AUGUSTA — The Discovery Room at Viles Arboretum, which has provided opportunities for hands-on learning since it launched last January, is set to close at the end of May.
In collaboration with the Children’s Discovery Museum, the room has been outfitted to create opportunities for exploration, with a nature sensory table, train table, loose-parts ball ramps, imaginative farmers market, microscopes and more, according to a news release from the arboretum.
In the spring, the two organizations will launch a new offering in the Viles Visitor Center that builds on the experiences the Discovery Room provided.
A new touch tank experience will highlight aquatic organisms from the Viles property as well as a sensory table where youth can interact with, and learn more about, some of the region’s diverse flora and fauna. This experience will be available at no cost to the public during Viles Arboretum’s regular Visitor Center hours, and no reservation is necessary.
“We launched the Children’s Discovery Room during the height of the pandemic in response to the needs of so many families for a safe space for children to learn and explore,” said Viles Arboretum Executive Director Ryan Martin. “As vaccines have become more widespread and the rate of community infection has decreased, we feel it’s time to retire this program and repurpose our efforts in other ways.”
Viles Arboretum is a free, accessible, botanical garden and nature center that is open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week on Hospital Street. The space includes six miles of trails, dozens of botanical collections, and local art (all marked and signed), on 224 acres.
Viles Arboretum’s preserved land, interpretive materials, exhibits, programs and events, and trail system aim to provide opportunities for education, recreation, and inspiration for all ages.
The museum has been serving families in central Maine for nearly 30 years, with a mission to ignite curiosity and celebrate learning through play. The museum has been closed since the start of the pandemic but is slated to open a brand new museum in Waterville in late 2022.
For more information, visit vilesarboretum.org.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
