Mice & Turtles & Frogs, oh my!
EEEK!! There are MICE in the TREE HOUSE!!
That’s right, and tree frogs and turtles, too! In fact, the Children’s Museum of Richmond’s Living Tree House now gives kids the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of nature’s cutest critters.
How did this happen…and why? CMoR has been building a partnership with the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News to explore ways to bring the natural world directly to early childhood learning at the children’s museum.
“There is a lot of research suggesting that children who spend time outdoors exploring nature are less stressed, healthier, and can do better in school,” said Karen Coltrane, President and CEO of CMoR. “When children interact with nature, they learn a lot about themselves and the world they live in. We are working here at the Central museum to devise more outdoor exhibits and activities to encourage children and families to play outdoors.”
When designing the renovation of the popular tree house exhibit, the museum’s leadership saw a great opportunity to draw on the partnership with the Virginia Living Museum to include a small-animal habitat. The newly named Living Tree House now features two stories of climbing areas for improved gross motor opportunities, enhanced safety features such as higher steel railings, and increased access for adults. The exhibit also now includes an exit slide, nooks and crannies for kids to investigate, and the two story whisper tube – an absolute child- favorite! Throughout the Living Tree House are models of birds and chalk fun-facts about all kinds of creatures. And now children can climb all the way up into the skycube, above the roofline, where periscopes provide views of nature-scapes and cityscapes alike.
Even more fun with nature will occur at CMoR with quarterly Critter Shows produced by the Virginia Living Museum, giving children up-close interaction with larger animals including possums, owls and reptiles. Keep an eye on our web site for those dates – you won’t want to miss it! And if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to come in and check out the new Living Treehouse at CMoR!
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