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GRŌ at Locust Shade Park By Amy Falkofske
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Photos provided by PWC Parks
n Dec. 14, 2019, Prince William County Parks, Recreation & Tourism held a ribbon cutting for GRŌ-A Natural Education Space at its newest location, Locust Shade Park in Triangle, Virginia. GRŌ at Locust Shade Park serves elementary-aged kids enrolled in either public school or homeschool programs. The original GRŌ program at James S. Long Park in Haymarket serves preschool-aged children. Both GRŌ programs “give children the opportunity to connect with, explore and learn through interaction with the natural world, harnessing the physical, emotional, social and academic benefits associated with outdoor play,” said to Dianne Wahl, PWC Parks, Recreation & Tourism spokesperson. “Parents, guardians or teachers can schedule tours of the facility,” she said. GRŌ at Locust Shade Park encompasses both the Science in the Park and the Scout programs. Science in the Park uses the park as an outdoor classroom to complement the Virginia SOL science curriculum. “Elementary school teachers and homeschool groups will find Science in the Park a valuable enhancement to classroom instruction,” said Wahl. Science in the Park is also available at Lake Ridge Park, Silver Lake Park in Haymarket and Veteran’s Park in Woodbridge. It is the newest amenity at Locust Shade Park and was made possible by a former member of the Board of Supervisors, Maureen Cad-
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July 2020 prince william living
digan. Caddigan helped fund the renovation of an old storage building in the park to be used for this purpose.
Science in the Park and Scouting
Speaking about the Science in the Park program, Deputy Director of PWC Parks, Recreation & Tourism Tracy Hannigan said, “The Science in the Park program has grown significantly for us in the last five years, especially since we’ve tied it in with
