Children of Ames will soon have a magical garden to play in year-round.

The new playground called the “Magic Garden” was designed to provide a learning environment for children. It is expected to be completed this month and will feature non-traditional equipment and activities.

Two ISU architecture professors designed and developed the playground for the Ames Community Preschool Center. Mark Stankard, assistant professor, and Mitchell Squire, temporary assistant professor, collaborated on the project since the summer of 1999.

The new playground was designed to allow for more interactive play, a combination of learning and recreation.

“The kids will bring an unanticipated response to the environment,” Squire said.

The entire playground, divided into five areas, is scaled to fit the children and will include an arena for free play. The playground also features a court for playing sports and reading, a garden area to grow various plants and crops and a path for strollers and tricycles. In the center will be a playhouse that will be a half-sized replica of a house and a picnic area.

The playground was designed for easy snow removal in the winter months so that the children can enjoy the playground year-round.

Martha Selby, vice president of the ACPC board of directors and adjunct assistant professor of engineering, said outdoor activity is important in the developmental stage of children.

Each area was designed with the developmental phase in mind and allows the children to be outdoors throughout the year, she said.

ACPC, a non-profit organization, funded the project through a city grant and donations. The majority of the landscaping and building have been done by the architects and volunteers.

“It has been a wonderful project and I am appreciative to take part in the design for a non-profit organization,” Squire said.

Stankard and Squire collaborated with local businesses and the Ames community to make the project possible.

The playground’s back fence will resemble a baseball outfield wall and will contain the names of the businesses that donated materials to the project.

“The coordination between ACPC, parents, neighbors, the city and designers was an interesting collaboration, and that is what made it fun,” Stankard said.