After traveling to California Education for the Young Child conference and expo each teacher will be implementing at least one quality enhancement that they learned at the training.  Ms. Jean has already included heavy rocks, scrap lumber and a sculpting clay area in our outdoor play.  These items are all natural!  Clay is considered a better medium than play dough because it holds its form, it is firmer and requires more work to manipulate, it does not dry out and can be uses for months!  Rocks and lumber offer children ample opportunities for imagination and a deeper connection with nature.  Rocks require heavy work (proprioception) and are wonderful for kids who require that type of sensory integration.  They can be used in a multitude of building, stacking, and creating.  Scrap lumber provides odd shapes, varied sizes and textures and is a great tool in engineering, architecture and creating varied sensory exposure and experience.  All of these activities that are included in our outdoor classroom are open ended with no set use!  Thanks Ms. Jean for the addition to the Outdoor Classroom!