Santa Fe Children’s Museum unveils new backyard

By Margaret O’Hara
mohara@sfnewmexican.com
Jun 25, 2024

Nick Fazio gives his son, Phoenix Fazio, 4, a hand down while playing in the skewed Rubik’s Cube while Micah Gibson, left, helps his son, Jonah Gibson, 2, on Tuesday during an opening preview of the
Santa Fe Children’s Museum’s newly renovated backyard space.
~Jim Weber/The New Mexican

A New Mexico sandbox might not be the easiest place to discover the fossilized remains of sea life,
but that didn’t stop Aiden DeHerrera from trying.

The 6-year-old dug through the Santa Fe Children’s Museum’s sandbox Tuesday afternoon, fueled by
a fascination with ocean creatures.

Among the sand grains were small gems, rocks and shark teeth. With adult supervision, the
museum’s young visitors were invited to locate their own treasure — with corresponding literature
available to help extra curious prospectors identify their find.

Eventually, Aiden pulled one such object from the sand. It was a buff-colored oval, the surface of
which showed the distinctive impression of a petrified organism.
“I found a fossil? A real fossil?” Aiden exclaimed.

The sandbox — and its treasures — are freshly refurbished additions to the Santa Fe Children’s
Museum. The museum’s backyard, an acre-plus outdoor education and play space, now features a
slew of new and renovated exhibits geared toward New Mexico’s youngest residents and their
families.

Hundreds of museum members and other guests, including Aiden, got a sneak peek of the new
backyard Tuesday afternoon. The space will be open to the public starting July 5.

This isn’t the end of renovations in the outdoor space, said Santa Fe Children’s Museum Executive
Director Hannah Hausman; the museum is still planning to update its community garden, construct
a new horno and adobe village and build a gross motor play space for older kids.

But Hausman said completing the first phase of the project is a big step for the museum — and an
invitation for families to enjoy the outdoors in the updated communal backyard.

“Some people have a tiny little patio; some kids don’t have a backyard at all. Everyone’s backyard
looks different,” she said. “But why not make a backyard for all of our community?”
Hausman called it “vitamin green,” the idea that time spent outdoors — among the greenery — has
major wellness benefits. Studies have shown that getting outside can improve mental health and
reasoning skills, in addition to providing a venue for physical activity.

But she noted barriers still limit many families from outdoor activities.

“New Mexico is this incredible space for the outdoors and for people to get outside, but that doesn’t
mean everyone is able to do that or understands how or has access to it,” Hausman said.

The backyard is the children’s museum’s way of bridging part of that gap. It’s a “community space”
— a backyard play area that belongs to all of Santa Fe’s kids and families, said outgoing museum
board President Caitlin Brodsky.

“To be able to give it back to the community is really neat,” she said.
For more than a year, the backyard has been closed to visitors. Construction to renovate the space
began after an initial groundbreaking in March 2023.

Hausman said the renovation — including not-yet-complete updates to the garden, horno and gross
motor play space — is expected to cost around $3 million in a combination of private donations and
state capital outlay funding. During this year’s legislative session, the museum secured an additional
$510,000 from the state, part of which will be directed toward the outdoor space.

So what’s new in the Backyard? A lot.

There’s the new sandbox, complete with a cistern and water pump, as well as the “Creative Corner,”
which invites kids to play imaginatively with natural materials like sticks and pine cones. There are
new musical instruments for percussive play, a shaded picnic space and an updated amphitheater for
performances and story times.

All of the new exhibits are connected by “the trail,” a circular pathway accessible to wheelchair users
and strollers alike.

Rowe resident Laurie DeHerrera, Aiden’s grandmother, has now accompanied two generations of
kids to the Santa Fe Children’s Museum. Sitting next to the facility’s renovated sandbox, she recalled
bringing her own children. These days, she brings her grandson and granddaughter.
The space, she said, offers kids a chance to learn more about nature and science, shapes and
textures, alongside little ones their own age.

That encourages kids like Aiden to “dig deeper” into their interests, DeHerrera said — figuratively,
and sometimes, literally.

A constantly shifting crowd of kids play in the sandbox at the Santa Fe Children’s Museum’s renovated backyard space. Officials say they hope to provide a community backyard that will engage kids and help them learn.
~Jim Weber/The New Mexican