The update is that we’re still in a hold pattern for our garden. The Wildflower Center will start fundraising and we hope to move back into action in the winter. Please cross your fingers! I still want to keep posting to keep this alive – so I’m trying to include pertinent and related information to our garden, children’s garden and sustainability.
This weekend I traveled with my husband to Lansing, Michigan to visit our nephew. We had the opportunity to visit the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids. It never dawned on me the impact this visit would have. They have a dedicated Children’s Garden that I got to experience with my almost 2 year old nephew, Ethan.
photo courtesy of Michale Reed 'Pictophile' on flickr
It was such an interesting visit to really see the garden with him. Here are a few of my observations:
- Kid scaled gates and openings completely thrilled him! Though, they really did a number on my back.
We have included some of these at our grotto design. - A two year old has a pretty short attention span. He only made it half-way through the maze until he was bored and found his way out through the shrubs. A good idea would be to include things to play with along the way.
- The treehouse was super cool! The swinging bridge was a bit treacherous, but he still liked it. He really gravitated towards the kid sized benches and tables. Again, scale is important!
- He was overwhelmed by the huge rock quarry (a.k.a – sand pit). The garden put out little shovels and other items every day for the kids to use. He didn’t know where to go first.
- His ultimate favorite part was the……………splash fountain. Imagine that! Luckily, his mom had packed him an extra outfit, so even though he wasn’t in swim trunks, he got right in the mix. He did want everyone to join and I was the only one in flip flops, so I got in with him. Water will always attract the kiddos!!
Here’s the link to the garden and if you’re in the area, I highly recommend it.
http://www.meijergardens.org/gardens_experience/childrens_garden.php
My only complaint was that some of the art in the children’s garden was signed as “do not touch”. One in particular was at the entry and was a large group of brightly colored circles. Ethan ran immediately over to it and wanted to touch it. We had to tell him no and pull him away. In another section, there was one piece of colored tube that was set up as a play piece and about 15 feet away was another one in a different color, but with a sign that said to not touch. That was really confusing for him. I would hope that most art in this type of garden could be touched and played with.
So, thank you, Ethan, for letting me see garden design and landscape architecture through your eyes and in a whole different light!
