Fun Nature Play At Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo

I admit it, I am a total geek for nature play. But, this play area has been one of my favorites to see. The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle is fantastic for a number of reasons. But, on our last visit friends took us to this fabulous exhibit. I was particularly interested because a Learning Landscapes Project at the Cleveland Zoo is currently under construction and I an zoo minded at the moment (More on that soon). Here is what I think is neat about the Seattle Project.

It is Animal Themed: I am kind of a sucker for animal themes and this one was great! We could play like ants, slide like otters, climb like spiders etc.

Good Signage: These simple signs offered a little more info that a parent could convey easily. (and read before their toddler disappears around the next bend.)

Mystery: You could not really see the whole area upon entering. It left some excitement to exploring and mystery to the site.

It Looks Natural: There must have been lots of existing vegetation there and with some simple fencing they have been able to protect it from little feet.

Things are Child Sized: Some places I was a bit weary of even crawling through (In the end I did it though 🙂 )

The Fake Things Are Tasteful: I can be quickly turned off by fake things. But, these were nicely done, placed well, and fit the site. This dead tree was climbable and you could run through it too. It looks nice. It even had real moss growing on it even though it was concrete.

Best of All…

Real Things Too!: There was a beautiful old climbing tree as a centerpiece and they did not over do the safety and surfacing. Hey, its a tree, don’t fall out! If you look closely you can see that the lower level of branches was left then a large group of middle branches was trimmed to remove the urge to climb. This simple step increases safety a lot and leave the experience intact.