Discovery Museum

To encourage children and families to engage with nature and become active outdoors, The Discovery Museums will design and build a fully accessible tree house and other outdoor exhibits, and develop associated programming. The “Natural Connections” project is designed to counteract a decline in outdoor play, and encourage the positive impacts of nature on children’s activity levels, concentration, and creativity. The museum will partner with the Massachusetts Audubon Society and EcoTarium to develop strategies to engage families outdoors. It will work with the Institutes for Human Centered Design, Children’s Hospital’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, the Perkins School for the Blind, and Autism Alliance of MetroWest to make the tree house and surrounding activities accessible for children with physical, sensory, or cognitive issues. The museum will also conduct front-end audience research to develop activities that attract families and overcome barriers to outdoor participation.