The potential power of interpretation and family-friendly features
In this three-part series, Rosalind Allen, Education and Families Development Officer for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity), shares her experiences during her recent sabbatical to the U.S. Rosalind embarked on the sabbatical to learn about the different approaches that organizations take to connecting families with nature, with a focus on families who face multiple barriers to equitable access to nature.
This is the third installment of the series. We invite you to read the first installment and second installment as well.
In my third and final blog of this series, I focus on the varied family-friendly features, exhibits and interpretative displays I observed within greenspaces on my travels.
Along with other environmental educators and those in similar roles, over the years I have had the pleasure of using the technique of “interpretation,” which involves “interpreting” natural and cultural resources for the public to understand. Interpretation is what park rangers do when they give talks or lead hikes. Helpful signs, leaflets or trail guides are other forms of interpretation. The messages given via interpretation may include information, ideas for activities to help visitors connect with nature, and ways that visitors can play their part in helping protect and advocate for nature.
Throughout my travels across the northeast US, I found interpretation in various forms and fashions at parks, zoos and nature centres. Interpretative displays and other types of family-friendly features help families to feel comfortable and familiar with the nature that they discover during their outdoor activities.
Urban greenspaces offer a great opportunity for families less confident with wild spaces to develop an awareness of nature around them and discover the joy of exploration whilst still in familiar, non-threatening urban settings. As a way of connecting with urban greenspaces, I spent several hours in New York City’s Central Park during my time in New York. The more adventurous may think that settings such as Central Park are not truly natural, but I felt that the ‘idealised nature’ was well-suited to families. As well as having facilities such as restrooms, play parks and cafes, the landscape features included lakes, rocky outcrops (where I saw children clambering with their parents) and winding pathways through various habitats. Many views had cityscape backdrops, but at times you could almost forget you were in a city. I was impressed by the Rambles and the native wildflower meadow, which displayed instructions on how people can create a meadow themselves. This type of interpretation goes beyond informing visitors and may even encourage some to take action for nature.
Families are often drawn to parks for the recreational activities on offer; walking, cycling and boating all provide opportunities to be outside in nature, although the cost of boat hire may limit the appeal of this activity for families with fewer resources. However, urban parks and waterfronts generally include freely accessible points of interest — structures, artworks, formal planting – alongside sports fields and play parks, which bring people into these settings.
Where natural habitats are incorporated into these greenspaces, exposure to nature is likely to become an unforced part of visits, perhaps increasing knowledge, skills and confidence over time and ultimately leading to a deeper appreciation of nature and a desire to protect it. Other features, such as the numerous covered picnic areas across Belle Isle Park in Detroit, can help to address barriers (e.g., poor weather) and encourage people to visit and spend time in natural surroundings by building on the familiar and appealing activities of socialising and eating together. Observing these facilities made me think of the recent community consultation I was involved in through my work for the RSPB. The participants, who were mainly families of Asian heritage, agreed that opportunities to gather outdoors for food and cultural events would motivate them to visit their local park and share time together in nature
Opportunities for play can be a significant reason for families to use parks, with traditional playgrounds often being a hub of activity. Yet, as demonstrated by the range of natural play experiences I saw children enjoying at the Forest Preschool and Childcare at Carrie Murray Nature Center in Baltimore, Maryland, playing in less-developed natural settings can also be a rich learning experience. The Forest Preschool is based in the extensive Gwynns Falls Leakin Park (the second largest woodland park in the United States), where the children discover nature as they play in and explore woodland trails and clearings with specialist Early Childhood Education staff.
In a wooded area not far from the building, children gather for stories and snacks, with logs and stump circles serving as seating as well as play features that help to develop climbing and balancing skills. Imaginative role play is encouraged through basic shelters and other simple structures. Beyond these features, simple investigations (such as harvesting and opening up a walnut fallen from a tree) enabled the children to embrace a wider understanding of play — to see creative potential in items they find — and extend language skills and understanding of the world around them.
More manufactured and manicured ‘natural’ play areas, such as the one I discovered on the waterfront in Baltimore, invite families to play creatively in a more familiar setting. Plantings and interpretative boards showcased some local plants and wildlife, enabling families to connect with nature and learn about the importance of native plants. Further around the harbour, outside the National Aquarium, I discovered additional freely accessible plantings and interpretation signs, here accompanied by recordings of bird songs and other nature sounds being played on hidden speakers. There, I spent some time reading about the different habitats that were represented. This and other waterfront interpretation help visitors to learn more about the work being done to restore water quality and wildlife in Chesapeake Bay.
Thinking about the power of interpretation to help connect families with wildlife brought to mind my previous visit to Essex County Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, New Jersey. Like most zoos, Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey is visited by many families. This was my first visit to North America, so I was keen to learn more about native wildlife in the region; some of the animals and displays within the zoo helped with this. Curator of Education, Marguerite Hunt showed me the bear and bison enclosures — animals we don’t have in the UK — and we had a great discussion about the opportunities the zoo has to educate local people about the wildlife they may see in their area and the ways that people should interact with wildlife safely and responsibly. The zoo is also a good place to spot wild birds outside of enclosures — I viewed hawks several times. There are plans to create a salamander pond and install bird hides (or “bird blinds”) to enable visitors to watch native wild birds on feeders.
Another destination offering visitors the opportunity to connect with wildlife and plants is the Belle Isle Nature Center, located on Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. Through discussions with staff I learnt how their work demonstrated an understanding of Detroit’s urban communities, integrating effective ways to provide inclusive access to nature-based activities and change perceptions of nature amongst its population. For example, the centre staff became aware that many young people visiting the park and nature centre during educational sessions were fearful or uncomfortable in the unfamiliar wild surroundings. This discovery led to a programme of outreach into communities, linking with partners to encourage young people and their families to connect with nature in their own neighbourhoods.
Belle Isle Nature Center has also been newly refurbished. During my visit, I was impressed by the many attractive, interactive displays incorporating painted murals specific to Detroit and educating visitors about a range of natural resources. I loved the creative ways that urban habitats were shown — the dripping sounds when passing through the ‘sewer’ habitat and the ‘Explore under the sidewalk’ play feature where children can dig and store ‘food’ like an ant!
Amy Greene, Director of the Center, is keen to show the value of city habitats and sees their importance in developing a connection to nature for city dwellers. The aim is for visitors to develop an understanding of and appreciation for local North American nature. The inclusion of zoo-like exhibits (including live turtles, toads, snakes and mudpuppies), along with a bird watching area, provides comfortable, non-threatening environments where visitors can observe these creatures and learn about what they should or shouldn’t do if they encounter them in the wild. I was interested to learn about mudpuppies, a type of salamander that lives in the U.S. Midwest and Canada, and that the presence of these strange-looking creatures in the Detroit River is indicative of clean water. The Center’s call to action is to tell others that mudpuppies are harmless, thus addressing fearful attitudes that lead to mudpuppies being killed.
During my trip I discovered and photographed many interesting features and examples of interpretation – too many to describe here. Though opinions will be divided on how impactful these are for family visitors, my feeling is that concise text presented creatively to promote understanding and action are more likely to be read and influence attitudes and behaviours, but it is the experience of being in nature that is key. Including a simple activity idea to promote engagement with nature (such as in the Greater Newark Conservancy’s sensory garden at Newark Conservancy) should help with nature connection – though these activities could be in paper or digital format. Ultimately, interpretation is only effective if used by people who visit the sites, so the priority should be features and programmes that address barriers or misconceptions and create an interesting, safe, welcoming place for families to spend time in nature.
Organizations that Rosalind visited:
- Central Park
- The National Aquarium in Baltimore
- Carrie Murray Nature Center Preschool
- Essex County Turtle Back Zoo
- Belle Isle Nature Center
- Greater Newark Conservancy
Read these stories and explore these resources for a deeper dive into the topics explored in this piece:
- Around the world, green school grounds benefit children, communities and the environment, to learn more about the different family-friendly features of outdoor spaces that are being implemented by programs around the world
- Global Lessons on Greening School Grounds & Outdoor Learning, to explore 13 international case studies that exemplify the benefits of green school grounds and outdoor learning
- Natural Detroit: Developing youth through the magic of nature, for more on the lesser-known bounty of wildlife and verdant outdoor spaces in Detroit, Michigan
- Stumps, jumps and tree cookies: Bringing nature’s benefits to young children in cities, for the ways that cities bring nature to their youngest residents
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