Talk about garden variety!
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Thursday opened the gates to its newly-refurbished “Discovery Garden,” a one-acre park that gives youngsters the chance to have fun while learning about nature through a range of hands-on activities.
One tot in attendance at the opening had such a good time playing with all the exhibits and rolling in the grass that he did not want to leave, his mom said.
“Oh he had so much fun,” said Crown Heights resident Sabrina Brathwaite of her two-year-old son Ethan. “He cried when we had to go!”
The new and improved Discovery Garden, which is four times larger than its previous iteration, was designed to introduce kids to the natural world around them. It contains several different habitats modelled after the marshes, woodlands, and meadows that once flourished in Brooklyn, where kids can get up close and personal with the bugs and plants that live inside. It also has a fruit and vegetable garden where kids can literally get their hands dirty learning about composting and growing plants.
The space is designed to get city-slicker tykes excited about the natural world while schooling them about the ins and outs of the out-of-doors, said one garden honcho.
“The new Discovery Garden is a place for city kids and all visitors to experience the wonder of nature,” said Scot Medbury, president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. “BBG sought to create a space that sparks the imagination and channels kids’ innate curiosity into science and nature learning.”
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden will host a family festival this Saturday to celebrate its newest attraction, where kids can enjoy puppetry performances, live music, craft activities, and walking tours
Discovery Garden Family Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden [990 Washington Ave. between Empire Boulevard and Montgomery Street in Crown Heights, (718) 623–7200, www.bbg.org]. June 6 at 1–5 pm. $12 for adults, $6 for seniors, $6 for students, free for children under 12.
