Child’s play at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Time to go green, girls and boys.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) has opened a new, interactive discovery garden for children, just in time for summer.

BBG unveiled and held an opening celebration at the garden, 990 Washington Avenue, on Saturday, June 6, to showcase the multifaceted outdoor space equipped with different habitats, plant and garden wildlife activities, and hands-on exhibits.

“The new Discovery Garden is a place for city kids and all visitors to experience the wonder of nature,” said Scot Medbury, president of BBG. “Working with the incredible team at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, BBG sought to create a space that sparks the imagination and channels kids’ innate curiosity into science and nature learning.”

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the landscape architecture firm behind the garden’s design, modeled the exhibit’s habitats after those found in the greater New York area, including woodland, meadow and marsh, according to BBG.

“One of the many joys of working at BBG is the opportunity to design for the uniquely diverse range of visitors from all over New York City,” said Michael Van Valkenburgh, president and CEO of the landscape architecture firm. “The new Discovery Garden will offer children and families a rich and engaging outdoor learning experience—one that complements the garden’s position as one of the city’s preeminent cultural institutions.”

According to BBG, the new Discovery Garden is four times the size of the garden it replaced and will feature expanded programming for children ages one to 12. The garden will also be accessible throughout the year and will be open to school groups, drop-in programs and field trips.

“For more than 100 years, youth education programs at BBG have inspired kids to learn about plants and become lifelong advocates for the environment,” BBG said in a statement. “Today, the garden serves more than 150,000 children every year through classes, drop-in activities, interpretive displays and guides, and a range of formal education programs that complement STEM curriculum standards in schools.”