My kids school has done some of this. Next to his kindergarten class is a little patio where they eat snacks and spend a lot of the day. It used to be concrete, but now it’s all wood chips and little logs for stools. The shade is lacking, but it has trees, they’re just a bit young. When they fill out, it’ll be amazing.

I remember having a playground and a big field during recess. At least half the time, most of us played in the big field.

Kids are great at making fun from nothing, so this is a great move.