Woodlawn Nature Center

During our first year using our Nature Explore Classroom, we added a few features, such as a small garden area, a fort building area, and a mud kitchen. Local Optimist Clubs, a Boy Scout troop, and RAW Sustainable Living helped with our garden area. We have more permanent signs made by our local Rotary Club ready to install. We also added a more substantial entry feature with mirrors to welcome children to our special place. Many children pause and check out their reflection in nature as they enter.

Writing this on International Mud Day, we were able to use the great space of our Nature Explore Classroom to celebrate! We sustain our space by doing regular maintenance checks, fixing issues due to local vandalism, and refreshing natural materials as needed. We use the space for field trips, special events, programming at the nature center, professional development for early childhood educators, and more! We regularly change things up for the specific needs of the group and/or event. We have families that return for a fresh experience each time as well as visits from new people who are looking for nature education and fun.