A collaborative project completed in one of Vancouver’s most beautiful water-front parks for the annual Children & Nature Network Conference.

Each year, the Children & Nature Network Conference is hosted at a different location in North America. For the 2017 conference Bienenstock partnered with Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, TD Friends of the Environment, the Children & Nature Network, and the Canadian Wildlife Federation to bring some glorious and messy nature play to Devonian Harbour Park, in the heart of the city.

The 8,250 sq/ft nature-play pop-up park was filled with hay bales, water, soil, mulch, burlap, twine, logs, and joyful kids building forts, playing hard, and getting dirty. On hand to join in the fun were our Nature Play experts and colleagues from around the world. Throughout the week children, families and on lookers came by to build, dig, create and explore. Once the project was complete, our installation team deconstructed the temporary installation and donated all of the materials to a local community elementary school where the components have continued to afford children open-ended play opportunities and authentic connections to nature.