Sensory & Investigation

Sensory gardens can be entirely nature based, creating and observing wildlife sanctuaries or with the accent on plants – growing them for their colour, texture, sounds and smell and of course this can spill over into Grow Your Own when the emphasis is on getting children to get their hands into the soil and take an interest in their food and where it comes from.

However these aren’t the only avenues nor are they mutually exclusive and a mixture of the two combined with mirrors, voice pipes (a permanent and robust version of the unreliable bean tin and bit of string) and perhaps some water will involve all the senses and stimulate enquiry. Imagine willow planted to create tunnels and walks; seats, shade, differing mediums underfoot, over-head and all around for planting, weaving……………… the list is as long as it is exciting and possibly one of the most rewarding – creatively – for us as designers.

So much of even young children’s time is spent being indoors – there is just so much to learn these days – and at home the distractions of computers and t.v. are a powerful lure.

But as teachers and parents we know the value of encouraging children outside and being not only active but also inquisitive about how their world interacts and is interdependent.
With only a little encouragement they soon learn to appreciate a bit of quiet time, time to commune with nature and a bit of hands-on fun time observing bugs, seeing plants develop and just occupying a different place.