(8/25) Strawberry Hill, located on Mount Hope Road Fairfield, is currently undergoing a project to construct a unique playground for children and visitors to the center. The "nature playground," as it is called, will be almost entirely constructed out of natural materials, combining the idea of a traditional playground with nature and creativity.

The idea of a nature playground fits right into Strawberry Hill’s mission statement, which is to "…connect the community with the natural world through environmental education…." This new installment will provide the perfect year-round activity for children and visitors to the area. It will also pair well with Strawberry Hill’s summer camps, private school programs and all community events planned at the site year-round.

The inspiration behind adding a nature playground to Strawberry Hill’s campus stemmed from an idea presented to the Board of Directors several years ago that unfortunately fell through the cracks. After seeing a nature playground in action at Irvine Nature Center, and seeing Strawberry Hill’s Summer Adventure Campers interact so positively to it, Strawberry Hill summer intern and project spearhead, Lisa Lewars, decided to re-visit the idea of constructing a playground of similar fashion at Strawberry Hill’s site.

The nature playground will consist of practically all natural materials, including a wooden obstacle course with log balance beams, a wooden log bridge, wooden climbing aspects, a play canoe, a paver hopscotch, and tic-tac toe on a stump. The idea to have a sound garden, which would be an area filled with a washboard with bucket of sticks, drums, pipes and a wooden xylophone, is also planned. Lewars also noted that a shade area would be provided for visitors to the playground.

The projected cost for the nature playground is around $1,500 dollars, and Lewars has already raised close to $800 through a GoFundMe initiative. Donations from local businesses including Home Depot and Stauffer’s were also sought to help fund this project. More recently, Atlas Roofing Company out of the Harrisburg donated $500, bringing the total funds raised above $1,300. Community support and generosity has been a key in raising funds for this project.

Lewars, with the help of volunteers, has already cleared the site where the nature playground will be constructed. The playground underwent the beginning stages of construction late in August, and Lewars hopes to have it complete in time for Strawberry Hill’s Trailgating event, held on September 15. The Trailgating event, which will feature live music, games and plenty of food, will be a great event to unveil the new nature playground.

Any volunteers interested in helping with the construction of the playground or volunteering in another way at Strawberry Hill are encouraged to reach out to lisa@strawberryhill.org. Any and all help is appreciated.