In Dino Dig Plaza, part of the Outdoor Prairie Play area at the Children's Museum of South Dakota, children can explore the fields of paleontology and archeology by conducting their own excavations within three sand pits and two prairie berms.

School Campus History
The Children's Museum of South Dakota opened in 2010, however, the location - 521 4th Street of Brookings is not new to educating children, as it was originally an elementary school built in 1936.

In 2006 the Brookings school district was in the process of planning a new elementary school; it was at this time that the Larson Family Foundation approached the city of Brookings and the Brookings School District about their vision to create a children's museum.

The custom metal fabricated museum icon entrance sign was created by A-1 Jet of Sioux Falls, S.D. and is surrounded by mixed perennial beds of "Moonshine' yarrow, The Blues Little Bluestem and "Matrona' sedum.

The Larson Family Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1990 to fulfill the need of the state's communities and citizens, supported this project by fully funding the start up costs of the Children's Museum of South Dakota, and established an endowment for future operating costs. By October of 2008 ground was broken on the project and at the end of the school year in 2009, after 73 years in operation, Central Elementary School closed its doors. The next fall, students in the Central School District were divided and sent to either existing Hillcrest or Medary Elementary schools. A new Camelot Intermediate School (for 4th and 5th graders) was constructed and opened in time for the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. The official museum opening and ribbon-cutting took place in September of 2010.

The outdoor exhibit areas include Streamside, which has an interactive creek, and Nature Play which has numerous features, such as tunnels, which present challenges in coordination by moving through the semi-enclosed spaces, and bird's nests that resemble those created by red-winged blackbirds.

Transforming the Campus
Confluence, a regional landscape architecture firm, was brought on to help program and lead the exterior design effort for the 3.45-acre site, including 1.5 acres of exterior exhibit space and the adjacent streetscape improvements.

"Nature Play" was a unified theme of the outdoor exhibit space. Confluence worked closely with the owner and exhibit design consultants to develop a site plan that reflected the unique goals of the project. The site exhibit space includes an interactive stream and fountain, dig pits, a rolling hill and tunnel, a "mud pie kitchen", stacking and climbing elements, a maze, a winter skate pond, and a large equipment display area as well as the only full size, permanent animatronic tyrannosaurus rex in the United States.

Baby T-Rex, an animatronic tyrannosaurus dinosaur that stands seven feet tall, is enclosed in a post and railing fenced area made of crushed limestone surface walkways, quartzite boulders and stacked quartzite retaining walls.

Outdoor Prairie Play
The outdoor exhibits were designed by Confluence in conjunction with Split Rock Studios and include Nature Play, Streamside, Living Maze, Dino Dig and Meet Mama & Max.

The landscape comes inside with giant butterflies and flowers in the newly structured entry pavilion. Here children learn from themed inside exhibits: Our Prairie, Sensations, Imagine a House and Kidstreet.

Nature Play
The Nature Play area has four interactive areas, which include:
• Tunnel Time presents challenges in coordination by moving through the semi-enclosed spaces. There are two tunnels, Earthen Tunnel, a Buffalo Grass covered hill with crawl tubes providing passage through and Willow Tunnel, an arched metal framework supporting a willow thicket forming the tunneled passage.

• Mud-Pie Kitchen has an outdoor sink with water source, pots and pans, with tables and seating, perfect for those interested in making mud. Children develop fine motor dexterity by pouring and scooping mud, learning about the necessary steps in completing their vision. Tree Cookie Architect gives understanding to balance, symmetry and how gravity works in construction. This area encourages children to try new ways to put things together and has loose natural materials for stacking and building.

• The Bird's Nest is an oversized nest that resembles those created by red-winged blackbirds or other birds that build nests close to the ground. The area has galvanized metal tubes, which provide the structure for woven branches replicating the form of nests.

Mama T-Rex is the only full-size, permanent, animatronic tyrannosaurus dinosaur in the United States. She stands 25 feet tall and is 60 feet long. "Mama' is enclosed in a post and rail fenced area with crushed limestone surface walkways, quartzite boulders, and tree trunks and branches.

Streamside
A recirculating stream with a gravel bottom, step stones and bridged crossings gives children the opportunity to build a beaver dam or test their balance wading across logs and stones. Design elements in this area include a stamped animal print colored concrete surfacing, ornamental metal perimeter fence with masonry piers and rustic branch fencing.

Living Maze
Prairie grasses form the edges of the maze, which has a gravel pathway that leads to a central gathering point. Hiding among the grasses are butterflies and native plantings that children can learn to identify. Design elements include crushed limestone surfacing pathways, fieldstone boulders, custom bug condos, bird and butterfly houses, quartzite splash basins, exhibit signage, spaces for future sculptures and pedestrian light poles.

Dino Dig
At Dino Dig Plaza children can explore the fields of paleontology and archeology by conducting their own excavations within the three sand pits and two prairie berms. They can unearth dinosaur bones that could be found on a South Dakota farm. Design elements include a stacked quartzite retaining wall, accessible dig table, fieldstone boulder outcroppings, stamped animal print colored concrete surfacing, ornamental metal perimeter fence with masonry piers, post and rail fencing, salvaged existing shelter, boardwalk, educational displays, dino cave with a vegetated background.

Meet Mama & Max
Mama and Max, the only full-size, permanent, animatronic tyrannosaurus dinosaurs in the United States, roar during the spring and summer months, or as long as the weather permits. Mama stands 25 feet tall and 60 feet long, while her juvenile son Max is about 7 feet tall with feathers, as research has shown this is what he would look like at this stage in his life. Design Elements in this area include a post and rail fence, crushed limestone surface walkways, quartzite boulders and tree trunks/branches.

Plan Rendering of the Children's Museum Site – Illustrating Original Building, Entry Pavilion Addition and Outdoor Exhibit Spaces. The total project encompasses 3.45 acres, including 1.5 acres of exterior exhibit space.

1. Living Maze
2. Meet Mama & Rex
3. Dino Dig
4. Streamside
5. Nature Play

LEED Designation
Planned with sustainability in mind, the project incorporated large areas of native plants, such as Moonshine Yarrow, Black Eyed Susan, and Spiked Gayfeather, which have a low dependence on supplemental water.

Other important qualifying LEED features include pervious aggregate pathways, as well as streetscape and parking improvements that have increased efficiency of traffic patterns, and have created a civic campus feel among the museum and the adjacent Senior Center, Community Cultural Center, and Public Library.

The perimeter of the Children's Museum of South Dakota property was developed to work in conjunction with the redeveloped streetscape and to respect the historic character of the downtown.

Among the sustainable design decisions on the building's interior were the use of recycled materials, the restoration of all existing windows to open the building back up to natural light, and the repurposing of existing gym bleachers as balcony railings, new seating, and exhibit components. The building renovation and site improvements achieved a LEED Silver certification.

To learn more about the Children's Museum of South Dakota, please visit prairieplay.org.