You’ve completed all the work for the BBC micro:bit playground survey and your class has worked hard using their micro:bits to learn more about surface A measure of how hot something is., A measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem., The amount of space taken up by a two-dimensional shape. and physical activity. So… what next?
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Shereen: So what now?
Big Manny: It would be really interesting to look at our data and analyse it. What do our results
say about our playground? What do your results tell you about your playground? Can you find links, notice patterns, or spot surprises?
Yussef: If you analyse your findings, you could use what you find out to solve some of the problems in your playground.
Big Manny: If your data showed that synthetic surface temperatures were very high, you could think about whether your playground needs more natural materials, or shade.
Yussef: Or if you would like to increase your biodiversity, maybe some simple bird boxes or bug hotels could encourage new friends to visit.
Tilly: And I'm sure your playground will change in all sorts of ways in the future. So why not ask another class to do the survey and share it with the school next year?
Shereen: You might be amazed at how much can change.
Yussef: But then what next?
Tilly: You may have completed the data collection for this phase, but that doesn't mean you have to stop using your micro:bit.
Big Manny: As you know by now, this awesome little tool is capable of many, many things. So why not keep going?
Shereen: Programme your micro:bit to become a compass and you could work out what direction your playground faces and what times of day your playground will have the most sunlight or shade.
Yussef: Or maybe investigate the noisiest parts of your playground using the micro:bit’s built-in microphone to help you plan your quiet spaces.
Big Manny: Great ideas. You could also change the biodiversity counter to count something else important to your local environment like traffic or litter.
Tilly: The possibilities are endless.
Big Manny: We really hope you've had a good time and that you've learned a lot about your playground.
Shereen: Remember, the micro:bit is just waiting for you to create and download new programmes and try out all sorts of different things. So just keep playing around with the code.
Yussef: It's time to say goodbye, for now.
Tilly: Bye.
Playground survey teacher notes
The possibilities of where you can take your learning next are endless, so for this activity we have not provided teacher instructions or pupil worksheets. Instead, we have suggested a selection of extension activities and organisations to pique your interest and help you turn your Information collected for use elsewhere. into real-world change – without breaking the budget!
Please note the links in this article will take you away from the BBC.
Suggested extension activities
Enter the Nominet prize draw
BBC micro:bit - the next gen partner Nominet, is running a free monthly prize draw to help schools keep computing at the heart of the curriculum. A different school will win £5,000 towards digital equipment every month until July 2025 – and once entered, your school will be eligible for every draw!
Repeat the playground survey
You could repeat the survey in a different season and keep a record of how your playground changes over time. Why not ask another class to do the survey and share it with the school next year? If you want to explore other aspects of your playground, here are six more statistics you could also survey with your micro:bits. If you’ve decided you’d like to make your own changes to your playground following your survey conclusions, here are a few ideas you could get started with…
Plant more trees
If your survey has revealed a high average temperature in your playground, you could think about planting more trees to increase the amount of shade. Schemes by the Woodland Trust and the Tree Council could be a great way to teach pupils about planting and caring for trees as well as giving wildlife a new home. To help figure out the best place for new trees, you could turn the micro:bit into an environment data logger to measure light and temperature over several hours or days.
The Woodland Trust runs a scheme to give free saplings to schools in England, Wales and Scotland. Once you have provided the Trust with details of your tree-planting project, you could receive a pack of 15, 30, 105 or 420 saplings during planting season, in either March or November.
The Tree Council's Orchards for Schools programme opens for applications in winter and provides free orchard and hedgerow packs. You could also sign up to their Young Tree Champions scheme, which provides access to free trees, workshops and tech bundles. More trees mean lower temperatures, less air pollution and more natural The places where plants, animals and other living things exist. to increase biodiversity – a legacy from your playground survey that will last for years to come!
Design new structures
Another way to increase shade while providing more space for outdoor learning and break time activities is by building physical structures. The Royal Institute of British Architects’ free National Schools Programme has a range of activities. These could help your pupils understand the built environment and learn how to improve it – including how to build green roofs and biodomes.
Working architects can also visit schools as part of the Architecture Ambassadors partnership, to help pupils develop ideas to solve the problems they identify. These resources could be an exciting next step to lower the temperature of your playground, as well as making it a more adaptable space for outdoor learning no matter the weather!
And why not find out all about micro:bit A device that measures temperature. with the cast of CBBC's So Awkward, and learn how to send temperature readings between micro:bits using radio signals!
Build homes for wildlife
Humans aren’t the only ones who can benefit from new structures. Why not increase biodiversity by giving nature a new home in your playground? If your playground survey showed low biodiversity, you could build a bug hotel or bird box to provide shelter, and encourage population growth that will help the whole A community of animals, plants and microorganisms and their habitat..
These guides from the Woodland Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds could be used as lesson plans. And to take it a step further, you could try making a hedgehog home with this guide from The Wildlife Trusts.
If you're looking for a challenge long-term, the British Bee Charity's Bees4Schools programme allows schools to apply for funding for all the tools and equipment you need to host a bee hive in your playground, including a colony of honey bees!
Grow a school garden
Another way to increase biodiversity is by planting a garden, which can transform a disused patch in the playground into a source of shelter, rest and food for wildlife.
The RHS’s Campaign for School Gardening could help to engage the whole class in hands-on gardening activities, including nature crafts and composting. The Society also runs the School Gardening Awards, providing structure to your project through five levels. Pupils are rewarded with certificates, books and gardening vouchers along the way. Your team could even enter School Gardeners of the Year!
The British Bee Charity's BeeBombs4Schools programme allows primary schools to apply for free 'bee bombs', which are native wildflower seed balls, and also provides an educational pack on the importance of bees and how to protect them.
Enjoy new games
If your playground survey showed a limited area, you might be wondering how best to maximise this to build on your temperature, biodiversity and activity findings. You can’t make your playground bigger, but you could increase the variety of activities available by enjoying some games that don't require a huge amount of space - micro:bit games!
Why not learn how to send simple messages between micro:bits, or enjoy the Teleporting duck game, seen on CBBC's Saturday Mash-Up! You could also use micro:bits as dice for playing board games at playtime or have a go at rock, paper, scissors.
Outdoor Classroom Day also provides resources and lesson ideas for making outdoor learning central to the curriculum - regardless of how big your playground is!
Engage the five senses
You could create sensory experiences by enhancing existing features, through music or a sensory garden. These could boost wellbeing and engage the whole school community. You could encourage pupils to take musical instruments outdoors and play together, or use their micro:bits to play their favourite tunes and compose their own. As a next step, they could engage with schemes such as Music for All’s Learn to Play scheme, which offers people of all ages and abilities a free music lesson at venues across the UK.
The RHS Campaign for School Gardening includes a guide on making a sensory garden, big or small. An area with bright flowers, tasty fruits, aromatic plants and leaves of all textures could provide another space for pupils to learn about nature.
Get active without equipment
Whether your school has play equipment aplenty or none at all, you could encourage pupils to work together in games and physical activities that require minimal equipment, such as relay races, football or dancing. Teamwork, creativity and friendly competition can be just as valuable without physical apparatus - pupils could even turn their micro:bits into kick strength data loggers with the cast of CBBC's Football Academy!
If your playground survey showed one playtime activity was a clear favourite, why not carry on using the micro:bits as activity trackers to see how physical activity might change over time or vary by age or year group? And if your pupils are struggling to choose between their favourite activities, they could use their micro:bits as activity pickers.
Make it more inclusive
To help more of your pupils feel included in the playground, you could adapt some of your class’s favourite physical activities by making them more accessible. Activity Alliance has a range of resources on accessible sports and information about disability sports organisations. This could help you encourage the whole class to get active in a more inclusive way, whether by adapting well-known formats or trying out sports specifically designed for disabled people.
You could even get involved in BBC Education’s Super Movers for Every Body campaign to celebrate the 2024 Paris Paralympics. From Boccia to blind football, the campaign’s free equipment could help you build on your playground survey results by making the space more inclusive in the future.
This is just the start of your journey with the micro:bit!
We’d love to know if you’ve decided to change anything in your playground after analysing your data. Whether you improve your space, repeat the survey or find new statistics to measure, you can share your ideas and activities with us on social media by tagging @BBC_Teach.
More from the BBC micro:bit playground survey
Six more playground survey project ideas!
Six more stats you can survey in your school playground, using the BBC micro:bit.
Classroom resources
Check out resources that will help you get ready once you receive your micro:bits.
