Outdoor classrooms can come in all shapes and sizes with variants for school needs and budgets. The Hideout House Company offer a truly comprehensive and diverse range of these type of playground buildings which take in octagonal, rectangular and square designs and which can be “themed” too – we have outdoor classrooms for special educational needs (SEN), eco classrooms where the building itself becomes a natural learning resource and forest school settings. Our buildings are manufactured out of cedar wood which has numerous benefits over traditional timbers (such as pine) including the fact that they are virtually maintenance free and do not require any on-going maintenance or further treatment once installed and they will last longer.

Outdoor classrooms are very popular in schools as they encourage learning outside of the classroom and teach children about the natural environment – that it is the reason we have options such as sedum living roofs, water butt and guttering systems for rainwater harvesting, educational renewable energy systems such as mini wind turbine/solar panel/energy monitoring board and power units including a datalogger, in-built planters and mini eco ponds. For the building itself, we can add in wall panels, louvre opening and closing panels for the window apertures, benching, decking floor with non-slip decking, ramps, steps and trellis panelling.

And in certain instances, we are able to help with funding for these type of outdoor classrooms.slider8

Treehouse outdoor classrooms for forest schools

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At the Hideout House Company, we always enjoy a healthy amount of enquiries from schools who are looking for something a bit different to have either in their playground or more usually in their forest school area. The enquiry is also typically for some sort of a shelter or outdoor classroom where the children can congregate or be taught lessons whilst in an outside environment.

Our product range does already encompass a wide variety of buildings and structures for this type of application but treehouses for schools seem to always add a bit of extra interest. I think it is because it is that bit more exciting than something which is floor mounted. Imaginations can work overtime.

We have therefore designed an octagonal treehouse outdoor classroom which is basically raised up on elevated stilts. You can have the option of having it fully enclosed and to add that extra bit of mysticism, the windows are in a Gothic, arched style. Or alternatively you could have it open sided like a gazebo with lower level solid infill bevel panels. The roof is an attractive cedar shingle tile roof and it is also possible to have an atrium style roof in order to allow in lots of natural daylight from above.

Underneath it, a rotating tyre swing will hang from the underside of the unit as well an easy access rope ladder leading up to a secret trap door. In forest schools, fire pits are used quite a lot so if a school was wanting to provide for some heating in the treehouse, it is possible to have a wood-burning stove with flue. Children can therefore gather firewood from the wood or forest and then burn it in the stove for extra heat.

The timber used for the external cladding is a wany-edged larch which gives the treehouse the rustic, cabin style look to it. There are three sizes available – namely 3m, 4m or 5m and there is an option too to have internal benching.

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

www.hideouthouse.com

Break out outdoor classrooms for schools

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6m x 4m rectangular outdoor classroom with French doors

We have been asked quite a lot recently to provide outdoor classrooms to be used as “break-out” rooms or as some schools call them, nurture rooms or escape rooms. These are essentially additional spaces where children can be taken out of the melee of the average school day and classroom environment and be given a more personal and intense one-on-one time with teachers and staff. We have found that they need to cater for no more than 15 pupils and staff at any one given time or session.

The reason for having an independent room for this is two fold. The first one being space or should I say lack of it. I have spoken to so many schools who are literally bursting at the seams anyway so there is simply no available room or space to conduct these sessions with pupils – so necessity anyway dictates having something additional sited in the playground or school playing field. Secondly, schools like to have an environment which is out of the main school building anyway as it fosters a sense of calm and re-assurance.

But what sort or type of a building does a school have in this instance? They don’t really want to have a traditional open-sided, gazebo style outdoor classroom (usually octagonal or rectangular) as this limits its use as these rooms need to be used all year round and in all weathers and seasons. A mobile or modular classroom might be too big for this requirement as well and perhaps not affordable in the current financial climate.

This is where our Enclosed outdoor classrooms come into their own as they fall conveniently between the above two options. In the main, they are all below 30m2 so that building regulation approval is not required. They are available in a whole host of sizes and shapes – namely octagonal, rectangular and square – and are manufactured out of cedar with an attractive cedar shingle tile roof. Cedar is a high quality timber (we source our cedar directly from Western Canada where it is grown) so it has numerous advantages over other traditionally used timbers – it doesn’t rot and requires very little, if none, on-going maintenance. Which again saves money in the medium to long term for a school.

Options for these buildings also include insulation, an atrium roof to allow in lots of natural daylight from above, timber sub-frame base, bi-fold doors to the front elevation, eco packages including renewable energy equipment and they are also modular – so within reason, they can easily be adapted for a school’s setting or individual requirements. In the majority of cases, they do not require planning permission as they fall under permitted development rights but a school always need to check first with their local planning authority before proceeding.

They are also typically installed within a week so minimal disruptance to a school’s working week or term. And although we say it ourselves, they do look quite nice!

For further details on our range of break-out or nurture outdoor classrooms, please contact us on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

outdoor classroom with French doors

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 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

 

Which Outdoor Shelters Are Right For Your School

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outdoor shelters for schools

outdoor shelter in school playground

We are all aware of the dangers of harmful UV rays from the sun – especially on young skin – and it is for this primary reason which drives a lot of the sales for our outdoor shelters range of products we offer. Or schools want to be able to use them in all weathers and as this is Britain, we do get our fair share of rain as well so in this instance, think of them as a giant umbrella!

A school really needs to determine first what size they are wanting  – how many children is it for, is it actually going to be covering an existing item in the playground (such as a sandpit for example), is there a space limitation in the playground anyway? These are all determining factors that need to be taken into consideration.

And then of course, the million dollar budget question of how much money do you want to spend? As well as our company, there are of course a lot of organisations offering school outdoor shelters and it can be quite daunting for any teacher or school head to determine who or what is best. But there are three things you need to bear in mind in this instance and these are – quality, quality and quality. I have seen so many cheap shelters over the years and they simply don’t last or adequately do the job they are supposed to. A false economy in my book.

A school then needs to determine as to whether it is just a canopy shelter they are wanting or whether you want to extend out the application to almost have an outdoor classroom set up. And by this I mean benching around the sides, panels for whiteboards or chalkboards, desks and the ability to be able to totally or partially enclose them. You can do this with easy-to-use, roll-down canvas panels for example which also afford you greater protection from the elements when so required.

Within our range, we offer a whole hosts of roof options – namely cedar shingle tiles, felt shingle tiles, canvas and even living sedum. And we have products which are designed for a specific purpose – for example our nature watch hut which allows children to be close and to witness nature at close quarters. Or the living wall tipi where you can grown planters up the side.

For further information, please contact us on 01865 858982 or email: info@hideouthouse.com

www.hideouthouse.com

How To Choose Outdoor Classrooms for Your School

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outdoor classroms

Outdoor classroom with solid infill and opening/closing louvre panels

We do get approached quite a lot by schools who are interested in having an outdoor classroom for their school playground or forest school area. This initial approach is usually by email where we are just asked for a price for one. But there are so many variables involved before determining a final price that I thought I would put myself in an enquirer’s shoes and put together a list of items which you need to consider in advance.

So, firstly the most important question to ask your self is how many children does it need to accommodate? The usual answer to this is it needs to cater for a class of 30 children but of course some schools do have different class sizes – or if it is for a secondary school for example, more space is required for bigger (read older) children! There is a sort of rule of thumb that you need to allow 450mm of bench space/seating area for each primary school aged child. So in the Hideout House outdoor classrooms, an octagonal 5m or a 5m x 4m rectangular size would easily suffice.

Then you need to be clear as to where you want to site the building within the school curtilage. Factors that you need to bear in mind here are ease of access – how easy will it be for both staff and children to get easy access to it and consider all seasons and weathers. I have seen our buildings sited at the far end of a field which is fine to access in the finer months but when it becomes wet and cold and the ground becomes muddy, it is not so practical.

Distances from boundaries must also be borne in mind as this might have planning permission implications if the building is going to be too near a boundary especially if within a built-up suburban district with lots of neighbours who will be looking out onto it. Usually 5m away from any boundary is enough distance.

When considering the siting area, you need to also be aware of the levels over an area – i.e is there a slope or fall over the area or is it fairly flat and level? We usually put down a timber sub-frame base with skirting so that we can cater for any uneven surface but where the fall is quite significant, this could add to the overall cost. Also need to check if there are any large trees nearby as their roots could have a detrimental effect on the base and building over time. It might also sound like stating the obvious but will the building easily fit into the area if space is tight? We have been on numerous site visits where there was not a hope in hell’s chance of the building we originally quoted for being able to fit in the space it was intended for.

Now that you have decided upon the location and the size, you need to decide what options you would like to have if any. Some of these options could include the following – upper panels to provide for some sort of shade and protection from the elements (in this instance we provide solid infill panels, opening/closing louvre panels, glass or polycarbonate and roll down/up canvas panels), white boards, internal benching and desks and anti-slip grip deck flooring. And then you might want to choose from some eco options we offer – namely a renewable energy piece of equipment which shows children how renewable energy is created from the sun and the wind and a water butt and roof guttering system for rainwater harvesting.

And finally the price. Most companies – like our good selves – will provide a price which includes for delivery and installation. But remember – cheap is not always the best and that is why our outdoor classrooms are manufactured from premium materials which will last and will withstand the daily rigours an average school day will place upon it.

For more information, please contact the Hideout House Company on 01865 858982 or visit www.hideouthouse.com

 

Feature in the i Newspaper

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We were recently featured in an article in the i daily newspaper which was talking about creative treehouses and outdoor classrooms in schools. The article mentioned the pedal powered outdoor classroom we installed at a school in South London where the children had to pedal special dynamo bikes to power up a music sound system, disco lights and a bubble making machine.

The article was mainly promoting the fact that we need to start building more engaging outdoor classrooms in schools to entice children to be outside and to actually have fun whilst learning.

The feature can be seen on the below link:

i news article on outdoor learning

 

 

Hideout House Outdoor Classroom at Primary School

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We have just completed a new outdoor classroom building for a primary school in Rushden, Northamptonshire. Our initial brief on this project was quite an interesting one as the neighbouring school had a glass geodome outdoor classroom installed the previous year and so therefore the school was looking for something a bit different too.

They wanted to be able to cater for a class of thirty children, they wanted it to be something a bit unique and also something the children would want to be in time and time again. It was also very important that the building was enclosed (i.e. not like an open sided gazebo type outdoor classroom) and could therefore provide adequate shade and shelter from the elements. This was because the building could be used all year round as well….and therefore opened up opportunities for the wider local community to be able to use it as well. As it was being sited on a grass area with a gentle slope, we had to find a way of easily being able to site the classroom without too much expense being incurred for any groundworks.

As well as an outdoor learning facility for the school children, the school also intend to use it for nurture groups where smaller groups of children with either behavioural problems or learning difficulties can go for more focused one to one tutoring with the teachers and as a quiet respite area where they can escape from the general hub-bub of the average school day.

Last but not least, it had to be of a good quality and last for a long, long time at a price they could afford within their budget.

We always like a bit of challenge!

We therefore have supplied the school with one of our Hideout House outdoor classrooms which ticks a lot of the boxes in the school’s wish list. It is manufactured out of cedar which is a premium quality wood and which requires very little on-going maintenance and typically lasts a lot longer than traditionally used timbers. It also has an attractive cedar shingle tile roof with a special atrium feature in the top section to allow in lots of natural daylight to pour in from above. It is 5m in diameter with internal benching around each side which means that it can easily cater for a class of 30 children. It has an extra wide door to allow access for any children in wheelchairs and it is built up on a timber sub-frame base raised up on posts. This was done to avoid having to put down any sort of base or required any previous leveling of the designated siting area.

It also has quite a unique feel to it and one that the children immediately warmed to as it looks a little mystical shall we say!

Schools seem nowadays to be struggling for any extra space so the Hideout House company feel that this could be a very good way of resolving this particular problem. On-site times are also minimal compared to traditional builds for alternative kinds of school classroom buildings. This particular job was completed in just three days from start to finish.

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

outdoor classroom

 

 

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