Models of two children sitting on a raft with a sail. One child is reading a book and the other is holding a camera and pointing. In the background you see an entry way with "Chapter 1 Life along the river" over the doorway. There is another doorway with the title "Chapter 2 Nature is Fun."

Wickiup Hill Learning Center

Linn County Conservation District

When Wickiup Hill Learning Center sought to expand its interpretive offerings with a dynamic, hands-on children’s gallery, they trusted Taylor Studios, building upon our prior exhibit partnership. As a popular destination for field trips and summer camps, the new gallery required a design that could accommodate high traffic and withstand rigorous handling by large groups of children.

We delivered an innovative strategy for this educational exhibit expansion by basing the entire gallery on a custom-written children’s storybook. This unique approach allows the narrative to unfold exhibit-by-exhibit, placing visitors in immersive environments that reflect the story’s settings.

Children become active participants: they are “shrunken” in size to encounter a climbable, large-scale frog interactive, or they climb into an eagle’s nest to sit on plush eggs. Elsewhere, visitors enter a Native American thatched house and gather around a simulated fire. This design is rich with hands-on interactives and strategically designed high-traffic flow to prevent crowding. By utilizing quality, durable materials, Taylor Studios ensured the new gallery is both a memorable success and a long-term asset for the Center, providing a powerful, marketable takeaway resource.

Models of two children sitting on a raft with a sail. One child is reading a book and the other is holding a camera and pointing. In the background you see an entry way with "Chapter 1 Life along the river" over the doorway. There is another doorway with the title "Chapter 2 Nature is Fun."
An oversized nature scene focusing on a large green frog and flower.
Looking down on the center's spaces there is a staircase next to a half tree. In the background you can see the oversized nature area with a large frog.