BURLINGTON — Organizers of Burlington Little School have always foreseen a natural backyard for their learning center.

Now, with the help of a nearly $10,000 grant, parents and administrators have gotten a “green” light for a new outdoor classroom.

The school has received the grant, which covers training support, a design consultation and a stipend to purchase equipment for its one-acre back lot, from the Arbor Foundation and Dimensions Educational Research Foundation.

With the funds, volunteers will build and landscape the school’s backyard into a full-fledged playground, complete with learning stations that take inspiration from nature, said Stephanie Travers, director of the school.

The backyard playground will be divided into different areas just as it would be in a classroom, Travers said.

Instead of a grass field, the landscaping design shows large climbing and crawling space, a wheeled-toy driving course, a “messy materials” area complete with dirt and sand, a stage and a water trench that students can put their hands in.

The playground will be nature-oriented, Travers said. Shrubs, trees and other organic materials will be used within the area, similar to those already in place throughout the school’s property.

“It’s really about outdoor exploration,” Travers said. “A lot of kids grow up without nature being in their lives. We want them to experience that at an early age.”

In addition to the play area, funds will also provide wheelchair access to the school, as well as an entrance way gathering area that leads into the field.

Constructing the outdoor area will take time, said Sarah Bishop, who has helped design some of the school’s current play areas and is spearheading the project.

Children at the school were asked to help design the outdoor area by telling designers what types of materials and play areas they would like, she said.

“We had them sample surfaces and they’d tell us what they liked,” Bishop said.

The process will likely take between three and four years to be completed, she said. But now that funding is secured, volunteers can begin working immediately.

The school hopes to employ its volunteers and other community members to landscape and help provide materials during the yard’s creation, Travers said.

“(The foundations) wanted it community-driven and wanted the community to help build it,” Travers said. “It’s a hand-in-hand process.”

The plan now is to have monthly work parties at which volunteers can come and begin building the backyard play area. The first work party was scheduled for Saturday.

Although plans are under way at the school, organizers are looking to partner with the community. Bishop said interested residents or businesses can contact the school if they can help provide labor or materials.

Organizers have also talked about having a community play day once the area is completed for children not in the school to come check it out, Bishop said.

Burlington Little School enrolls students from preschool until third grade, and can be reached at 360-757-8257.