Arroyo Adventure Will Feature Eight Brand-New Immersive Nature Based Exhibits

Arroyo Adventure will allow kids to engage a natural setting while increasing their physical activity. – Courtesy Photo

The new Arroyo Adventure at Kidspace Children’s Museum opened to the public on Saturday, April 30! Arroyo Adventure will feature eight brand-new experiences that encourage children to connect with nature, engage in adventures, and uncover possibilities between water and rocks, mud and sticks, and trees and native plantings.

“Our gardens are a wonderful place for children to spend more time outdoors and get dirt under their fingernails,” says Michael Shanklin, CEO of Kidspace. “With the addition of the Arroyo Adventure, they will have fun building forts, playing in the mud, experimenting with erosion, weaving natural creations, tending an urban garden, and exploring the Hawk’s Nest. These experiences prove the value of involving children in a natural setting and increases their physical activity, which is another critical need for our children.”

Visitors will be able to climb their way up to the giant Hawk’s Nest where they can let their imaginations soar as they look out over the trees. Children can explore the properties of mud and try their hand at brickmaking in the Mud & Clay outdoor studio. The Flood & Erosion Plain is an opportunity for children to investigate the effects of erosion on their physical environment by making channels through sand, building small dams, and using rocks and sticks to control the flow of water. Other exhibits will include fun activities such as the ability to build forts, explore plant life, create unique art pieces, and much more!

“Arroyo Adventure was a huge undertaking and has been a long time in the making,” says Laura Moyles-LaBarge, Kidspace board member and chair of the Exhibits, Experience, and Education Committee. “The Kidspace board looks forward to introducing the community to everything the eight new and exciting exhibits have to offer to children of all ages.”

Arroyo Adventure marks a milestone in the museum’s exhibit master plan that was created in conjunction with the announcement of The Campaign for the Future of Kidspace in the spring of 2012. This $13 million Capital Campaign was launched to build new exhibits, upgrade existing learning environments, improve guest amenities, and develop new curriculum and programs. The next phase of The Campaign will be the renovation of the West Gallery as a dramatic and visual arts area, which is set to begin in Fall 2016.

Additional funding for the Arroyo Adventure was provided by The Ahmanson Foundation, The Rose Hills Foundation, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, W.M. Keck Foundation, the Ann Peppers Foundation, the Confidence Foundation, and the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts.

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