Development of eight interactive exhibits for children to discover the fascinating patterns and symmetry found in nature, from the designs on animal furs and spirals on snails’ shells, to the systematic arrangement of leaves on a stem and the architecture of beehives. The exhibits encourage children to look closely, play with sequence and proportion, and explore myriad patterns in the world around us. Interpretive signage offers information to adults about environmental infrastructure features, educational content and the Guadalupe River in three languages: English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Sculptural Entry Arch, comprised of 2- and 3-D representations of plants and animals with interesting patterns, sets the stage for what visitors will discover inside.

Beehive Climber invites children to climb on, over and through the hexagon pattern of its architecture to immerse their full bodies in a familiar pattern in nature.

Patterns Everywhere features ten 2′, 3′ and 4′ circular magnifications of common patterns like seeds on a strawberry and scales of a fish. A cutout circle reveals the object at normal scale.

Symmetry Viewers, 4 large-scale kaleidoscopes with varying shaped viewing windows allow visitors to investigate objects in the space and create patterns of their own.

Rocks that Sing, stone Xylophone-style instruments, fascinate visitors with the melodic sounds created when struck with a mallet so that children can “hear” the beauty of nature.

Whirling Flyers feature familiar objects from both the natural and created worlds, and how they fly at different altitudes.

Measure Me! focuses visitors on their own bodies to explore human symmetry: our wingspan equals our height, our forearm equals the length of our foot, and more.

Bronze Animals and Insects, with distinctive patterns placed throughout the space, support children’s development of empathy and caretaking of the natural world.

Mechanical Solar Flower offers a hand-crank at kid-level that opens and closes the petals of a flower covering a solar panel in the center. An LED meter on the wall nearby helps track results as they expose the center panel to the sun.

An architectural design that improves the health of the Guadalupe River with infrastructure that mitigates toxic runoff, prevents pollution from being carried into the riparian corridor, and supports absorption of rainwater. Designed by Brad Cox Architects, BKF Engineering and Callander & Associates Landscape, EP incorporates three SmartFlowers, innovative solar energy systems that mimic a sunflower’s relationship with the sun. The giant mechanical “flowers” with solar panel petals open when the sun rises, move throughout the day tracking the sun across the sky and fold up when the sun sets. Granitecrete permeable paving will be used for all pathways as it allows stormwater to pass through and be absorbed into the ground underneath. Renewable wood is the preferred building material, including California-grown bamboo for the shade structure. Handcrafted bronze sculptures of animals and insects support children’s emotional connections to the experience.