OPAL

Amazing Play, Every Day for Every Child

At SCIPS, we take immense pride in being the trailblazers as the inaugural school in Asia to introduce OPAL to our play to help every child at school have amazing play every day. Mentored by the UK-based organisation Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL), we are excited to share with you the remarkable benefits that implementing OPAL has brought to our school.

Understanding OPAL

OPAL is a visionary approach rooted in the belief that all children have a right to play and thrive when they engage in spontaneous play. Research shows that play contributes to children’s physical and emotional health, well-being, problem-solving, resilience, approach to learning and enjoyment of school. It also helps to make them ready to learn when returning to the classroom.

Given the importance of play in children’s lives and current concerns about children’s health and the opportunity to access time and space to initiate their play outdoors, schools must put time and consideration into giving children these opportunities. Play takes up over 20% of the students’ school day, so we need to plan for that to be a high-quality experience.

OPAL Activities at SCIPS

Our commitment to providing a rich OPAL experience is reflected in the variety of activities and features available at our school:

Nature Exploration: Our outdoor spaces are designed to facilitate exploration and interaction with the natural world. Students discover different landscapes – such as digging in the sand or paddling in the water, looking at plants and wildlife, and cultivating a curiosity about the world around them.

Mud Kitchen: The mud kitchen is where children can get their hands dirty, exercise creativity, and explore the sensory delights of mud and natural materials.

Creativity/Role Play: We encourage artistic expression through dressing up, chalk floor drawings, and crafts using various donated materials. Often, the children will play out scenarios they see around them, such as creating shops and setting up trading opportunities.

Den Building: Our children get adventurous by building large den structures that offer physical challenges, climbing opportunities, and imaginative play spaces.

Wheeled play: We encourage our students to try out a range of vehicles including scooters, skateboards, chariots and many more. They learn to control these, engaging in the outdoor space and learning about their physicality.

Get Involved

We invite parents, caregivers, and the community to support our OPAL initiative. You can participate by:

Donating loose parts that we can use for play.

Attending OPAL-themed events and workshops.

Advocating for outdoor play and learning within our community.

Conclusion

At SCIPS, OPAL is not just a program; it’s a way of life. We nurture well-rounded, resilient, and passionate individuals by embracing outdoor play and learning. We are committed to making OPAL an integral part of our school community. Just ask any of our students – they love the change in their play and wouldn’t want it any other way.

We are confident that we have facilitated Amazing Play, Every Day for Every Child.