We have vertical bars around the playground, and when I first read about the importance of creating a great entry way to the Outdoor Classroom I thought I might add to the fence that faces the parking lot. The first thing I added was a sign that reads “Welcome to the Outdoor Classroom”. Then I lashed various pieces of wood to the fence and it looked pretty cool! I got a lot of compliments about it.
By the end of the year though the wood was becoming dingy and the thin rope was falling apart, so I took it down.
I wasn’t sure what to do about it this year, when we had a big change. After a security assessment the fence around the entire school had a privacy screen attached over the gate, so now I can’t attach things to the fence on the outside anymore. There are still bars welded to the top (which were added to raise our fence a few years ago after a previous security assessment I think), so I might figure out a way to hang something from them and have them hang down.
Two issues of Outdoor News (most recent and week prior) used to be attached to clipboards on the fence, but they also had to be removed when the screen went up.
I’d like to hang large wood cookies with photos along the fence, but I need to find a good photo option that won’t bleach away in the UV rays of the sun. Perhaps I should consider black and white or wood burning. Or maybe use a frame so I can change the photos occasionally.