Behringer-Crawford Museum broke ground today on a special ‘nature playground’ that will celebrate local history and put kids in touch with nature.
NaturePlay@BCM will be a child-friendly, back to nature playground designed to put children in touch with local history and heritage from paleo to pioneers in a fun, engaging setting. The playground is a collaboration between BCM and the Devou Good Project, a Covington nonprofit whose mission is to help other nonprofits bring their ideas to fruition.
Covington Mayor Sherry Carran said she hopes the Nature Play area will inspire children.
“I think one of the reasons we are experiencing a lack of interest in the STEM project is that there are so many kids that are on the TV screen or on the computer and are not outside,” Carran said. “This is going to be amazing as far as bringing a sense of wonder back into kids’ lives.”
Carran called Rebekah Gensler, president of the Devou Good Project, the driving force behind the Nature Play initiative.
“It was really just me opening up my mouth at an event at the museum and saying it would be really cool to have a nature oriented playscape in the backyard and two years later, here we are,” Gensler said. “Part of the reason we exist is because of this project.”
The mission of the Devou Good Project is to assist other non-profits with locating funding and doing a lot of what Gensler calls, “the nitty-gritty work,” that they don’t have time to do themselves.
Behringer-Crawford Museum, located in Devou Park, is a unique setting for interactive learning where visitors can travel through 450 million years of our region’s history along Rivers, Roads, Rails and Runways.
NaturePlay@BCM brings these concepts into an outdoor, nature-oriented playspace. Designed by POD Design and to be built by Triton Services, Inc., NaturePlay@BCM is a gated and completely inclusive area where kids can run free, dig in the dirt, get to know the natural world, and at the same time, be exposed to and gain an understanding of the region’s prehistory and pioneer settlements of Greater Cincinnati.
Pathways and major play features are wheelchair accessible.
Gary Johnston, a past-president and current vice president of the Behringer-Crawford Trustees, said the goal of the museum has always been to provide a fun, hands-on experience for visitors, especially children.
“Yes we are about adults and educating the community in a friendly, hands-on environment and we’ve made decisions over the years that have demonstrated that,” Johnston said. “This exhibit, Nature Play, brings the tactile quality to the educational programs of the museum. The kids don’t know that they are learning necessarily, but through the immersion they are, and are having fun at the same time.”
All children will be able to swing on an accessible zip (cruise) line, “row” a flatboat, explore cave-like niches, and discover the wonders of nature, allowing for truly inclusive play. Its location in Covington places NaturePlay@BCM in the heart of the Greater Cincinnati Area, easily accessible to local school districts and families, with educational programming being designed specifically for both groups.
Laurie Risch, Executive DirectorBCM says “NaturePlay@BCM combines natural exploration with cultural discoveries – a fantastic and safe place for kids to play and learn. We are so excited to bring this play area to Northern Kentucky and look forward to welcoming the community to explore next summer.”
NaturePlay@BCM is slated to open to the public in June 2016. Visit www.natureplaybcm.org for more information.