The Vision

This is a signature piece for Helle. The nature playground in Copenhagen has the snail mound as well. On the top is a granite compass for teaching children orienteering. This mound, when first designed, focused on children who have accessibility needs. 20 years ago, when Helle designed this, she wanted children in wheelchairs to be able to access the top of the mound and feel like “king of the hill”. She wanted to give them a sense of being above people instead of always having to look up to people from their chair.

The community can also use tricycles, bicycles, and strollers to access the top. In Copenhagen, children roleplay and dress in costumes that they make themselves. They use this mound in their imagination and fantasy play. On the side there are giant Maketo sticks that kids can run up and down and around the sticks.

If I was a fish, I would look like this. The children answered this phrase by making drawings of fish that were given to Robin. The children’s fish designs can be seen in over 200 mosaic fish. Helle and three of her five her grandchildren are also represented. If you look closely there are some Danish flag incorporated into Helle’s. Created to look like a small creek of water running through the center of the boulders and mosaics. When rain water hits the mosaics they sparkle.

Made out of tree trunks, the boats were created to give children inspiration to play that they are sailing/canoeing on the ocean, the river, or whatever they are feeling. They could make them dream of going to the real ocean - dream of traveling out of Bloomington, Normal and experience the world with its many different landscapes. It's just meant for children's right to free play and to give their personal life to the different elements.

A mulch-filled play area that includes various structures made with natural materials by KOMPAN, a Danish company.

Five total - Originally Helle designed the turtles for a playground in Sweden. A nature playground in Copenhagen has a park being renovated and they have turtles being made at the same time. Helle is interested in seeing how the two turtles compare.

Turtles have a great symbolism. “Turtle symbolism and meanings include longevity, perseverance, steadfastness, protection, retreat, healing, tranquility, the Earth, and transformation. For as long as humans have walked the Earth, there have been turtles. Thus, human beings have been telling stories about turtles for a very long time.” There is even a turtle hidden in the River Garden!

Outdoor theater for performances or children making plays. This can be used for an outdoor classroom, or the public can use these for outdoor events. The performers have a more flexible space with the center design which allows for imagination. This is accessible for wheelchairs all around the top as well as the stage area.

This is shared with a project in the Sensory Garden in Copenhagen. It’s popular because children can run into the maze and “disappear” and play. It’s also used by the youth who practice parkour.

From the original project description: You can spell your way through the maze by following the bronze letters from A to Z or find the letters that spells your name. (We don't have numbers at the CHES labyrinth. Also, bronze numbers from 0 to 9 make it possible to count and learn the numbers.) The letters are mounted on the palisades. When you find A, you can see B and when you walk to the B, you can see the C and so on!

The original idea was that there would be fruit trees and berry bushes. The circle track is red asphalt color with striping for three running tracks. For every ten meters there's a white line so that children can count how many meters they have covered - it’s 100 meters around. Students can track their distance. This was originally created as a place for a bonfire which is normal in Denmark.

Some of the stones are inside and some are outside. Children have a choice between sun or shade. It was situated in this part of the park for easy access for the community. It’s fashioned after the historic council rings where decisions about the community were made. Chicago had a private landscape architect from Denmark, Jens Jensen (1860-1951), who designed council rings for parks. Circular seating creates a social construct where everyone is equal, and each person’s viewpoint is important and matters. This circle is very open so those in a wheelchair or strollers can come in and out and not be excluded. The asphalt was planned for children to use chalk with it as if it were a large piece of drawing paper.

Designed in collaboration with Adam Bienenstock’s company and built early in the project as a symbol of the park to come.

A place for whole school activities, outdoor classroom and sports.

From the original project description: A green space with nothing but grass and surrounded by softly shaped hillocks. A place for ball games, celebrating Field Day, Hoose-n-anny and other events, dramas and free play during recess. The Geo-Thermal systems are located underground.

An outdoor classroom with musical instruments. A garden, where the students can do paintings and other art works. The design reference is from Denmark, but it was created by a craftsman from Canada - Nick. The music instruments are from Denmark. These instruments are installed in parks across Europe but also in the nursing homes. Looking up, you can see the beautiful metal work.

Children can climb on this structure or lay on their backs and look at the clouds and talk.

There are a number of classrooms directly outside of Colene Hoose and scattered within the play park itself: the Chess Board, Nine Men’s Morris, Yellow Brick Road, and then multiple Council Rings.

The Brownstone Wall came from the making of the Erie Canal. These brown stones were dug out and then used as bridge structures to retain the embankments. They were reclaimed and brought to Hoose School to line the magical pathway. The bricks that lined the pathway were reclaimed from the Chicago Streets.

Existing and new trees, shrubs and ground covers shapes a wilderness with boulders, trunks and mushrooms made of wood. Here, children can play and hide without supervision.

On either side of the park are two portals created by Henrick, along with the hares. One is a moon while the other is a moon, each with intricate stonework at the base.