The Schoolyard Revolution Drenthe is transforming grey, paved schoolyards into natural and rich play and learning environments that encourage movement and stimulate all the senses. This initiative of IVN Nature Education, SportDrenthe and the Art & Culture Foundation offers children an inspiring, creative and sporty environment in which to play, learn and discover, both during and after school hours. The schoolyards will become outdoor classrooms with space, dynamism, plants and animals, where there is plenty to discover and investigate. The initiators aim for all schools in Drenthe to have an outdoor classroom. For this round, a school has been selected in eleven of Drenthe’s twelve municipalities. In Hoogeveen and Coevorden, two schools will even get to work.
The drawings by De Stroeten Free School in Emmen.
Eline Meedendorp is a project leader at IVN Nature Education. She is surprised by the plans submitted, some of which were created together with the pupils. De Stroeten Free School in Emmen even brought in 150 drawings showing what pupils’ ideal schoolyard would look like. “We are pleased that all the selected schools have carefully considered how they want to connect the schoolyard to nature, culture and physical education. That is something we paid close attention to during the selection process.”
With the 13 schools selected now, the number of schools that can renovate their schoolyard has reached 43.