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The following activity card downloads are teaching aids to help with planning when using the Snug kit. Each activity card provides information on how Snug can be used within the curriculum to support key stage development.
The activity cards are in a PDF format, and will require a plugin to view the documents. If you do not have the plugin installed click on the button on the right. To download and print the cards, click on the links below.

 

	Activity Card 1: Bringing history alive During the playtime that followed a lesson on life during the Blitz, a whole class spontaneously re-enacted scenes from the history lesson on World War II using the kit to create their own interpretation of what they'd learned about. Download Activity Card 1 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 2: Rising to a challenge At playtime, a group of children spontaneously set their own challenge. How many children could balance round the Loop? Could they count to 100 before anyone falls off? Download Activity Card 2 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 3: Changing places Children were divided into small teams with each team using elements of the kit to design a public sculpture. Teams worked together to design and present their sculptures. Download Activity Card 3 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 4: Name the game Children spontaneously invent names for different pieces of the kit and use these in their play Download Activity Card 4 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 5: Two Bumps for a Wave Two groups of children wanted the same piece of the kit for their games. They bartered between them and in doing so discussed what they thought different pieces ofthe kit were worth. Download Activity Card 5 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 6: Making Places Children spontaneously create dens and seats - making places to talk, hide and shelter from the sun. Download Activity Card 6 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 7: Talking Stories A class shared ideas on the theme of dinosaurs before going out to play, writing down words and ideas. Through free play the children used the kit to invent and act out stories. Download Activity Card 7 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 8: Musical Islands A class had been working in four groups to compose music on the themes inspired by a story. Having practiced their compositions, they went outside and created sets from which they performed their pieces to the others in the class. Download Activity Card 8 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 9: SNUG for health During playtime, a group of children were spontaneously pretending to be different pieces of Snug. Download Activity Card 9 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 10: How's it made? Children made charts to analyse the different pieces of the kit. In one column they drew the shape. In the next column they recorded what material it was made of. Then they wrote down what they thought was a good or bad about the choice of material. Download Activity Card 10 (PDF document)
	Activity Card 11: Under and over The kit can be used to introduce the idea of opposites and prepositions. A teacher directed the children to carry out actions relating to words such as 'crawling under', 'running over', 'climbing on' and 'jumping off'. Download Activity Card 11 (PDF document)

 

Snug is a collection of play items, some static and some loose parts, which children can move and manipulate. Generally there are no rules with Snug, and children can be extremely imaginative in the way they play with and cofigure the different Snug elements.

Snug is a new concept in play and at present there is no specific independent safety standard that it can be accredited to. Therefore Sutcliffe Play has used its 30 year experience of children's play and sought advice from RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) to incorporate safety considerations into the Snug range.

Where applicable, requirements from the European safety standard for playground equipment EN1176 have been adopted. Therefore fall heights onto hard surfaces have been kept below 600mm and all openings have been designed to prevent any entrapment. Many other safety features have been considered, such as the extensive use of soft, impact absorbing materials.

Risk Assessment

Risk is an important part of play and children will naturally look to extend their physical limits. Snug has been designed to allow young children to take risks in a safe environment. However, as with all play, accidents can and will happen. To keep the possibility of accidents while playing with Snug to a minimum, it is recommended that the school undertake a risk assessment of Snug in the location where it is to be used. Every school will be different in terms of what they think is allowable usage of Snug and this will partly depend on the physical nature of the playground and its size and shape.

When carrying out the risk assessment, the following may be used as a guide. However there may be other considerations that are site specific that will also need to be included.

• Do take special care when children are first introduced to Snug as this is the most likely time that accidents may occur. Extra supervision is recommended at this time, working initially with small groups of children.

• Do develop a set of school rules for the use of Snug, to cover such things as getting out and putting away, careful carrying, playing safely. For example, two pupils to carry walls and bumps, three to carry cones.
  
  
  
  How to hold/carry Snug safely. All pieces except Noodles, to be carried by 2-3 children.
  
  
• Do take extra care when playing with Snug in wet conditions. Snug has been designed to offer good grip, but like many surfaces it will be more slippery when wet. Children should be warned to take extra care in wet conditions.

• Do instruct children to carry rather than drag Snug to ensure longest life.

• Don't allow children to build and climb too high. This is less important if Snug is being used on grass or other soft surfaces, but on hard tarmac or concrete surfaces it is recommended that children should be discouraged from climbing higher than 600mm which is the height of the mound. So for example don't let children climb to the top of the wall when upright on its end, or to the top of the cone.

• Don't allow children to swing parts of the kit around, use them as weapons or for tugs of war e.g. the noodles. Although these are made from soft materials they should not be used intentionally as a weapon.

• Don't use Snug where there are obstacles in the play space that could cause injury such as trip points, low walls, or fences.

• Don't stack items too high e.g. not more than 4 bumps to be stacked on top of each other (except for storage).

Sutcliffe play is an award winning, environmentally responsible company. We operate from a modern, purpose built, energy efficient factory in Upton, West Yorkshire, designed to have a minimal impact on the local environment.

Consideration for our environment is an integral part of our Company Philosophy. We aim to develop products and services which meet the needs of children today without compromising the needs of future generations. This is reflected in our design and purchasing policies. In support of our commitment to minimise our negative impacts and increase our positive impacts on the environment, we have gained ISO14001, which is an internationally recognised environmental accreditation.

We have given careful consideration to product and packaging materials, in an effort to help our customers meet their ever-increasing recycling obligations and responsibilities.

Our product is protected using recyclable packaging. We use as little packaging as possible. Whenever possible, we use our own delivery vehicles, which enable us to plan environmentally economical routes and also to return the packaging to our factory for re-use.

When choosing the materials and processes for the Snug range of products, environmental considerations were a high priority. Materials from which Snug is manufactured are recyclable and, to ease recycling endeavours, below is a list of the materials used and suggestions as to how they may be recycled or disposed of responsibly.

• Low density polyethylene - This is the main structural component for Snug, It is 100% recyclable and can be re-compounded to be used again. All polyethylene components are engraved with the PET 4 recycling symbol for identification.
• Rubber Components - Snug uses a range of natural and synthetic rubber components. All can be recycled, and there are many recycling companies specialising in the reclaiming of rubber. Some of the rubber components used in Snug are bonded to a steel or aluminium insert for strength, these would need to be separated from the rubber prior to recycling.
• Polyurethane - Snug uses polyurethane to give a softness to some of its components and also in a more rigid form to provide a tough skin. Polyurethane is inert and can be recycled.
• Steel Components - The Snug kit incorporates a variety of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. All can be completely reclaimed and reused or recycled back into the base metal.

Our commitment to customer service ensures that the 'end of life' product recycling information is current, however, recycling technologies are numerous, varied, continually developing and are dependent upon local availability.

Current recycling information is available from your local authority environmental officer. The following websites may also assist you in sourcing appropriate local recycling facilities. www.letsrecycle.com or www.wrap.org.uk

If local recycling facilities are not yet available in your area, incineration at "energy from waste" facilities is an environmental acceptable disposal method. Disposal in landfill is to be considered a last resort.