"It will be more comfortable for the children. They'll settle in the huts, sit in the wood shavings which are much cooler than the paving stones. Brigitte Vallet, headmistress of the Jeanne d'Arc primary schools in Paris, is reassured. Since her school's playground was completely redesigned in 2020, she knows that the heatwave that is sweeping through the city will be more bearable thanks to these new islands of coolness. Of the 700 or so public schools in the capital, some 75 now have 'oasis' playgrounds. Twenty-five more will have them over the summer, and eventually all schools will be converted to better cope with global warming. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES