Playgrounds for Kids

[sharkalopodous]

Hi,
Ok stupid question but I would love to know the answer. Are school playgrounds open to the public? Are they fenced in. Here in Canada, school playgrounds can be used during school hours and aren't fenced in or anything. You just can't really use them when the school kids are outside on break, but when they are in class, it's no problem to use them. I am just wondering if its the same way in Christchurch specifically? Just hoping there's stuff for my kids to do during the day!

[Sam B]

Playgrounds here are plentiful and wonderful, both in school and in parks and leisure areas. They are not fenced in, and school playgrounds can be used by the public on evenings and weekends. I'm not sure about during school hours though, but there are plenty of other playgrounds around that you can use during these times.

[Dell]

...and you'll notice if you go to a school playground after the kids have gone home for the day, there'll be more than one pair of shoes left behind. Kids go home barefoot - forgetting that they wore shoes to school.

Classic NZ. I love it.

[dharder]

That's primary schools. Secondary schools are sometimes fenced and you are not supposed to go in (well, you wouldn't want them for the playground, obviously, just the playing fields).

Daniela

PS: kids at our school are supposed to go to and from schools wearing shoes (can be barefoot at school)

[GrumpyGoat]

no barefoot kids at school in Chch that I know of.

We have gone to two different primary schools since we have lived here and they have very strict shoe rules. Meaning no open toe sandals or croc type shoes and no jandals or gum boots.

Last year, during the 2 week rain deluge, they allowed them to wear gumboots to school if they brought slippers to wear in the class.

My kids would really like it if they had some shoe options--as in, NO shoes!

[sophiedb]

We've certainly been taking advantage of primary school playgrounds during the holidays, but I've never really thought about using them during school hours.

Even if it's ok, most that I've seen are in line of sight with classrooms, so I'd be worried about pupils getting twitchy when seeing younger kids messing about outside - and sorry in turn for their teachers After school hours and weekends are of course a free for all!

There are loads of local playgrounds as well though, absolutely loads of them. While househunting, there were some streets we almost had to drive through in a round-about fashion, otherwise DD would be shouting "paygwound!" every 5 seconds (or so it felt )

Parks with large play equipment - e.g. flying foxes
Parks in general - some will be just a patch of grass or a playing field, others have swings, slides etc.

[Shones]

[QUOTE=sophiedb;393478] otherwise DD would be shouting "paygwound!" every 5 seconds (or so it felt )

And she looked so gorgeous in those removal photos you posted, how can you resist?

[Sam B]

The High School and Middle School in Cambridge are also unfenced and open to the public on evenings, weekends and holidays. Lots of barefoot primary kids, no rules about shoes that I know of.

[Mamee & Co]

There are shoe rules at the boys school in Christchurch but my OH tells me that more often than not there are plenty barefoot kids there...we have been missing a pair of trainers all summer as L left his in school!!!

PLaygrounds are everywhere and plentiful....and for larger than preschool kids too, with great climbing apparatus and flying foxes. The school equipment can be used in holiday time too...better than most public parks in the UK.

[sharkalopodous]

Sweet thanks for the replies. I just figured after going on the parks and recreation government site, that there were only playgrounds in major parks, it didn't say anything about little ones that are all over the place. But I guess here in Toronto, we have little ones too that aren't really "advertised". Is there a website with a list of park areas/playgrounds other than the obvious major ones such as Hagley, etc?