“You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world… but it takes people to make the dream a reality.” Walt Disney
Are children’s gardens a thing of the past?
Sometimes, I wonder if gardening is becoming a lost art.
In today’s online world, you can create a virtual garden, grow virtual vegetables, care for virtual animals, and even slay a fire-breathing dragon. But where does actual gardening fit into this picture? With so many virtual activities available, it’s essential to find creative ways to encourage children to spend time outdoors and connect with nature.
In many landscape projects, backyards are gobbled up with stonework, swimming pools, and wood decks. Where is the space for flowers and vegetables? The space for imagination? A place where fairies dance on dew-kissed flower petals, where toads find shelter in dark corners, where birds feed on the nectar of sweet blooms, where little fingers dig in the soil, and where nature comes alive.
A children’s garden sparks curiosity, encourages exploration, and offers adventure.
It’s about creating opportunities for kids to touch, see, do, and create, to learn from nature, to learn from each other, and for families to reconnect.
Designed for Kids. Little Fingers, Big Ideas!
Children learn through all their senses! They love to touch vibrant flowers and soft leaves, smell fragrant blooms, and observe fluttering butterflies. They enjoy slaying imaginary dragons with their friends, playing hide-and-seek with their neighbours, and digging large holes in the backyard to create a fantastic hideout—at least that’s what they did in my backyard.
Sowing Ideas!
Growing a variety of vegetables in patio containers opens the door to a magical journey where children can witness seeds sprouting into life. With each seed planted, they engage in nurturing the earth and cultivating a deep appreciation for nature and the food it provides. This experience ignites curiosity and inspires a lifelong love of gardening.
Strawberries in a Hanging Basket
Imagine hanging baskets brimming with luscious strawberries, swaying from the deck or from tree branches. Picture children rushing outside, their faces full of excitement as they reach up to pluck the ruby-red berries.
Plant blueberries to enjoy a bountiful harvest in the vibrant warmth of late summer, when the fruit bursts with flavour and is perfect for picking.
Grow Pumpkins
Embrace the magic of growing pumpkins as you watch the charming spiral of curling vines unfurl, adorned with bright yellow flowers. The blossoms gradually give way to pumpkins ripe for fall picking. Their rich colours and unique shapes add a touch of whimsy to any garden.
It’s Okay to be an Observer!
Not all kids want to run around; some enjoy watching and reading. Create a great viewing location, somewhere safe and cozy to ‘watch the world go by’ with a comfortable chair and a few colourful pillows.
Kids on the Move!
Children tend to get bored quickly, so it’s important to create engaging areas for them to explore and move around.
Backyard Ideas!
A chalkboard mounted to a wooden fence, a wooden box filled with beach sand, or a tree swing. Kids can make music with old pots and pans or blow giant soap bubbles for fun. Add colourful Worley gigs to the gardens. Children can help build a toad house because what is more fun than a toad? Or help feed the birds. Or lie in the grass and gaze up at the sky because clouds come in some pretty cool shapes!
Energy in Motion!
If you’ve ever walked through the mall with a kid, you know they can’t walk in a straight line. They tend to skip, dance, and jump because all that energy has to go somewhere. Right?
Turn your driveway into a hopscotch area with sidewalk chalk, or look for a low spot in your yard just right for jumping in after it rains.
You can build a fort with lawn chairs and blankets, set up a small tent, or construct a raised wooden platform, the perfect stage for dancing and singing.
Of course, there is always the classic summer activity of running a lawn sprinkler on a hot day: add a couple of kids, and voila—instant fun!
To ensure peace of mind for adults, it’s important to have clear sight lines to monitor children. We want kids to be safe, so being able to keep an eye on them from the house or a lounge chair is an essential aspect of a well-designed landscape plan.
It’s All Child’s Play
To create a great outdoor space for children, ‘Think like Them.’
Children see the world in simple terms, so ‘Keep it Simple’.
Give them flowers.
Give them space.
Give them the joy of being Outdoors!
Lexi Dearborn