Nature’s role in children’s health and wellness will be celebrated this weekend when Dundee Township and the Fox River Valley Public Library District open a new nature place space called “Wahoo Woods.”

The grand opening will be held from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Satuday, May 13, at the nature play center, located in the 50-acre Library Springs open space woodland directly behind the Dundee library at 555 Barrington Ave. (IL Route 68) in East Dundee. Brief, opening remarks will be at 2 p.m. with a ribbon cutting at 2:20 p.m.

Groundbreaking for Wahoo Woods began in December. (CREDIT: Dundee Township)

Local groups will participate in a Nature Fair with activities based on nature play. Guided walks of Library Springs Open Space will be available. In Wahoo Woods children will be able to balance on logs, climb boulders, create nature art, build forts and more.

Why the excitement about nature play?

“On the surface, it seems too simple an idea to warrant building a place for children to play in the woods,” Dundee Township Supervisor Sue Harney said in a news release. “Yet the underlying concept is profound. Nature’s role in children’s health and wellness has gained international accreditation.

Science-based research shows the positive impact of nature play on “holistic” child development, with cognitive, creative, physical, social/emotional and even spiritual benefits.

“A worldwide movement has emerged to advocate for and encourage unstructured, spontaneous play in natural settings without adult control. Such facilities are popping up across our nation,” Harney said. “Dundee Township’s Wahoo Woods is the first in Kane County as far as we know.”

Wahoo Woods is located in Library Springs Open Space. The entrance is at the north end of the parking lot of the Dundee Library at 555 Barrington Ave., E. Dundee.