This week, our students (and parents) were surprised to find a 'new' playground where there once stood a beautiful Liquid Amber Tree.
Removing established trees is never an easy decision to make, however, when the safety of our tamariki is risk, it becomes a no-brainer. Due to risk of large limbs falling around the students playground area, we were forced to remove the two Liquid Amber trees from the front of the school. This presented us with a great opportunity to turn part of the tree into a playground for students.
The students have enjoyed this new addition to our school and were involved in establishing safety measures and guidelines to reduce the risk of injury or harm.
These are the rules that the students in Room 4 have established:
1) No more than 7 students in the tree at a given time
2) Students are only allowed to sit on the very top of the tree - no standing
3) Tag and ball games are not permitted in the tree
4) Trust your gut, stay within your comfort zone
5) Climb barefoot - especially when it is slippery and wet
Using the logs that were left over, we were also able to create another play area for students that is designed to develop balance, coordination and agility.
It is always exciting to see students interact with their environment and engage in meaningful play.
We are now looking at planting another tree (one that isn't likely to drop heavy branches in the future), to replace the ones cut-down so that we can bring back the green canopy that once graced the school car park!