Infant School without an outdoors playground

[Ginwithpetalsandiece]

AIBU to think that 4-7 year olds should have access to play equipment to let off steam during playtime? Our school has a vast lawn and a couple of 'quiet' areas with benches to sit on, thats it. The grass turns into a mud field when the weather is a wet. The dc seem to just chase each other around for lack of anything else to do. There are a few skipping ropes, hula hoops etc.

Does your primary school have a playground?

Yes. A beautiful one, full of exciting climbing equipment, train, boat, nature corner, benches, football pitch/netball court. All soft Astro turf. However, most of this has been done due to PTA fundraising. I think school budgets struggle to cover an exciting playground, so our PTA took it on as their project for about 3 years. Most parents were much more willing to contribute to the various fundraisers when they realised where the money was going. They even got a local building company to sponsor the climbing frame (and pay for it!). To answer your question though, no I haven't really come across a primary school playground that is only lawn - surely it's a mud bath in Winter? Maybe the development of the playground is on your school development plan for the next few years?

Gosh I thought from the title that you meant there was no outdoor space at all. We called the yard the playground when we were at school, and there was never any play equipment. We ran around lots, skipped, played imaginatively and were a lot slimmer than many of today's kids for all of their play apparatus! Now DC's school has a few climbing frames and slopes/tunnels, which they muck about on, but though it looks nice I don't think it's especially beneficial. I think your school facilities sound fine and kids have chased each other around at playtime forever. What do you think they'd be doing if there was one of those big wooden bus things or forts? Mucking about for a bit and then... chasing each other around. YABU.

Yabu.
No they don't need play equipment.
They can just run around, making up their own games. Like we all did.

Yes.

4-7 year olds at our school have access to a quiet playground, a KS1 playground, a reception children only area and a field. The field is only used summer and early autumn because it gets muddy.

I wouldn't worry about the chasing- my son goes on the apparatus on his year's "day" and plays chase on the other days.

My older children went to a school that was not as well funded and everyone brought in their own skipping rope or a tennis ball for playtimes.

Yes ours does but again it was fundraised for through the parents association, it also has a big green bit for running about, playing football etc on. The benefit of the actual playground bit is that it doesn't get muddy, wet, slippy or it can be dried off very quickly. When the weather has been very wet (like now) the green bit can't be used.

Nothing wrong with using your imagination. When I take my DCs to the park we spend most of the time mucking about on the grass, chasing each other, kicking a ball, hula hooping, skipping etc. And about ten minutes on the equipment.

We have main yard with no equipment and a side yard with climbing frames, slides ect. Side yard is used on rota basis at breaks or as as clear treat as requires closes supervision to use equipment.

Main yard has balls, skipping ropes ect mostly kids make.makeup. make up their make up their own games like tag, what's the time. Mr wolf, hopscotch

Dd's school has a sports crew. the older kids are on a rota to pay games with the younger ones. Seems very popular. Could you suggest something like that.

Yabu

Outside space is important, they have that and they run around, like generations of children have done before them

Yes, with climbing wall, trim trail and wooden teepees as well as portable stuff like skipping ropes and sliders. Separate area for football.

I don't think they need a whole load of equipment but some is good, and provides focus for those who are perhaps a little shyer - they can be doing something rather than standing around.

Also meant to say, as someone said above, most of it was paid for by the PTA.

Ours has a "cage" which is a football nest a trim trail a basketball court a wooded area with wooden climbing bits and recently funded by the PTA 4 houses with are all purpose play houses with different themes. A army camp a tree house a home and a hospital.

"Outside space is important, they have that and they run around, like generations of children have done before them"

"No they don't need play equipment.
They can just run around, making up their own games. Like we all did."

That sounds a bit miserable. Why have any playgrounds anywhere or for that matter toys at all?

Not all 4-7 year olds especially 4 and five year olds in reception and year 1 are able to invent games. A little bit of stimulation and fund for the half hour or so they run around would be quite nice imo and also aid the making of friendships.

"Nothing wrong with using your imagination. When I take my DCs to the park we spend most of the time mucking about on the grass, chasing each other, kicking a ball, hula hooping, skipping etc. And about ten minutes on the equipment."

The difference here is that there is an adult at hand to guide them or suggest things if necessary.

I disagree with you completely. If a 4yr old can't invent a game, that isn't good and they should learn pdq.
But I'm signing off now, as I have no interest in debating this.

Yabu unreasonable. Kids have imagination it's perfect for playing. If you want expensive equipment speak to the school about fundraising. LA simply can't afford to kit out every playground with exciting equipment, for twenty minutes playtime.

Good Lord, I've never guided my now 5 yo with her imaginative ramblings. Was I meant to (I have no imagination to speak of)?

Play equipment can cost upwards of £20,000.

Of course reception age kids can invent games - DSD is five and always making up games she wants us to play with her. None of them make much sense but she has a great time anyway!

When my kids were infant school (they're 18&20) it was the norm to have nothing in the yard other than some snakes/hopscotch type stuff painted on the ground.

They were never bored

I think people sometimes don't realise how expensive equipment can be. The nursery as ds school have been raising money for almost two years for a climbing frame. There are far more important things for LA funding to be spent on.

And yes, when I was in infants (I'm 26) we had no big bits of play equipment either. We had skipping ropes, hula hoops, hopscotch and various other jumping/hopping games, plus a big field.

We played cops and robbers, blind mans bluff, 40/40, IT, stuck-in-the-mud, dizzy dinosaurs and loved it. They built a slide when I was in year 4 and nobody ever used it!

Get your PTA and local businesses involved, that's how a lot of the really lovely playground equipment round here gets funded. Especially in the small schools with little budgets.

I think to some extent it is an undesirable thing.better to collaborate with their friends and play imaginative games or the playgroung classics.Only a small percentage of the pupils can use the equipment at any one time so it is always going to be a source of frustration for all but the most pushy.

I've never guided or suggested games to play with my DC. I follow their lead. They make up a game, I play it with them. That's the reason I always lose, or get piled on, or I'm the bad guy etc....because they make it up as they go along so even if I follow their rules they change it so I lose. Little buggers

Oh wait, I tell a lie I might suggest games sometimes but they usually ignore me and do what they want anyway.