A transformed former parking lot was turned into a natural playground as a centerpiece for the outdoor play and learning environment. The project was an integral component of the renovated public preschool and kindergarten for River Trails District 26 in Mount Prospect, Illinois. The renovations were awarded as the first Net-Zero public school in the country.  The design includes landscape mounds built from excavated construction fill and natural elements such as wood equipment, outcropping stones, wood stumps, and native planting. The design incorporates a variety of play areas including a sandpit with a water pump and sluiceway, an outdoor learning amphitheater with a gazebo and outcropping steps, and a large mound with an embankment slide and climbing wall. The play area also serves as an educational resource for the existing school with an artboard drawing area, vegetable garden area, musical sensory area, and butterfly exploration path.