Extra attention for green schoolyards during Healthy Youth Week

Municipality of Westland

In the Municipality of Westland, this 2030 goal is already within reach. At Prins Willem-Alexander School in ’s-Gravenzande, more than 800 square metres of paving made way for greenery and natural play areas. The schoolyard was officially opened in a festive ceremony on Wednesday 20 May by ‘green’ alderman Michiel Ferwerda of GemeenteBelang Westland (GBW). To realise the play equipment on the green schoolyard, pupils organised, among other things, a sponsored run, which raised €10,000. By now, 17 of the 44 primary schools in Westland already have a green-blue schoolyard. And with support from the municipality, even more schools will get to work on this in the coming year.

The province of Zuid-Holland is very pleased about this. Via a post on LinkedIn, the province is calling on municipalities in the comments to report whether they are also making good progress with green schoolyards and whether they are succeeding in greening half of all schoolyards by 2030.

Benefits of green-blue schoolyards

The Green-blue Schoolyards website lists the benefits of a green-blue schoolyard.

1 A green-blue schoolyard for healthy children. Everyday movement such as walking, scrambling and climbing naturally contributes to a child’s development.

2 Space for contact with nature. In a green-blue schoolyard, children come into daily contact with the elements, both literally and figuratively.

3 Space for variety in play and enjoyment. By giving the schoolyard a new green-blue character, much more space is created for playing, learning and discovering.

4 Space for outdoor education; practical learning is fun. Learning outdoors is more enjoyable, children are allowed to get more hands-on, and a green-blue schoolyard offers more opportunities for practical learning.

5 Prepared for heavy rainfall and extreme drought. Playing with water is fun, and on hot days a shady spot under a tree or pergola is very popular.

The site also provides information to help schools get started themselves and showcases inspiring examples.

PHOTO CAPTION The new green schoolyard of Prins Willem-Alexander School in ’s-Gravenzande.