Let's connect children to our natural world!

Do you have childhood memories of climbing trees, building forts, playing tag, and being outdoors with friends all day long? These experiences are more than just fun. They make up 'free play' and now, more than ever, it's crucial to child development.

Today childhood free play is diminishing due to safety concerns, rigid schedules, and increased screen time. This leads to solitary play, sedentary lifestyles, and declining mental and physical health. With your help, we want to change that!

At Buffalo Audubon and Beaver Meadow, we strongly believe in the benefits of free play, and we offer a dedicated space for it. It's called Nature Play, and it's a favorite activity for the students, children, and families that visit.

Nature Play utilizes completely natural elements such as tree limbs and slices, live willow huts, grapevine arches, plants, and rocks to encourage climbing, crawling, jumping, and imaginative and dramatic play. It’s a fun way to increase physical activity and connect with the land and nature!

The well-loved Nature Play Space at Beaver Meadow Nature Center is tired and in need of refreshing, so we're inviting you to help improve and care for this special outdoor place where fun and imaginations are free to explore.

Free play increases gross motor skills and develops cognitive, social, and problem-solving skills. It promotes creativity and improves confidence, allowing children to take healthy risks. And when they are outdoors, away from the constant stimulation of the modern world, children have more time to reflect on thoughts and feelings, reducing stress and anxiety.

Please help children make their own amazing outdoor memories today!