Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The Story Garden

"Play is the highest form of research" - Albert Einstein

We don't always treasure what is in our own (so to speak) backyards. Nor do we adults play enough.

When my son was young, we sometimes used to take him to a local interactive children's museum called the Discovery Center in the small upstate city of Binghamton, New York.  In the year he was a senior in high school, the Junior League and other non profits helped to build a Story Garden outside the building.  But I never went to see it.  In fact, I haven't been to this museum in close to 20 years.

It's funny how I can tour things hundreds of miles from where I live but ignore sights 15 minutes from where I live.  Are you like that, too?

Yesterday, I happened to stop nearby for an outdoor concert, walked through the garden, and saw what I was missing. 

The entrance.

Welcome to the Story Garden!

Wouldn't you love a secret hideaway?

Or interact with a butterfly?
How about a storyhouse?

Storyhouses, book gardens, and more, await children of all ages at this Story Garden.  Many have educational components, where children can play with the alphabet, interact with a sundial, learn about clouds and gardening, measure themselves, and more.

More tomorrow, because this garden deserves more than one post.

13 comments:

  1. Looks like a wonderful place to visit.

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  2. Looks pretty cool. But, I wouldn't visit unless accompanied by one under the age of 12 or so...

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  3. Wow this is such a neat park ; not just for kids but adults too!! But you are right, we travel 100 of miles to see things but ignore our own backyard. I will soon be starting a series called My backyard on my blog to correct this!

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  4. How lovely! So true we forget about places to go that are wonderful at home.

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  5. Love the idea of bringing kids out into nature to play, and I LOVE your Einstein quote too! Thanks for sharing this.

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  6. I LOVE these beautiful places! We have something similar across the border in BC: The Enchanted Forest. It lets your imagination soar. Gramma and the grandkids love it!

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  7. Wonderful post. This place is awesome and I am sure no kids could say no to this place.

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  8. If I am ever blessed by having grandchildren, I hope I can find a place like this nearby time high to take them.

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  9. I saw some of this on Instagram. It looks like a cool place.

    Yeah, I know what you mean. I haven't been to Disneyland in a decade, nor have I been to the Queen Mary recently. Or the beach. I'm minutes from the beach. Do I go? Of course not.

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  10. What a cool interactive addition. It's funny, there are many places I loved going with my kids that I would no longer think about visiting. I guess they just have a "children" association in my mind.

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  11. This is why being a Grandma is so wonderful. I am playing again. We finger paint, play dress-up, make believe, color, sing songs, have dance parties and just giggle. I found my playful self again!

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