They put the cool in school Kids today have it good, especially if they reside in design-minded places that turn preschools into opportunities for architectural merrymaking. Sloping floors. Sprawling green roofs for growing food. A courtyard designed to collect rainwater just for splashing. These are just some of the ideas architects have recently employed to create delightful schools that escape the cookie cutter classrooms and sandboxs. Take a closer look.

Naomi Kurozumi via Designboom
Housed in a sloped glass and timber structure Hakusui Nursery in Chiba, Japan is basically a glassy treehouse, with crisscrossing wooden pillars demarcating different play areas.

Adam Mørk via Dezeen Designed after sand dunes, this whimsical kindergarten on the southern tip of Sweden features climbable exteriors (with railings of course) and huge triangular skylights on the jagged roofline.

Photo by Hibino Sekkei via Spoon & Tomago
Kids get to be kids at this inventive Japanese preschool, where the courtyard was designed to collect rainwater for playing in puddles (the space turns into a badminton and softball court on dry days, and skating rink in the winter.)

Photo by Gremsy via Dezeen
Designed to get children acquainted with nature and farming, this sprawling kindergarten in Vietnam comes in a knot shape that forms three green roofs where children c...