School's back! Pupils and parents eager for return to classroom

Morgan Garland is super excited to go back to school and play on the playground. Photo / Lewis Gardner

After almost two months in makeshift home classrooms Whanganui pupils are keen to get back to school, mates and the playground.

It has been almost two months since schools shut their doors as the country went into Covid-19 lockdown, but now under level 2 guidelines students have been preparing to get back to the classroom this morning.

Five-year-old Morgan Garland said she was very excited to get back to school and see her friends and her teacher.

"We always get lunchtime and we always get really tasty snacks and that's my favourite part about lunchtime and I'm really excited to go back to school because I really want to try and go down the little pole on the playground."

Morgan is also excited for morning tea time and despite it being only a short break, it gives her another opportunity to play on the playground.

Her favourite subject is maths and she is looking forward to learning some more equations.

"We always get to do learning and I like that because I can actually know that 10 plus 10 equals 20 and I know how to count in 10s."

Morgan said although she was excited to go back to school she has really liked being at home with her family.

Her mum, Nicole Garland, said it would be nice to go back to some normality.

Paige Forsyth was only in her first term at Whanganui Girls College when the country went into lockdown and she was looking forward to going back.

"I'm mostly excited to be seeing my friends and my favourite teachers," she said.

Grace Forsyth-Farr (left), Paige Forsyth and Ashton Harvey have loved spending time during lockdown riding motorbikes and helping Mum in the kitchen. Photo / Lewis Gardner

She said she looking forward to getting back into learning technology, social studies and music, which are her favourite subjects.

Paige has loved spending time at home with her family and riding her dirt bike.

Her sister Grace, who is in Year 5, said she was "sort of excited" to go back to school, especially to play on the monkey bars.

Stepbrother Ashton Harvey said he was not that excited to go back to school as he would rather be staying at home and riding his motorbike on his homemade skidpad or going hunting.

Mother Christina Forsyth said during the lockdown the kids had been helping her a lot in the kitchen, with Ashton making relishes from vegetables and fruits from their orchard and the girls creating a lot of baking.

She said during the lockdown the kids have helped her pick feijoas, which has been "awesome" and it has been nice spending time as a family.