© Laura Loewel
Schoolyards
Children are our future. The Corona pandemic in particular has shown how important schools are for our children. No one would have thought before that our children would be so excited about going back to school.
Schools are of great importance for the development of society and its basic values, as every child spends many years of his or her life in schools. This is the only social institution that every child growing up in Germany goes through. Therefore, this time is also of great importance for later social life.
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In addition to lessons, breaks are especially important for the children's social interaction. That is why the quality of the school's open spaces is so important: Schoolyards as green oases with trees, perennial areas and attractive exercise facilities that attract the children outside. It has been proven that a lot of movement during the breaks helps to consolidate what has been learnt before. In any case, movement is often neglected by children, especially in today's world. In all-day school, children spend long days and also free time on the school grounds - the demand on quality must be correspondingly high.
Schoolyards should be varied spaces that can be used in many different ways, where children feel comfortable and can find different things to do depending on their mood: romping and climbing, chilling, playing, meeting friends or discovering nature. Extensive maintenance, permanently flowering mixed perennial plantings or species-rich hedges increase biodiversity. Rainwater is actively incorporated into the design and alleviates summer heat.
The school biotopes, which used to be relegated to the far corners of the school, can now be found throughout the schoolyard. Inclusive learning and play for children with disabilities is a relatively new topic, but should be a matter of course in all open spaces. The online exhibition gives an insight into the diversity of the new German school landscapes and encourages to dare more open space quality at schools.
You can find more projects on the topic in the project search.
