Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest unveiled a new nature playground on Thursday, May 20.
The opening of Playcosystem’s Zone 1 is the first phase of a new 10-acre natural playground. It is designed in harmony with nature to provide children with open-ended, physically challenging, and unstructured play opportunities that support healthy development.
The playground is located near the Education Zone and Visitor Center on Saturday. It has trees for kids to climb on, obstacle courses and swings.
Bernheim said it’s collaborating with University of Louisville researchers at the playground to study the effects of the playground on the lives and growth of children.
“This is an experiment,” said Dr. Mark Wourms, executive director of Bernheim Forest. “We’ll take some things out and try something new. We’ll bring some new things in and really learn how play influences child development.”
Playcosystem will consist of three zones: the Nature Playground with constructed areas to meet the developmental needs of young children; TreeCess in a park-like setting, where children will be able to engage in more adventurous play; and Adventure Forest, a five-acre forest where children will have free range to unstructured exploration play in the woods. TreeCess and Adventure Forest will be completed at a later date.
