The day school and mother's day out program at Arapaho United Methodist Church in Richardson will be the first Dallas-Fort Worth location to incorporate a state-sponsored outdoor learning program. OLE! Texas is a state health department initiative that seeks to increase childhood activity and food awareness by improving outdoor spaces at child care centers, according to its website. Demonstration sites can be found in Austin, Harris County, Lubbock and San Antonio. The OLE! program, which stands for Outdoor Learning Environment, is based on research from the Natural Learning Initiative that shows outdoor learning can reduce sedentary behavior, increase concentration, promote activity, reduce stress and introduce healthy food choices. On June 25, city leaders met with OLE! Texas leaders to discuss design plans for the outdoor play space. Planned amenities include a composting pit, garden, sensory walk, rain garden, mud kitchen, rope climbing net, stepping stones, flowering tunnels and a wooden stage. "We’re creating a play space where our students learn responsibility in caring for a garden from seed to fruit, where they rely on imagination and ingenuity to create and build, and where together, we can take in the fresh air and marvel in the wonder of the world around us," said Kara Ross, director of Arapaho Methodist Day School and Mother's Day Out. Work on the outdoor learning environment will be done in stages and could take up to two years to complete, according to church officials.