Weekend Play – The ‘Green Playground’ at Øster Farimagsgades Skole

It’s a fact little-known to Copenhagen’s visitors that at weekends, the playgrounds of the city’s public schools and børnehaver (pre-schools) are open for anyone to romp in. If the suns out (or if it’s not, which in this Nordic city is a high possibility!) and the gates are open, they’re yours for the taking. This is a useful thing to know if you’re exploring very residential neighbourhoods simply to catch sight of, for example, pretty rows of houses, as they can be a welcome incentive to tired little legs.

When we first moved to Copenhagen, our kids also loved the feeling that we were stealing into somewhere that, back in England, was totally off limits outside of school hours. To have, all to yourself, an unfamiliar school playground that all week is the well-worn domain of a whole group of unknown kids must be a thrilling feeling for children.

Unsurprisingly for a country with strong design principles at its very core, Copenhagen’s Kommune puts a great deal of creative energy and funding into the city’s play spaces. Every neighbourhood has somewhere innovative, well-maintained and sometimes a little ‘out there’ for kids – and their adults! – to play in and explore, and the school playgrounds are an added sweetener.

One of our favourites is at Øster Farimagsgades Skole, which is in a super neighbourhoody street running parallel to the eastern end of the Lakes. The two are linked by the lovely Kartoffelrækkerne streets, which are highly wander-worthy. Since my older son’s school is very nearby, he’s the one that first led me to and told me about being allowed to play there – turns out he sometimes goes there on playdates with other kids after school! He calls it ‘the Green Playground’ because one section of it is a bright, happy green – ground, equipment and all. This and the more ‘yellow’ playground around the back of the school are full of strange and wonderful structures to climb, balance on and hang from. Both sections are part of an innovative and inspiring modern extension to this pretty red brick building, which was originally built in 1885.

Open

During the week, schools in Denmark generally finish at 2pm, but their after school clubs usually run until 5pm and their playgrounds will be in use then.

At weekends there is no school.

Øster Farimagsgade 40
2100 København Ø

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