Nelson's Wildflower School has unpaved their property and built a new “wildscape” playground.

The multi-year project, completed in the first week of June, fills a want and need for more green space at the school, according to Principal Misty Terpstra. The idea is for the children to have a space to connect with nature and learn about plants. The playground also consists of an outdoor classroom setting, a basketball court, an area for road hockey, a willow dome and gardens the students helped build and manage.

The $60,000 project was primarily funded by the school’s Parent’s Advisory Council (PAC) with School District 8 (SD8) chipping in $15,000 for the slide.

Several volunteers and local businesses helped out as well. Some of the main contributors were Terpstra, Gabe Tyler (North Mountain Construction), Kim Watt (Thimble Hill Nursery), Anna Wynne (Cover Architecture), Meghan Paterson (PAC chair), Al Krause (SD8), Chris Kerr (SD8) and Kirsten Johnson (teacher).

The nearly 160 students from kindergarten through Grade 9 will all have access to the new playground.

Misty Terpstra spoke with CJLY about the project. Listen to the story below: