Boxerwood Gardens: Nature Center and Woodland Garden
Our Mission
To ensure that young children in our community regularly have the opportunity to experience the joy and wonder of being in nature, and to reap the benefits of outdoor play.
Rationale:
Children who experience being in nature from the earliest years develop lifelong connections with the natural world. As they explore and play in the wild, children deepen their sensory awareness, exercise their bodies, follow their curiosity, stretch their imaginations, and learn to walk the Earth with care and confidence.
Our approach is to combine self-directed play experiences with a program of guided activities that foster learning and discovery. Activities strongly correlate with Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning.
In addition, we strive to help the adults in their lives rediscover the joy and wonder of being in nature through—and with—their children.
A generous gift from the Waller family provides funds for these program components:
If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it. David Sobel, Beyond Ecophobia