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Aesthetics

Students frequently comment on the ugliness of their schoolyards. They find the school buildings boring, colourless and uninspiring and say that the asphalt is nothing but an empty grey space which is painful to fall on and depressing to look at. The grey metal fences and gates are proclaimed "o-fence-ive" and make children feel like prisoners in a cage.

The appearance of the schoolyard and unsightly views from the yard can be greatly improved by covering metal fencing with shrubs and climbing plants. Colour can be added to fences by attaching murals painted on sheets of plywood. The plywood can be cut into interesting shapes. The murals can have scenes that compliment existing play and natural spaces or create themes for imaginative play.

Windbreaks

Fencing covered with woody vines such as Virginia creeper, Dutchman's pipe and American bittersweet or fence sections with murals attached to them can provide children with shelter from the wind in Winter.

Shade

Covering chain-linked fencing with vines helps to create pockets of shade. If visibility from the street is an issue, vines can be grown up the support posts between the fence sections and trained to grow along the top. The vines soften the hard edges and make it less cage-like while still maintaining visibility requirements.

Habitat

Greenery growing along fencing creates continuous stretches of sheltered habitat which allow wildlife such as small mammals and toads to move from one place to another with relative safety. Flowering vines add colour to the schoolyard and can attract hummingbirds and insects such as butterflies and bees.

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