Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.
Does anyone know why these kids in a French playground have formed a giant star shape? Perhaps it’s some sort of playground game, but not one I ever played!
Which makes me wonder — has anyone found any other kids playing playground games?
Thanks to Andrew Crawford.
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Fire alarm?
It doesn’t seem to be a self-organised game, at least, three of the rwos have different-coloured uniforms than the rest. It’s either a practice for a show of some kind or, as suggested, a fire drill.
It’s a “Human Destruction Derby” just about to begin…
Could it be something as mundane as queueing up to go in after break time? A rather elaborate way of doing it i know but you know what these French are like for overblown gestures………?
Also there seems to be plenty of ‘L’Trampoline envie’ going on in surrounding gardens aswell. Is this Invasion of the Trampolines pan-European i wonder?
Perhaps the kids are all queueing to go on a communial trampoline?
Or maybe they are queueing up to be transported away by aliens in this nearby flying saucer?
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
When I was in grade school, once our recess period was over a bell would ring and we were supposed to line up at our assigned room number, where our teacher would come and lead us back to the classroom. Perhaps this is a version of that? The fire drill guess is a good one, too.
I called them after a little bit of research and talked to a rather surprised secretary
She couldn’t tell me much about it but suspects it was a special occasion photo shooting. However, she invited me to call again monday to talk to the principal for more details. Will do so and report back here.
Couldn’t it also be that they knew there was going to be a photo taken, perhaps? Don’t know how they’d know by it would be a pretty cool project…
Alex, BTW: It’s France, not Belgium.
Thanks Flümo, I’m not sure how it got a Belgium stamp, when I never mentioned Belgium, but I’ll sort it!
I’m almost sure it’s a fire drill — my memory from elementary school days is vague at best, but I seem to recall a similar formation when lining up during fire drill when I was at the Ecole Française de Londres Placemark: here / Google Earth. The idea is each class lines up, teacher counts all kids from back to front, then reports to group organizer at the circle center, who can then dispatch directions back out efficiently due to the centralized topology.
Fire drill my backside, these kids are summoning the not often seen lesser spotted giant playground snake with this snake summoning dance!
Hmmm asked some French friends and they couldn’t explain it. In fact they thought it didn’t look like a school at all … more like military barracks. Although Flumo’s efforts seem to confirm the school theory … aaahhh the mystery of it.
maybe firealarm
i’m french and i never do that when i was at school !!!!
It’s a private school called : “La Croix Blanche” (The white cross) in the city of Bondues.
Are you sure of that? The buildings “La Croix Blanche” show on their website are a little way to the North, on the other side of the Rue de l’Abbe Six …
Y’know, this is a total guess, but there is an aero-club nearby (on the same road), and this could be where a skydiving team associated with them is doing a practice run. Which would explain the colored uniforms, the radial pattern, etc. Just a hunch.
Thats a nice idea JP but considering the amount of free space at the aero-club. wouldn’t it be easier to do the practise there.
So, talked to them again (it indeed is part of “La Croix Blanche”, they are a pretty big all-in-one-place private school for all ages): It is a rehearsal for a “formation forming” performance, think Olympics Opening Ceremony - thus explaining the coordianted clouring too.
Did the fact that you were calling the principal because there were photos of this activity on the internet completely blow his mind?
You could be right, JP look there :
http://www.vigil.aero/MissionIpossible2.php
(I was wrong, the Croix blanche school is 100 meters on the north.)
Elliot: They were indeed rather amused about it and asked how I did find out who to call (”research on the internet”). Apparently, nobody was aware of their rehearsal being googleearthified before my call. They also were very helpful, even offering me to be called back by the person organising the event for the full story - an offer I very kindly turned down.
I left my phone number however, maybe someone will be curious enough to call nevertheless.
I find this amazing! Not so much the picture being taken during that practice, but their being totally unaware of it and only finding out because Flümo called them after seeing it on this site. Makes you wonder who is watching you when you think you’re alone!
Formation Forming? I thought it looked like they were all going to simultaneously rush each other in the middle, which seemed much more fun than practice. Great find!
Great story… that’s why i like this site so much. And i learned a new word; googleearthified
Woohoo, i finally found something worth featuring yeeeeeeeha!
K im at it again, dont u worry!
I think that this is a evangelistic mission (Mission des Peres Lazaristes) based on the spirit and experience of Saint-Vincent (rough translation, I am not a specialist of religious things).
You will find more details on the web site of the mission (unfortunately in French) : http://www.cm-bondues.com
I don’t understand what the people are doing on the playground but, if you read the activity part of the web site, you will see that they organize some shows based on religious story. May be the preparation of one of them ?
Have a look to the picture on the site, it shows the church tower which is probably the building at the entrance of the site just above the playground.
I hope this will help.