The playground at Noah's Ark Preschool was buried in snow last month, a dormant white mound. But the school has a vision, and soon, the space that houses a small jungle gym could transform into a vibrant landscape with birdhouses, hammocks, a pine tree fort and a hothouse garden.

The children at Noah's Ark, located in Peters at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, are itching for a change. The school's 10 regular staff members pioneer a "child-centered" educational approach, and their curriculum is filled with nature. The institution has been accredited since 2006 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The 108 children who attend the program play and learn outside as often as possible. Their playground, though, is a relic.

"When you have a static jungle gym like that, there's only so many things they can do with it," said Allison Dagen, whose daughter, Cali, 3, and son, Bode, 5, attend the preschool.

School director Gerda Moul explained her dream as she gestures at a landscape architect's plan for a "natural playground."

"It's just so much different from the traditional plastic," she said. "Here, they will be providing their own entertainment ... digging for worms."

"It will be their space," she said.

The natural playground is still just a seed, waiting for the funding to nurture it. It comes with a hefty price tag.

New Hampshire landscape architect Ron King created a site design for $10,000: the same amount Ms. Moul received last year, mailed in an anonymous check.

"It was too eerie," she said. "I was grinning for weeks."

But the construction of the playground -- depending on how much Mr. King is involved -- could cost an additional $50,000 to $140,000, Ms. Moul said.

Ms. Dagen and Ms. Moul are applying for several grants, and they hope to make Mr. King's design a reality.

The natural playground would use the thicket of tall trees and curving hills that hug the church grounds. Slides would be built into the hillsides, which would be dotted with chimes and musical instruments. A miniature labyrinth would abut a gazebo and a sandbox. There would be space for composting and barrels to collect rain.

A planned fort around an existing pine tree would allow children to climb up and explore the tree from a new perspective.

"So much of this feeds into their goals for discovery," Ms. Dagen said.

Ms. Moul said the program is different from that of many other preschools because it revolves around the children, instead of a set curriculum or schedule.

"The teacher's agenda may go out the window because the children are more interested in a spider that just crawled across the floor," she said.

Ms. Dagen said the teachers at Noah's Ark happily indulge her son's interests.

"He'll pick up a leaf and run in here and get a magnifying glass, and the teachers will turn that experience -- a leaf, a magnifying glass and a kid -- into a giant discussion," she said.

During a recent afternoon "discovery time" for a class of 4-year-olds, several girls made graham crackers with Heather Burtch, who has taught at the preschool for 11 years.

Nearby, a boy examined a small fish tank until Ms. Moul helped him feed the flitting fish. In the room next door, five children wearing safety glasses pounded nails into boards with tiny hammers, overseen by Peggy Barczak.

"We let them develop at their own rate," Ms. Barczak said. "There's many things you can do over in life, but you can't be a kid again."

Ms. Barczak has taught at the preschool for nine years, since her children were students there.

"I can't leave. This is my life," she said.

While Noah's Ark is associated with the church, Ms. Moul said that children of many faiths attend, and the program accommodates special-needs children through a partnership with the Intermediate Unit of Washington County.

When the Noah's Ark program was started 21 years ago, classes met in a church conference room. Eight children attended, Ms. Moul recalled.

Today, the preschool has its own space within the church. A stairwell painted with elephants and giraffes leads to a paint-splattered art room and a cozy parents lounge.

The classrooms are dressed with the trappings of childhood: smocks, cubbies and paper cutouts hung on brightly colored walls.

Ms. Dagen said the proposed playground would be an asset to the whole community: Noah's Ark would make the space available for therapy sessions for children with special needs and would also use it for workshops for preschool teachers from around the region.

For more information, call the school at 724-942-6699 or e-mail noahspreschool@comcast.net or visit www.ourredeemer-peters.org/preschool.htm.

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