NORFOLK, Va. — The Virginia Zoo announced a new Nature Play area will open this summer!
The one-acre play area will be near the Zoo's Flora Point section of the park. It will feature tree stumps, a sandbox, a sensory walk, a willow tunnel, and a bamboo maze.
The Zoo said the area is unstructured. It will offer informal play that incorporates the natural and surrounding landscape and vegetation to bring nature to children’s outdoor play and learning environments. It is proven to powerfully boost the cognitive, creative, physical, social and emotional development of children.
“The Virginia Zoo is committed to building the experience of nature into childhood,” said Greg Bockheim, Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo. “We aim to promote and strengthen children’s outdoor learning experiences to help the next generation become more environmentally minded and move the future in a more sustainable direction.”
The area will be open to the public daily for free-play, and it will be used for informal, free programming from the Education Department.
Also new at the zoo, the City of Norfolk donated new bathrooms which will open in the spring.
Click here to learn more about the Virginia Zoo.
