With the heat and thunderstorms the D.C. region is facing this summer, it may be hard to make it to the playground to let the kids run out some energy. The National Building Museum is making it a little easier as its Great Hall is now home to a 14,000-square-foot playground designed to thrill young ones and encourage their creativity.
鈥淚 think it’s pretty great. There’s a lot of different things to do,鈥� said Micah Venteau-Kock who just climbed a wooden rock wall with his younger brother.
The Playground, designed by New York-based Snarkitecture, features nine distinct activation areas that highlight construction materials like plywood, scaffolding and construction framing.
鈥淲e are about buildings and we are about the process of building,鈥� said Cathy Frankel, the museum鈥檚 deputy director for interpretive content. 鈥淵ou can understand the process of building while you’re playing here at the playground.鈥�
Some of the features include an adventure yard where kids can build objects themselves using child-friendly tools and materials.
鈥淚t鈥檚 got real building materials, plywood and pieces of pipes to create marble runs and all sorts of fun things with small motor skills, large motor skills. There are sculptures for them to add to, a great way for kids to sort of get their hands dirty, so to speak,鈥� said Frankel. 鈥淚t’s a kids-only zone. We want kids to experiment on their own. Parents can watch from the sides.鈥�
Orit Underwood tried to build a wooden table, but she said it did not go well.
She also tested that giant plywood hill at the center of the playground.
鈥淚 think the slides were a little bit bumpy, but everything else was pretty fun,鈥� Underwood said.
鈥淭he hill that is the centerpiece of the playground. We have spanned over our fountain,鈥� added Frankel. 鈥淚t’s both a space for sitting and resting and contemplation. But there’s also a couple slides and there is a very low tunnel that goes through it.鈥�
Children can also run through a maze of winding, curving building frames, dig in the sand pit, test their basketball skills at the indoor basketball court and relax in hammocks after hours of play.
鈥淣o bugs in here, unlike other playgrounds,” Frankel said. “Lots to see and lots to do and we’re hoping people come back over and over again this summer.鈥�
Tickets for The Playground and the museum . Several time slots during weekends have already sold out.
The Playground will run in the National Building Museum until Aug. 30.
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