Supervisor Penny Gross toured the Montessori School of Northern Virginia’s new natural playground in Falls Church last week with (from left) students, designer Nancy Striniste of Early Space and Associate Head of School Nikki Moody.

Designed for MSNV’s students ages 2-5, the Falls Church campus backyard now offers students a sustainable space featuring hundreds of native plants, a rain garden, a stream with a real working hand pump, open lawns, shaded winding pathways for exploration, bridges, built-in slides and sand pits for digging. This playground design makes use of existing slopes, arbored areas, as well as rescued fallen timber. (photo: Ari Autor)