I am currently writing a series of posts applying the design concepts David Sobel outlines in his book, Childhood and Nature, to what we do in Hershey Children’s Garden. This is important reading not only if you are designing a garden space, program or activity, but also for environmental educators and parents alike.

"Finding shortcuts," writes Sobel, "figuring out what’s around the next bend, following a map to a secret event. Children have an inborn desire to explore local geographies. Developing a local sense of place leads organically to a bioregional sense of place and hopefully to biospheric consciousness."

As a child, I was fascinated with maps, geography and the like. I remember drawing maps of my neighborhood and closely examining a city, state or national map. Maps rooted me in a larger picture, summarizing my knowledge of the land. A sense of place is important for healthy child development. Any parent knows that kids thrive on some routine and structure. "This is my home, my school, my block, my garden, my playhouse." A child’s mental map expands as they move beyond the confines of the backyard fence. I remember dividing my neighborhood into distinct areas, each with its own allure.

It is paths that got me to these distinct places. Paths add mystery, adventure and excitement to the exploratory experience. They are the edges of the mental puzzle that a child’s mind tries to fit together. One particular place near my elementary school contained both woods and open grassland. I still remember the excitement I felt treading unfamiliar trails, discovering new vegetation and more along the way.

Hershey Children’s Garden develops its own sense of place using distinctive boundary indicators. The feel of the space sets it apart also from the other gardens to let the child know they are in a unique setting. Repetition of materials as well as scale are critical design elements. Scale, I believe, is the most important element here for children. In my opinion, way too many children’s gardens are oversized for their little visitors. Those five year olds become lost and cannot create a cohesive whole in their minds. We want children to feel they can master the space on their own, make it theirs, be able to move about without their parents. The bigger the space, the harder this is to accomplish. Smaller spaces can be made larger with many small winding paths and well placed screening. There is nothing like taking a new path and discovering it leads you to a part of the garden with which you are familiar, rather like learning itself.

Parents, make your backyard the launching pad for adventure and exploration. Sit your family down sometime and encourage them to draw maps of what they would want in their ideal backyard. If they are older (7-10 years old), encourage them to draw map-perspective views of what they want and where they want it to go. You can then draw (no pun intended) a hundred possibilities from examining their sketches and by listening to their explanations.
 

Please share your ideas and photos of your creations with us at The Garden Variety.