In this article we will discuss the outdoor environment for younger children with the help of two different concepts. The first concept, affordance, is well known in the discussion about outdoor environments. What the affordance in the outdoor environment is perceived as can differ between actors. How the affordance is used can be another source of interesting difference between actors. We would also like to bring in an additional concept: private and public space. Interviews during a walking-tour have been carried out with 103 children, aged 3-9 years. The results show the affordances that scored highest were climbable features, shelters and moldable materials. These categories were also the highest scored concerning use. The outdoor environment at the pre-school, pre-school class and school is mainly a public space, but there are examples of private space such as shelters. (Contains 3 tables.)