Evansville's new PlayScape gets kids to explore nature

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Maren Smith sat back smiling as her three kids splashed in the nearby creek.

Emry, 8, Whitney, 6, and Abram, 4, were deeply engrossed in the happenings of their self-imagined Squirrel Valley while playing at the Wesselman Nature Society's newly opened Nature PlayScape.

This is just what Wesselman's staff imagined when they first started work on the PlayScape four years ago.

"The PlayScape is unlike anything else in this Tri-State area," Wesselman's communications director Elaine Edwards said. "It is a three-acre nature play area that is completely unstructured, child-led exploration. It is not a playground. There are no swings, no slides. There's a creek to splash in, mud to dig in. It has forts, places to climb, places to hide - all kinds of fun things."

The PlayScape is set on the concept of loose parts. At the end of each day, staff goes out and resets the PlayScape setting out "play invitations" - a stack of flat stones and sticks for example - for the kids. But each day it is something different.

"We want parents to be able to sit on a bench in the shade and be able to say, 'Yes, go explore,'" Edwards said. "We want the kids to learn and discover on their own. We give them the dirt, and we give them the water. But we want them to figure out they can make mud out of this. We don't tell them how to play. We don't say, 'This is how you do this.' We want them to discover it on their own and show us how they want to play in the area."

Levy Schroeder, who was just appointed as the new executive director of Wesselman, said the PlayScape is an exciting addition. And she's excited to see how it will grow even more.

She pointed to one of the dozen or so elements to the PlayScape - an area encircled by rocks - and said she'd asked a group of kids what they wanted to see in that space or how they would like it used.

"They wanted it to have geckos," she said with a laugh.

But this space, while they may not be importing geckos, will be ever-evolving and growing, Edwards said. The grove-area, filled with trees and vines in one corner, is the natural spot for expanding on the PlayScape. They may add a treehouse there or a willow tunnel may be added near the current mud pit.

"We know that kids these days have a lot of other things that are competing for their time - school, sports, all kinds of activities. So they don't necessarily have the opportunity to play in nature," Edwards said. "Also, there is a lack of safe places to play in nature. A lot of us growing up we would always be out in the woods or out in the creek behind our houses. But now, those areas that parents feel safe to let their kids free and able to roam almost don't exist. This area is completely fenced in with one entrance in and one entrance out. So it is a safe space for kids to explore."

Maren Smith said the PlayScape was on their summer bucket list, and it didn't disappoint.

"I love it," she said. "It is great. The kids are getting dirty and playing together. There are tadpoles in the creek and a turtle. They are playing make believe and getting along and having a good time."

Smith even purchased a membership for the family.

Edwards said their new memberships have spiked in the two weeks the PlayScape had been open. They'd had over 7,000 visitors in those two weeks and about 200 new memberships.

Holly Jahn and kids Eli, 5, and Vera, 4, stopped by Wesselman's for the first time to check out the PlayScape.

"We were looking for something fun to do," Jahn said. "We saw a turtle right away when we were exploring the stream. They've had so much fun getting wet and climbing on the logs. We'll definitely come back.

"I think it's really important for kids to have this free play," she said. "I'm a huge believer in no screens. It's a great thing for kids to get outside playing, using their imagination, meeting other kids and learning how to explore on their own."

The PlayScape is the largest in the country with the second closest in size about half of the PlayScape's 3-acres. And it's the only one in the Tri-State. The next closest is in Cincinnati. And it will be open year-round, operating on the same days of operation as Wesselman - Tuesday through Sunday. Admission to the PlayScape is free to Wesselman members and is included in the cost of admission for nonmembers.