Forest Friends

Welcome to our cozy woodland retreat designed exclusively for infants and toddlers ages 0-2! Forest Friends provides a safe, gentle sanctuary where your littlest explorers can play and discover without big kids underfoot. Every element - from soft mats and nature textures to our rainbow wooden climber - is scaled for tiny hands and developing bodies. 

Perfect for tummy time, first steps, and sensory discovery, this peaceful space features high-contrast mirrors to engage developing eyes, woodland-themed toys for stacking and shaking, and calming colors that create a nurturing environment. Caregivers can relax while babies crawl, climb, and connect with nature-inspired play at their own pace. 

This dedicated space ensures the smallest visitors have room to grow, explore, and develop foundational motor skills, spatial reasoning, and sensory awareness in an age-appropriate setting designed just for them. 

    • Nature Textures: Soft mats, wooden climbers, and smooth surfaces to explore 

    • Tummy Time Zone: Mirrors and high-contrast colors to engage developing eyes 

    • Woodland Play Items: Sensory toys for stacking, pulling, and shaking 

    • Nature-Themed Decor: Calming greens and tree-themed structures to spark a love for the outdoors 

    • Physical Abilities: Exercising fine and gross motor skills 

    • Engineering Basics: Early introduction to building, stacking, and spatial reasoning 

    • Sensory Exploration: Interacting with colors, textures, and reflections 

    • STEAM Skills: Focuses on Engineering 

    • Full Body Engagement: Sensory input and gross motor movement through crawling and climbing 

    • Tangible World: Direct manipulation of soft and hard objects 

    • Observation: Developing awareness of self and surroundings through mirrors 

Explore More 

This exhibit is located in Rockenfield House. Also explore: Salem Station | Airflow Alley 

  • A woman is playing with a baby on the floor of a playroom. The baby is lying on their stomach, looking at the camera, while the woman is leaning forward, engaging with the baby. The room is decorated with a small house-shaped soft structure, a patterned rug, and various toys.
  • A woman with long black hair in a ponytail, wearing a red shirt, is sitting on a brown sofa holding a smiling baby with a bald head wearing a black outfit. They are in a play area with a colorful bead maze toy and a circular green rug. In the background, there are some furniture pieces and a window.
  • A toddler wearing camouflage pants and black sneakers squats on a carpeted floor, holding onto a small rainbow-colored wooden ramp, looking over his shoulder.
  • A young toddler girl with blonde hair, sitting on a carpeted floor, holding a wooden toy, and looking up at the camera with a curious expression.
  • A man with glasses and a girl with a floral shirt relax together on a black bench. The man is smiling and holding the girl, who appears to be resting or sleeping.
  • A woman with long wavy hair sitting on the floor, feeding a young child with a bottle. The child is lying on her lap. The background shows a green wall, a window, and a wooden crib with a giraffe toy and a hanging book. The woman is smiling and wearing a black T-shirt.