Wetteren (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Mariagaard school is renovating its playgrounds, replacing concrete with greenery. Work on the €300,000 first-grade playground began today March 24, 2025. Declercq highlighted features like an amphitheatre. The Flemish Government and Regional Landscape Schelde-Durme support the project.
The playgrounds at Mariagaard, Wetteren, Belgium, school are made of concrete and asphalt, which get hot in the summer. Officials mentioned that this makes it uncomfortable for kids to play there. The school wants to change this by making the playgrounds more natural.
They will remove the concrete and replace it with grass and trees. They mentioned that this will make the playgrounds cooler and more fun for kids. The school hopes that kids will spend more time outside.
How is Wetteren’s Mariagaard school transforming its playgrounds?
The school is starting to work on the playground for first graders. Work on this part of the project officially began today March 24, 2025. The kids helped design the playground, so it will have things they like, like a climbing wall, ping-pong tables, and places to sit and talk.
There will be play hills, wads and regional plants, but also an amphitheatre, winding bench, sunken seating circle and a wooden deck,
says Declercq.
This will make the playground a place where the students like to go again, and where they can also cool off in the greenery during the warmer summer months.
The school wants to have the new playground finished by the time school starts again in September 2025. They’re aiming to have all the big work done by the end of the Easter holidays, so the paths, water areas, and wooden decks will be ready.
The school hopes that the plants will have grown enough by June 2025 so the playground can be used. Then they’ll work on another playground near the labs and sports hall in 2026. They mentioned that this way, the school can make the playgrounds better one by one, and it will be easier to plan the work and make sure it’s done well.
The school is making changes to the parking lot and how cars move around to keep the students safe. Officials mentioned that cars are parked in different places, and students often walk near cars, which can be dangerous. The school is building a new parking lot next to the first-grade playground.
They mentioned that this lot will have a special surface that lets water soak through, and it will be easier for cars to get in and out. The school is also making a new entrance so students won’t have to walk near cars anymore.
The school is getting money from the Flemish Government and the Regional Landscape Schelde-Durme to help build new playgrounds. They’re using this money to make the playgrounds greener and more fun for the students.
The playgrounds will cost about 300,000 euros to build. Officials mentioned that the money would be used to make new paths, water areas, wooden decks, and other things to make the playgrounds look nice and good for the environment.
The school is also fixing up its sports hall. The school is getting help paying for this project, just like they are for the new playgrounds. Officials mentioned that the school is working hard to ensure students have the best places to learn and play, both inside and outside.
