Gardens For Life specializes in landscapes for children, people with special needs, and older adults. Our clients include educators, assisted living administrators, parents, landscape architects, contractors, parks maintenance staff, and more. Although all of these stakeholders might have similar goals, they often speak completely different languages.
We Speak “Education”
Caregivers and educators know all about people. They’re experts in curriculum and programming, aligning programs with state standards, and meeting the needs of people of varying ages and abilities. Caregivers expect the unexpected and come up with creative solutions on the fly.
I worked as an environmental educator for over a decade. I know how to build a gardening unit of study that incorporates science and literacy. I’ve led outdoor explorations for toddlers, middle schoolers, and people in their 80s. And I know that teaching outdoors is demanding. It requires balancing participant interest, learning objectives, materials, timing, weather, and more.
We know learners are more engaged when they’re outdoors.
We know learners are more engaged when they’re outdoors. The natural world creates infinite opportunities to develop physical, academic, and social/emotional skills.
Before Gardens For Life begins a design for an outdoor play or learning space, we ask caregivers or educators to describe their goals. I’m a “big picture” thinker who can listen to your education vision and develop landscape elements and staff trainings that will benefit your program.
Caregivers and administrators are often surprised by how effectively goals can be met in an outdoor environment. The resulting space is more likely to be used and cared for because it aligns with and expands on what was already happening indoors.
Click the links to learn more about my work developing curriculum in schools and child care centers.
We Speak “Design”
Designers know all about physical spaces and how they can best serve people. They’re experts in site analysis, representing ideas with drawings, and imagining how spaces can be completely transformed.
I have more than a decade of experience designing landscapes. In addition to a master’s degree in landscape architecture, I honed my skills at a design firm specializing in children’s landscapes, and at a design/build company. I’ve also been fortunate enough to tour innovative landscapes for play in the US, Denmark, Germany, and Australia.
Like teaching, design is a balancing act; you have to account for desired uses, sunlight, drainage, budget, and other existing conditions. Design is a language of possibility; it allows us to rearrange the world to meet our needs. Well-designed schoolyards, backyards, and playgrounds can make it easier and more delightful to engage with the natural world.
Click the links to see examples of my landscape designs for child care centers and residential clients.
We Speak “Management”
Managers might include maintenance staff, administrators, or contractors. They’re experts in keeping things running smoothly, keeping spaces orderly, and making sure budgets and guidelines are being followed.
I have assisted with site management at schools, nature centers, and child care centers. The challenge here is to balance pragmatism and idealism. An ideal landscape for play and learning has elements that change over time, materials that can be moved around, and opportunities for challenge. These features must align with the site’s maintenance capacity and risk tolerance.
When we work with schools and child care centers, we invite maintenance staff to planning meetings to make sure they share input. The educators want space for raised beds? Let’s make sure there’s still room to store trash and recycling bins! And how wide is the mower? Let’s make sure it fits between those raised beds.
Sometimes fears about safety and liability can dominate conversations about outdoor spaces. As a Certified Playground Safety Inspector, I know the difference between hazard and risk. A hazard is something dangerous, like a bolt that protrudes off a pole. It could result in serious injury, and a child couldn’t be expected to see it. A risk is a challenge that a child chooses to take on, like climbing on a log. Taking risks is a key part of healthy physical and emotional development. That said, people have different levels of tolerance for risk, and we lead stakeholders in conversations about balancing risks and benefits.
Translating Between Languages
Being able to translate between educators, designers, and managers means knowing where misunderstandings might occur. Caregivers have varying degrees of comfort and experience with outdoor learning, reading landscape plans, and garden maintenance. Designers aren’t typically familiar with curriculum, quality rating systems, and the unique challenges that come with bringing learners outdoors. And managers might have low tolerance for a landscape that looks a little messy (even if it’s well-cared for) or requires specialized skills to use and maintain.
At Gardens For Life, we incorporate expertise in education, design, and management to help people create inspiring outdoor spaces that are well-loved, well-used, and well-maintained.
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