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Marge and Charles Schott Nature Playscape

The Marge and Charles Schott Nature Playscape is the newest site feature to be added to Cincinnati Nature Center's Rowe Woods. Preparations for the playscape began in April 2010 with a ground-breaking ceremony scheduled for July or August. The playscape will officially open for play in fall 2011.

Through this project, we aim to create a regional model for healthy child development and demonstrate how to effectively use the outdoors to strengthen a child’s mind, body and spirit.

View Frequently Asked Questions about Cincinnati Nature Center's nature playscape.

Playscape Rendering
Click to view full-sized playscape rendering.

How do nature playscapes differ from playgrounds?

  • The features are designed for open-ended creative play rather than predetermined, specific uses.
  • Nature is the focus, not human-made elements.
  • Plants, soil, and water are integrated and available to be touched and manipulated, not just observed.

Cincinnati Nature Center’s nature playscape will:

  •     Reflect the local landscape and climate
  •     Be dominated by natural elements
  •     Invite open-ended interactions
  •     Stimulate the senses
  •     Promote a sense of play and wonder
  •     Contain multiple habitats

Why build a nature playscape?

“Research indicates that unstructured play in nature increases self-esteem, creativity, motor skills, fitness, and even academic performance.  It also seems to relieve symptoms of ADHD.”

-Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods

Read CNC Executive Director Bill Hopple's summer 2010 Newsleaf article on the need for nature playscapes (PDF).

Get Involved

Become part of the movement - make a donation to support ongoing maintenance of CNC's nature playscape.

Donate Now

Look under "New Volunteer Opportunities" to learn how you can become a play facilitator at the Marge and Charles Schott Nature Playscape.

Our Partners

CNC is partnering with the University of Cincinnati's Arlitt Child & Family Research & Education Center to implement the Cincinnati Nature Playscape Initiative.  The collaborative is funded by a grant from the Harriette R. Williams Downey Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation.  The grant will fund the design and initial construction of a playscape at each facility as well as research to discover the true impact of nature playscapes on child development.

CNC is also in formal partnership to implement the PNC Grow Up Great with Science grant ($340,000 over two years) with Child Focus, Inc., and the Arlitt Child & Family Research & Education Center.  This grant is designed to educate Head Start teachers and parents on how to use the outdoors at CNC and in their own lives, to teach natural sciences.

Learn more about the Cincinnati Nature Playscape Initiative, a partnership between CNC and the Arlitt Child & Family Research and Education Center.

 

Do you have a question or comment about the nature playscape?
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