Bison's Bluff Spring Valley Nature Center

Bison's Bluff

Born from the Schaumburg Park District’s goal to enhance their facilities and expand their well-attended outdoor education programs, Bison’s Bluff was a natural extension of the nature play opportunities already available at Spring Valley Nature Center. With a desire to promote nature stewardship, they sought to do so in a way that was memorable, distinctive, and most importantly fun for children of all ages and abilities!

Hitchcock Design Group led a design team to develop this nature-based play space that would immerse children in three naturalized landscapes including a prairie, wetland, and savannah ecosystem. Unique open-ended play opportunities which mimic the traditional play of yesteryear were woven into the existing hillside setting.

As you approach the site, you are greeted by a rustic gateway and orientation plaza. You are introduced to the three ecosystems in the sinuous paving ribbons, custom animal insets, and a rotating hand-carved totem sign. Here you get a taste of the project whole and can relax on stone walls to plan your group’s visit.

As you venture into the prairie ecosystem you will pretend to tame the larger than life grasshopper or talk to your friends through the twisted heads and tails of oversized worms. You will traverse the fallen log balance course while listening to symphonies created by the chimes and drums of fellow explorers. You can do your own bee waggle as you jump across flower heads and bees.

A sand play area encourages sifting, sorting, and creations of your own imagination.

A welcome shade and seating respite, allow close supervision with good vantage points of the garden.

Don’t forget to change your perspective on the world by seeing the prairie through the compound eyes of the dragonfly kaleidoscope.

Splashing into the wetland, you can leap across stepping stones in a shallow pond, build dams and sort cobbles in a stream bed, and hop across Sallie the Salamander

You will notice the difference between muskrat and beaver lodges and help them finish building their homes. As you cross the stream, be sure to watch out for the spitting frogs which can only be escaped through the cattail chaos plaza.

On your way to the Turtle Landing for crafts made from natural materials, keep an eagle eye out for crossing waterfowl as evidenced by the embedded footprints.

After exploring the lowlands, you will venture alongside the intertwining stream across the stained concrete raccoon rendezvous plaza onto the “Curious Sciurus” multi-tiered treehouse.

The treehouse offers long views across the adjacent prairie and provides a Squirrel’s eye view of the playscape.

Drop down the rodent run group slide into the geologic study zone with a collection of “cool rocks” to support the existing successful program. Here you will come face to face with the heart of the park…a life-sized smiling bison, emerging from a bluff themed climbing zone.

Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground, by measurable standards, has been hugely successful, significantly increasing visits to the Spring Valley Nature Center and growing the potential for land stewardship education.