With the canopy blocking out a great amount of the bright light, Explore the Wild play area at the Houston Zoo is not only a nice shaded spot to visit with kids in summer in Houston, but also an enchanting realm brimming with adventure, discovery, and learning. This nature-inspired playground is specifically designed to encourage kids to connect with nature and foster their curiosity, while sparking their creativity.
Playscape
Even though it's a compact playscape tucked in the Zoo's corner next to the gift shop, it offers a hundred and one ideas for an open-ended play. One second, little hands start making the world's largest mud pie, and the next they are already digging for the bugs or climbing up those large tree logs scattered around to escape a hot lava.
It’s such a joy to experience the wilderness through kids eyes. With a variety of activities, Explore the Wild is primed to ignite the imagination of children of all ages.
The playscape has a few key elements that make exploring fun: trees, plants, stumps, log benches, rock and boulders, a mud box, a wooden bridge, and a gazebo. A lovely intricate butterfly bench is a reminder to us, parents, before you know it, our little explorers will grow their wings and be eager to fly away, bravely into their future. Bittersweet, but inevitable.
Every tiny pocket of this wild place has so much to offer. Sometimes, all you have to do is simply listen to a soft, melodious trill, and look up. You never know when you can make a new friend with a mighty Screech Owl. Since it's a nocturnal predator, the best time to spot it is around dawn or dusk. When approaching and observing the owl be still and quiet. Loud noises and movements can stress and scare off the bird.
Every pocket challenges children's physique, increasing their strength
and endurance as well as sparkling imaginative play. Logs are not just logs, they are the mountains waiting to be
conquered. A gazebo is not just a gazebo, it is an intricate fortress in a magical land. Nature itself is a pivotal elements that stimulate creativity.
And just like that, we are back to a sacred relationship with nature. And its joys are endless and free. I doubt my 18-month-old has ever been that focused and engaged with any of his flashing and overly bright toys as he is at that moment of digging and exploring the dirt and leaves with his small stick.
The very best way to explore nature is with all your senses. Touch, smell, crawl or dig. Find a safe spot and sit or lie down to see the world from ground level through bug's eyes. A nature detective needs all his senses to observe.
It's never too early to start building a life-lasting relationship with nature.
And the adventure doesn't end here. Those brave enough to get their hands dirty can delve into a mud pit, partaking in the age-old joy of digging. It's not just play; it’s a firsthand experience of the earth's marvels, a chance to absorb the amazing world beneath our feet.
Every inch is a haven for the senses, where budding naturalists can develop their spatial and tactile skills.
Admission
- To visit the Explore the Wild, you have to purchase a general admission ticket to the Houston Zoo. Since COVID, online reservations are required for all non-member visitors. Children age 2 and under are free.
- There's a free admission to the zoo on the first Tuesday of every month. Online reservation is required for all guests. Tickets go on sale a week before the event. Visit here for more information.
Exploring nature in the early morning while being cut off from the noise and bustle of the world has become our family's ultimate activity to encourage natural curiosity and a sense of wonder in kids. So, come, let your child Explore the Wild. It's not just a playground; it's a world waiting to be discovered.
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