The kit list.
There is no bad weather, only the wrong coat. Here is exactly what a child needs for a full day outdoors, season by season.
Dressed for the day, whatever the day is
A child who is warm and dry stays out and keeps playing. A child who is cold wants to go home. Almost everything on this page follows from that.
Layers beat one thick coat, because a child who is running will overheat in the same clothes that kept them warm standing still. Waterproofs go over the top and come off at the door.
Everything here will get muddy, and that is the point. Send the clothes you do not mind losing to a bramble, not the good ones.
Every single day
Whatever the season, this is the floor. It all comes home filthy, which is how you know the day went well.
- Wellies
- Ones that fit, with room for a thick sock.
- Waterproofs
- Jacket and trousers, or an all-in-one puddle suit.
- Spare clothes
- Two full changes, in a named bag.
- Socks
- Spare socks. Then more spare socks.
- A hat
- A sun hat or a warm hat, depending on the month.
Autumn and winter
The cold is managed with layers, and the layers have one enemy: cotton, which gets wet and stays wet.
- Base layer
- Thermals, top and bottoms.
- Mid layer
- Fleece or wool. Cotton stays wet.
- Over-suit
- Insulated waterproof over-suit on top of it all.
- Gloves
- Waterproof gloves or mittens, and a spare pair.
- Neck warmer
- Warmer than a scarf, and safer around climbing frames.
- Wool socks
- Thick ones. Wellies are only as warm as the sock inside.
Spring and summer
Sun and nettles are the two things a warm day brings. Long and light beats short and bare for both.
- Long sleeves
- Lightweight long sleeves and long trousers, for nettles and sun.
- Sun hat
- With a brim.
- Sun cream
- Applied before drop-off, plus a named bottle for the afternoon.
- Wellies still
- Because Irish summer.
- Water bottle
- Named, like everything else.
If you only remember four things
Name every boot, glove, hat and sock. Twenty children in near-identical waterproofs will lose things, and a label is the only thing that finds them again.
- Layers
- Three thin ones beat one thick one, every time.
- Waterproof
- Jacket and trousers, or one all-in-one suit. Not a school coat.
- Spares
- Two full changes, every day, in a named bag.
- Named
- Every item, including both wellies.
What we provide, and what you bring
[VERIFY with Sharon what the setting supplies: whether waterproofs are provided at enrolment, whether spare kit is kept on site, and what happens when a child arrives without the right gear.]
Until that is confirmed, assume everything on this page comes from home.
Not sure what
to send in?
Ask and we will tell you exactly what your child needs for the term they are starting in. Enquiries go to Aishling and Sharon.