Green Play Yard

Located next to the Marion Andrus Learning Center, the Green Play Yard is both a wonderful play destination for young families and a rich "idea place" for preschools, childcares and family backyards. Its plantings and natural play features show how to bring 'nearby nature' to daily life for our youngest ones, at an age when they are growing and changing quickly and the impact is significant.

Guidelines for a great time:

The Play Yard is for infants to age 5.
Children need an adult companion with them, to be responsible for their safety. At least one adult per five kids, please.
Families are welcome anytime. To avoid crowding, arrange group visits larger than 10 in advance.
Live plants need their parts; please use only fallen pieces. Let everything stay, for others too.
Help the small trees grow. Please climb on fallen logs only.

Why green-time for kids?

A growing body of research shows that regular outdoor playtime contributes to the healthy development and wellbeing of young children in a surprising number of ways.

Plants bring remarkable rewards for a modest investment. What else could provide a play area with settings, props, habitat, living diversity, sensory wake-ups, comfort and links to the seasons? An early childhood area with fixed plastic or metal play structures alone can limit the options for play. Tidy yards may not have a back corner with loose parts kids can reinvent in their play. When plantings join play equipment and border the activity areas, new possibilities emerge. More collaborative, creative play can result, and a more versatile, comfortable learning environment for young ones and their adults.

Green Play Yard

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