GRAFTON — The Nature Museum has been running full programs, both virtually and in person, since closing its doors in 2020. During this time, its staff has been hard at work building a new element for museum visitors: the Magic Forest Playscape.
On Saturday, July 17, from noon to 4 p.m., the museum will celebrate its reopening and introduce the public to the new playscape with stickers, prizes, and treats to celebrate the re-opening for the season.
The Magic Forest Playscape, according to a news release, “is designed with elements from nature creating a whimsical trail that leads through the woods. Part obstacle course, part path of exploration, the new natural playscape has elements that challenge balance and strength and elements that encourage rest and reflection.”
The students from Grafton Elementary School were able to give the playscape a test run and provide feedback on the elements, and the museum says their participation was an important part of its creation.
Designed for all ages, the playscape will be open from dawn to dusk every day.
The museum will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a full schedule of summer camps, free nature-based lessons at local libraries and the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder in the Summer Unplugged program, and workshops for adults on wild medicinals, invasive species, and native mushrooms and fungi.
The Fairy House Festival will also return this year on the weekend of Sept. 25.
For more information, visit nature-museum.org.