Children will have a new outdoor area to play in with the recent opening of Sweetbriar Nature Center's sound and vision discovery area.
The area, created for kids of all ages allows them to experiment with music, art and free movement.
Program coordinator, Nancy Adornetto, said the nature art area will have an area for kids to draw in, Victorian gardens and a woodland preserve. There are large pieces of slate mounted to locust frames where children can use chalk and water to create.
"It is free play. We want kids to use their sense and explore on their own," said Arornetto.
Musical instruments made out of natural materials such as rain sticks, log drums and shakers are there for children to use.
"We have discovery tables where kids are given bags to go out and collective things from nature and create stencils and leaf prints," said Adornetto. "They are using nature to create art.
The project was made possible in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and private donations including the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington and the Home Depot.
Ardonetto said she expects the area to be used during summer camp and throughout the year.
"We like to invite local artists to work with the kids and create," she said. "We want to connect the kids with nature."
Hours for Sweetbriar Nature Center are:
Office: Open 9:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 12:00- 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Preserve: Open 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. everyday
Vivarium: Open 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. daily (in season)
