louvre panels

The Earth Pod Has Landed!

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Earlier this year we developed a “pod” for the glamping market through the leisure brand of the Hideout House Company called Superglamp. These have therefore been sold to holiday parks, hotels, upmarket camping and glamping sites up and down the country who rent them out as accommodation units to paying guests and which have become increasingly popular over the past couple of years as the staycation and short break trend in the UK has taken off.

But these pods have also found another use in the educational market where they can be used as an outdoor learning facility, outdoor classroom, outdoor shelter, nurture room, forest school hideout and den and even as a parent waiting shelter!

A couple of these outdoor classroom pods have therefore recently been supplied to a school in Leicestershire who are using them for a whole host of reasons. The school – and of course the children – love the Hobbit style round circular entrance door and it is big enough inside to cater for a full class. Two large round windows also add to creating a fantasy atmosphere and allow natural light to flood in. The other advantage these pods have is that they are pre-manufactured units which are built in the factory and then delivered to a school on the back of a low loader truck. So causing minimal disruption to a school’s day as you can be up and running using the unit the very same day.

There are various options a school can choose from. Firstly there are two roof types, namely artificial grass or timber feather edging. Then if it was to be used all year round in all seasons, there is the option for an electricity connection which is provided via a low voltage mains unit (cable supplied).  Featuring 2 x double sockets, an electric panel heater, LED strip light and deck lights. We are also able to insulate the pod for thermal efficiency if you are choosing this option.

Secured with a traditional door lock to ensure security and provided with a delightful timber effect floor for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Loved by all ages, our “Earth Pod” is destined to make your school environment a special place to be.

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

 

The Forest School Outdoor Classroom Pod

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outdoor classroom pod

So many schools nowadays have a forest school set up which they either run and operate within their own grounds or they share with another location or facility. It is a great initiative and one I am sure which will only but gain in popularity.

Hence the reason why we have enjoyed recently a significant increase in enquiries for some sort of outdoor shelter and classroom provision for these forest school settings. And we found that a lot of schools want something that is a little bit different….and even mysterious especially if it is going to be sited in an actual woodland. So, as always, we went out to quite a few schools to ask the children what they would like to see in such a building. The Hobbit seemed to come up quite a lot and the ability to be able to move it ultimately.

So we have now supplied our first forest school outdoor classroom pod. In keeping with the mysterious and the Hobbit theme, the pod has some large circular doors to the front and a round circular window to the back. It can also come with two roof types – namely an artificial grass roof (preferable if you want to site the outdoor classroom pod in a green, forest or wood setting) or a more traditional timber closeboard roof.

It can either come as a pre-manufactured unit which is delivered to the school on the back of a low-loader truck and is then either winched or craned into position. The greatest advantage of this method is that the unit can be up and running in the same day. However, if access for the lorry is a problem, then there is the option to build it on site in a modular format. Other options include insulation to the floor, walls and roof and an electrical package if supply is easy enough to get out to the pod (the electrical pack includes lights, heating and power sockets). However ,we are also looking at an “off-grid” system with solar energy providing the power and also having a wood-burning stove in the unit to heat it (the children can do themselves as this is very much part of the whole forest schools ethos and they can collect wood and logs). We are also looking at the feasibility of having some sort of wheels underneath so that it can be literally moved around the school if so required.

For further details on the outdoor classroom pod, please call the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

outdoor classroom pod

Pod being delivered on back of transport lorry

Outdoor classroom pod

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the outdoor classroom pod

Outdoor classroom pod with artificial grass roof

Sometimes the best ideas are borne from a chance discussion with a customer who wants something they cannot find. And this is exactly how our outdoor classroom pod has sprung into life.

I happened to be talking with the head of a primary school who have quite an active and expansive forest school set up and he wanted something that was going to be able to cater for say 20 children, could offer some shade and shelter when the weather wasn’t playing nicely but most importantly it had to be something a bit different which would bolster his forest school outdoor learning programme and entice the children to go out there every day. It also had to blend in nicely with the wooded environment where it was going to be sited. Quite a big wish list!

He had been on a glamping holiday over the previous summer and had stayed in a camping pod which he thought was great and it was along these lines he was thinking. It just so happens that through our leisure division Superglamp.com, I knew exactly what he was talking about.

A few brainstorming discussions later – and of course in full collaboration with the children who had some great ideas – we have designed the outdoor classroom pod. Like the afore-mentioned camping pod, this is a pre-fabricated unit built in the factory and which comes delivered off the back of a low loader truck and which is then either winched or dragged into position. However, if space or access is a problem within a school setting, it has been designed in such a way that we can also install on site in modular sections.

During the ideas and design process, the children were very emphatic that it had to be a bit mysterious and “den-like” – hence the reason for the circular, Hobbit-esque door (and windows) but behind that is a bigger entrance door to allow for ease of access without having to bend down the whole time to get in and out.

It measures 4m x 2.4m and has an overall height of 2.2m so can easily cater for teachers as well. There are some exciting options too – firstly the choice of roofing which can either be artificial grass (to blend in with verdant settings) or classic profile weatherboarding. It is also possible to insulate the pod as well and if we are going “off grid”, we can look at solar power options or even a wood-burning stove to heat it up in the colder months. Internal benching and a little front veranda are also optional extras.

With schools ever more pushing their outdoor learning programme, this outdoor classroom pod is an ideal way of answering that brief. And hopefully we have come up with something a bit different!

We are now going to see if the leisure industry wants to buy it as well to be used as a camping pod.

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

the outdoor classroom pod

The Outdoor Classroom Pod

 

Why Forest Schools Can Benefit From An Outdoor Classroom or Shelter

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with water butt and roof guttering system

with water butt and roof guttering system

We have undertaken a lot of work recently in supplying schools with outdoor classrooms or shelters for their forest school programmes. Some of these have included fire pits in the middle, some have been totally enclosed to provide shade and shelter from the elements and some even have educational renewable energy systems for environmental awareness which include wind turbines and solar panels. And there is good reason why –

Through the Forest School principles of learning, we can successfully say that we have played a major part in bringing outdoor learning to life, whilst improving children’s ability to work co-operatively and whilst offering them opportunities to take risks, make choices and initiate learning. All of the children who have passed through the programme so far have experienced nature first hand through a series of engaging and achievable tasks.

When children embark on outdoor learning they need to feel safe and their basic needs need to be met. A shelter or outdoor classroom from the Hideout House Company can provide much needed warmth, safety and shelter that children need to embark on their outdoor learning programmes.

For further information on how we can work with your school and your Forest School programme (including funding opportunities and grants which are available), then please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

Seating and fire pit area

Seating and fire pit area

How To Choose Which Outdoor Shelter You Need For Your School

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shelter 4m square

shelter 4m square

The first question to ask your self is what do you actually need this outdoor shelter to do? i.e. is it just for protecting the children against the elements of the British climate or do you want to be able to use it for outdoor learning and to double up as an outdoor classroom too?

If it is the former, then you simply need to provide for a shade canopy that is going to give you maximum coverage (never quite sure whether the sail shades actually do in this instance because of their triangular shape). The size of your outdoor shelter of course will be determined by the area you are wanting to cover and the amount of children out in the playground at any one given time. And your budget of course. The outdoor shelter at this option stage can literally be four posts and a roof made out of canvas or other materials such as cedar shingle tiles, close board timber and even living sedum if you really want to get down dirty and eco! You can even print your logo or the name of a sponsor onto canvas material.

Or if you wanted to extend its application further out to creating an outdoor learning environment, then you can start to add in all sort of extras and options – namely timber decking floors, roll-down side panels, trellis panels, opening and closing louvre panels, benching, planters, guttering and water butt systems, renewable energy systems etc

And at this stage, outdoor shelters can come in all different shapes and sizes including octagonal, square and rectangular.

And of course, we at the Hideout House Company have an extensive range of all of the above…and we might be able to help you access funding too.

Please visit Outdoor Shelters

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

outdoor classroom with seating area

outdoor classroom with seating area

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

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