The research question addressed in this paper is: What specific elements in the outdoor environment draw children's attention? The new approach to Welsh early years education--the "Foundation Phase: Framework for children aged 3-7 years in Wales" (DCELLS 2008)--requires the inclusion of both teacher-led and child-initiated activities and emphasises the use of outdoor environments for learning and the need to build experience around what interests the child. This paper addresses a gap in the literature pertaining to how an environment can stimulate children's interest and what children choose to talk to their teachers about. Set in a large inner city primary school in South Wales, the research involved audio-visual data collection, transcription and grounded theory analysis. The findings suggest that a natural outdoor space populated with varied and flexible elements, and in particular multiple loose parts, can provide opportunities for teachers to respond to child-initiated interaction and build on children's interests. This is especially pertinent in Foundation Phase settings in Wales at the current time. (Contains 1 note and 1 table.)