Designing Outdoor Environments for Children: Landscaping School Yards, Gardens and Playgrounds
Fun, safe, innovative, educational, and sustainable outdoor landscapes for childrenThere may be no more potent learning environment for a child than a garden. In caring for a garden, children gain skills in patience, perseverance, discipline, and hard work which can last a lifetime. And of course -- there's no end to kids' fun in the outdoors!TOOLS FOR DESIGNERS AND EDUCATORSFor those who want to offer children the learning and growing experiences possible in planned outdoor environments, there is no better ally than this book.Designing Outdoor Environments for Childrenis a complete, practical toolkit for planning, designing, installing, and maintaining sustainable children's landscapes and play yards. This expert guide can enrich and improve every aspect of the experience, from launching the idea to obtaining funding, from ecological planning to involving children as participants. Inside, look for in-depth help with:Creating a sustainable projectConserving water and managing water qualityDeciding what to plant, how to plant it, and how to keep it growingConserving treesControlling erosionPreserving wildlifeCreating an environment where children learn through doingINSPIRING REAL-LIFE EXAMPLESInside -- fully illustrated case studies, from idea to planning, to building, to ribbon cutting.Storybook courtyardMusic gardenBarnyard settingNature trailsWildlife habitatsMemorial gardensVegetable and fruit gardensMore