Perception of Nature Play in Children’s Gardens:A Survey of Decision Makers from North American Public Gardens

Abstract

Children’s gardens have been an increasingly popularaddition to North Americanpublic gardens in the last two decades. Unlike theircounterparts established inhealthcare facilities and early-education centers,children’s gardens in public gardensare less studied and understood. A substantial bodyof research has indicated thewide range of cognitive, physical, and social benefitsof “nearby nature” and “natureplay” associated with outdoor children’s spaces. Inan era where children’s access toand time spent in the natural world continues to diminish,we must look beyondirregular visits to parks and gardens to focus onhow immediate landscapes at homecan serve as nature play experiences. With the missionsof many public gardensfocused on educating the public about the environmentand encouraging visitors tomake changes in their own yards, this study exploresif these institutions can alsoinspire families to adopt nature play closer to home.The research examines theawareness and perception of nature play in publicgardens through a survey ofgarden managers and staff. 119 children’s garden managersaffiliated with theAmerican Public Garden Association responded to aquestionnaire (74% completionrate) for their views on educational goals, gardenfeatures, and implementation ofnature play in children’s gardens they oversee. Natureplay elements like water play,utilization of loose materials, and manipulation ofsand and mud with a programmaticintent to promote “free play” were the most commonlycited aspects of these spaces.Although 71% of children garden managers indicatedthat they were very familiarwith nature play concepts and an even greater number(80%) agreeing that spacesthey manage accomplish nature play goals, few feltthat their spaces andprogramming would encourage or inspire families totranslate these concepts inhome landscapes. While nature play is increasinglyrecognized and utilized in avariety of public settings, results highlight thatmany public gardens may be missingan opportunity to promote nature play at home as partof a wider effort to encourageenvironmental stewardship.