KIDS AT Lumphinnans Primary School have been given a chance to make their own fun over the last month when Play on Wheels rolled into the village.

The initiative, which is funded by the Big Lottery, encourages young children to explore different things to play with, using scrap materials and loose parts. Kids from the nursery as well as P1-3 got to take part in weekly classes from 10th September-8th October, where they learned to have fun and make use out of more unusual things to play with.

From dressing up as pirates and nurses, to going on the “really fast” go-karts and playing in the sand, the kids described the activities as “fun and awesome!” Classroom assistant, Karen Chalmers, had high praise for everybody involved in the scheme. “It was absolutely brilliant, it’s amazing,” she said, “The play leaders are great and play really well with the children. It was a really fun experience for them, and what’s great is that a lot of the toys have been recycled - there were drums made out of old tin cans and pots and other old materials. It was really good.” Sharon Smith, play development worker at Play on Wheels, said, “Loose parts have a very high play value for children as these materials can be moved, taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They provide a high level of creativity and choice, as there are endless possibilities for how they can be used and when children use their imagination, they have greater control in their play.

“We believe that children who are happy and engaged during play have a better experience at school.”