Outdoor exploration and movement.
Head up to Treetop Terrace, part of the Gallery of Wonder, where more than just the fresh air is on the move!
Beep-beep! Hop into the Mini Cooper and take a trip to the Sunshine Shop. Need to swing by home to pick up a friend? Go for it. Think that parking spot looks too tight? Nope, it’s perfect!
Designed as an open-air space for active, play-based learning, Treetop Terrace invites children to move their bodies and use their imaginations. They can steer, stop, park, and pretend their way through everyday journeys. There’s room to run, navigate, and explore freely.
While it feels like pure fun, important skills are growing. Active play builds strength, balance, and coordination. Pretend driving and shared adventures spark conversation, storytelling, and flexible thinking. Children make choices, take initiative, and build confidence with every lap around the terrace.
Families are encouraged to join in. It’s the kind of play that brings out giggles and “Watch this!” moments. Out in the open air, with plenty of space to move, children feel free, capable, and proud of what they can do.
Children can ride, push, and guide vehicles along a winding roadway that encourages active play and imaginative travel. This experience supports coordination and gives children opportunities to make choices about where to go and how to get there.
Children are practicing:
Grown-ups can try:
Ask where your child is headed or invite them to tell you about their journey.
Scaled structures allow children to imagine familiar scenes from daily life while playing outdoors. These spaces encourage role play, conversation, and cooperation as children create stories and explore how places connect within a community.
Children are practicing:
Grown-ups can try:
Join the story and let your child decide what happens next.
A dedicated splash table area offers younger children a safe, hands-on way to explore water through pouring, scooping, and simple cause-and-effect play. This space is designed for early sensory exploration while supporting curiosity and fine motor development in an outdoor setting.
Children are practicing:
Grown-ups can try:
Talk about what happens when water moves and let your child experiment freely.
Toddlers can push ride-on toys, explore cause-and-effect through water play and enjoy movement in open spaces. These experiences help build confidence and early coordination.
Grown-ups can help by:
Staying close and offering encouragement as toddlers explore.
Preschoolers can create pretend journeys, manage drive-thru visitors at the shop, and move independently through the space. These experiences support imagination, confidence, and growing independence.
Grown-ups can help by:
Asking open-ended questions and letting children lead their play.
Older children can help guide younger family members, create shared stories, and model cooperative play. Their involvement supports teamwork and strengthens family connections.
Grown-ups can help by:
Encouraging older children to include younger ones and share ideas.
Older siblings can take on leadership roles by organizing play, creating complex stories, and helping younger children navigate the space. Modeling patience and cooperation helps support shared play.
Grown-ups can help by:
Inviting older children to help plan games or lead pretend adventures.
Mona and Andrew Sarofim
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