A natural playground in Helsingborg, Sweden, designed by Helle Nebelong.
At the time, Weikle said she expected the playground to be unlike anything that exists in the U.S.
The donation came from Charlie Jobson, a former Hoose student, who offered the gift in honor of his parents. Jobson said the project was inspired by his parents’ love of nature, and playgrounds he discovered on a recent family trip to Scandinavia.
Jobson hopes the Hoose playground can be a “reference project for the rest of the country.”
In addition to the money, Jobson presented Unit 5 with what he called a “dream team” of international experts to lead the project. Construction is expected to run from August through October at the school, 600 Grandview Drive, Normal. Once completed, the Hoose natural playground won’t feature any components of a traditional playground no swings, no monkey bars, no twisting plastic slides.