New Playground & Swings

The week of August 22 – 28, 2021, was very busy.  Aside from the usual routines of preparing lessons & teaching, three large noteworthy events occurred.  Each event will receive its own post to prevent confusion.  (Two of them happened at the same time, spanning five days).  I will start with the installation of the new playground and swings at Inuujaq School.

I think the last time the school’s recess area received new playground equipment was in 2015.  They were a track ride, a slide, and two seesaws.  Before that, it was a swing set that only had 2 swings.  Six years later, it was time for an upgrade.

The out-of-town contractors and local workers began work on Sunday, August 22.  A loader was brought in to tear down the track ride, slide, swings, a small horse spring rider, and a wooden playground that sat in front of the school.  I was surprised to see all of them gone; I thought they would be repaired.  The head contractor explained the new swing set would replace the wooden playground and the brand-new playground would be built just to left of the main entrance.  And as for the other stuff?  He just had orders to bulldoze and dispose them. 

The head contractor showed the principal & I a printed photo of the new playground they were building.  It looked big and better than what the kids had been playing on for years.  He assured the principal that there would still be space for emergency vehicles.  I gave him a copy of the school’s schedule so that he could stop work when kids went outside for recess, lunch, and home.

Work on the playground & swings began on Monday, August 23.  Students were instructed to stay away from the construction area and not bother the workers.  The contractors brought a small sea can on site to store their tools.  Sand was dumped by a loader, and a bulldozer spread & flattened the sand.  The sand raised the ground level in front of the school by a foot or two.

The secret to keeping a playground & swing set level and together are the metal frames that lie on the ground.  The workers build this first and then install the components the children will use onto it.  Once completed, the frames are buried under sand to prevent damage and kids getting hurt.  It’s a good way to avoid dealing with permafrost.

Children stood and watched from a distance as the playground & swings took shape.  You could tell they were really excited and eager to try them once they were completed.  I wonder if any teachers & parents felt the same way? 

The original plan was to have both structures completed by Friday, August 27.  However, the contractors and local workers managed to finish construction in the afternoon of August 26.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t present when the head contractor gave the children permission to test out the playground and swings, but I was told both structures were immediately swarmed.  He said he never saw kids rush into a new playground so fast in his life. 

I photographed and filmed the kids playing for several minutes.  I would post a few pictures and a compilation video on the school’s Facebook page.  A young student came up to the head contractor and thanked him for installing the playground and swings.  I was glad whoever put in the order, purchased a larger swing set.  This one has 4 swings, meaning less lines.  I’m guessing there will be non-stop playing for the next three months.

The new playground and swings are the hottest attractions in town for kids.