Bernheim Forest is building a 10-acre natural playground

CLERMONT, Ky. —Bernheim Forest and Arboretum has been closed due to COVID-19, but plans for a new “playcosystem” are still in the works.

Those with Bernheim say the forest will open a 10-acre natural playground in the fall.

So what exactly is a playcosystem?

“Playcosystem is designed in harmony with nature to provide children with open-ended, physically challenging, and unstructured play opportunities that support healthy development,” Claude Stephens with Bernheim writes.

Access to Playcosystem will begin across from the Visitor Center. The Play Zone design will meet the developmental needs of young children.

The Play Zone will then stretch into the Free Play Zone with park-like pines, where children will be able to engage in more adventurous play, Stephens writes.

This space eventually leads to the Wild Play Zone, where children will have free range to explore “wilder play.”