Concept plan approved!

We met with VSB (Vancouver School Board) and received approval for almost all of
our proposed plans for the Northern half of our playground.

Gravel

The North end of the playground is currently a wasteland of mud, bumps, pits and raised manhole covers.

We proposed, and received approval for, the removal of the old sod, and the creation of a level gravel surface. Although not a soccer field, we want to install a 8' high, by 16' wide, chainlink fence panel to stop any ball kicked in its direction from landing on the road.

Entryway planting

We received approval for two pie-shaped planting beds adjacent to the walkway, at the North-West entrance. In order to protect the planting, and retain the soil, we're allowed to use logs as edging. We're pretty excited about this, since logs haven't been allowed up till now. We're looking for a free source for them.

Sand

The old sandbox, which is very rarely used because it's locked up, will be replaced by a long-jump pit.

Ditch

The area on the plan that's marked with "ditch", was supposed to deal with large amounts of rainwater,

currently pooling in several substantial puddles along the fence and in the grassy area near the stairs.

We thought we could create a visually pleasing puddle instead, but that is unfortunately not allowed, due to

safety concerns. We are however allowed to place large rocks and plants in a pattern to suggest there is a creekbed. Who knows, a puddle may naturally form where we want it.

Stage

In order to give an added purpose to the stairs, which serve as an emergency exit from the library, we proposed, and received approval for, the construction of a stage, similar to the one at MacDonald Elementary School. Ours will be a bit higher, so it will double as seating.

Phase 1

All of the above elements will form "Phase 1" of our playground renovations.
VSB is able to do the work during the upcoming summer vacation, which is really soon!
We're waiting for VSB to give us a cost estimate after which the Pac will decide on the amount of
funds it has available to allocate to this project.

Please come to the last Pac meeting of the school year
on June 14th, 2011, to learn more about the plans and to have your say.

Award winning German playground

One of our school's parents submitted these images of a playground in
Bad Wildungen, her home town in Germany. It's built around the theme of a Mikado game.
All of the play structure posts are made to look like enormous Mikado sticks.

The giant blue bucket in the sand play area is great fun!
     
Rules for safety surfaces in Germany are different from Canada
judging by the grass surface underneath the seesaw swing and the
braided rope swing. The grass and the surrounding shrubs and trees
make the entire space feel very green, lush and welcoming.

Sewer pipe hill

A change in level, no matter how small, will add interest to any landscape.
A small hill to run up and down, and a sewer pipe to crawl through,
will provide endless hours of entertainment. As with any other playground
element, the addition of carefully chosen trees, shrubs and plants,
will make it look great.

Logs for climbing

A criss-cross pattern of large logs can form a low tech climbing
and balancing structure, which at the same time, offers kids an
interesting place to sit. Children's imagination will also turn this
pile of logs into a store, or an appartment complex, a space ship
or a fishing boat.

Fun in a ditch

For a school ground to be a nurturing space for everyone, it should be designed and thought of as a garden.
No great garden is complete without the presence of some form of water.
Forget ponds and fountains for the school setting, but a shallow ditch that fills with rainwater
can be a huge form of entertainment. Dressed up with different sized rocks and
pebbles and surrounded by planting, this ditch becomes a river bed.

Meeting with the Vancouver School Board representative

Today we met with VSB's Grounds Maintenance Supervisor and found out
some very interesting information.

• Sand play areas are supposed to be covered in order to keep out the neighbourhood cats, but an open long-jump pit is absolutely fine and will even be replenished with a fresh load of sand every year by the VSB.
• We are allowed to use logs for climbing ( and sitting ) as long as we comply with the requirements for a safe landing surface.
• We may create a water play area, which collects water from a rainstorm, as long as we make sure the water drains away within a reasonable amount of time.
• We can't designate any area as "soccer field", because each bump in the surface then becomes a liability issue. Higher perimeter fencing can be installed in order to prevent the balls from landing on the street, but no permanent "goals" may be installed.
• The VSB gets regular requests from ( construction ) companies who want to donate their time and expertise to the building of school playground elements. VSB employees are required to do the grounds preparation, but they allow play elements to be installed by the community.
• For any garden, or planted area, to be approved we need to prepare a solid maintenance plan. Support from the new principal and from teachers is a key requirement. Garden care would need to be part of the curriculum.

It seems that some of the rules regarding the use of logs, sand, water and rocks
have loosened considerably, which would give us the option of creating an
"adventure" type play landscape. We could explore the possibility of integrating
traditional playground elements, such as monkey bars and slides into this kind
of playscape.

An outdoor classroom

Depending on the feedback we get from the school's teachers, we may want
to include an outdoor classroom in our design.

The above three projects were done in the Netherlands by Paul van Eerd of

http://www.burobuitenruimte.nl/



                              http://www.greenstonedesign.co.uk/