The West Virginia Botanic Garden unveils its latest project this Saturday, May 7.
There is something to be learned from the way a space is naturally used. Is it a popular picnic spot? Do people enjoy Saturday afternoons there, or do they prefer weekday visits? Is it just adults dropping by, or do children play there, too?
Philip Smith and the West Virginia Botanic Garden team asked themselves similar questions about a space in their very own garden. “We had an area just below the Education Center,” says Smith, the WVBG’s executive director. “It wasn’t a very desirable area at the time, but we noticed a lot of kids and families would start stacking rocks and playing.” The observation quickly turned into an idea: If people were already doing it, why not create an actual children’s play space?
Research began, looking into options for something a bit different than your typical playground. “In schools, kids are often given more structured forms of play. We are trying to encourage something more unstructured by the way of nature play.”
“Nature play” is a stripped-down type of play or play space that focuses on surrounding natural elements to spark imagination and learning. The WVBG ran with this idea in the creation of the children’s garden, an open, natural space that Smith describes as “invoking the feeling of shires and hobbits,” a comparison many children—and their parents—will enjoy. “We wanted to keep it simple enough to allow kids to craft their own adventures.” Activity spaces such as a sand table and an ecological topple tower give children the opportunity to create. Stepping stones, teepees, a frog pond, and interpretive signage around the space engage kids in the beauty of the WVBG’s inhabitants while not being overly crafted.
From the beginning, Morgantown-area children have truly chosen how they wanted to use the space, and the botanic garden crew is excited to keep that going. “We’re trying to respond to how the space gets used,” Smith says. “We already have future phases in mind with things to come as it continues to grow.”
The WVBG Children’s Adventure Garden is set to open at this Saturday’s West Virginia Botanic Garden Day celebrations with a ribbon cutting that kicks off the day at 10 a.m. T&L Hot Dogs, Kindermusik sessions, and other activities and entertainment are slated to take place through 2 p.m., celebrating the kids who inspired the new garden while also appealing to the parents who run behind them.
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