A Visit to the First Public Children’s Gardens in Asia

Children's gardens offer a wonderful avenue for encouraging children to interact with horticulture.Children’s gardens are becoming a popular attraction at botanical gardens and arboretums in Asia. These gardens are destinations designed to provide children and families a safe, outdoor environment that is educational and entertaining. This article features six botanical gardens and arboretums in Asia, highlighting key features that were identified as important to the children’s garden setting.  

All of these gardens have well-designed areas constructed to encourage children to interact with nature in a fun way.  Some of the key features worth noting are the popularity of water features and child-sized structure. Interpretive signs are located throughout the gardens and provide stopping points where children can learn about horticulture. Signs with a colorful design, larger font, child-height position and simple wording encourage children to read what is written on the sign. The playful designs, wonderful areas to explore, hands-on features, teaching areas, and educational programs at children’s gardens create an exceptional opportunity for learning. Using models from children’s gardens around the world can offer a unique perspective of what is universally relevant for children. Take some of these ideas, perhaps on a smaller scale, and incorporate them into your school garden to enhance the “excitement and enthusiasm” factor in the coming year!

Korea

Child-size houses and chairs at the Korea National ArboretumStone pillars spraying mist at the Korea National Arboretum fog gardenThe Children’s Garden at Korea National Arboretum is the first children’s garden in Korea. This 0.62 acre children’s garden opened on May 24, 2011. The design incorporated the opinions of 1,885 children, who completed a survey explaining what they wanted in a children’s garden. The finished design integrates the natural topography and existing vegetation of the landscape with newly constructed child-sized play structures and interactive displays. Korean gardens are traditionally natural and simple while maintaining functionality with the surrounding people and structures. This reflects the Korean ideology that we cannot exist without respect for nature. The concept of this garden is to incorporate the G.R.E.E.N. principles (Growth Relax Enjoy Education Nature) for children. There are 14 themed gardens, including a wildflower garden, vegetable demonstration garden, and literature garden. Some unique features include listening tubes which help children capture the sounds of the creatures in the forest. The fog garden, which is the most popular area for children, has stone pillars that spray a mist of water at timed intervals. There is a child-size tree house and rocking chairs encouraging children to stay a little longer.

While water features in this children’s garden serve primarily an entertainment role, the presence of water in Korean gardens has historical relevance as well. Historically in Korea, ponds were positioned near the wooden structures in case one of the structures should catch fire. Water features have remained a popular feature of gardens today.

China

In Chinese, the word ‘education’ is translated to mean “teaching and cultivating” (Leng Hui, 2005). This translation is recognition of education as a process requiring effort. The educational focus of the Chinese children’s gardens may be an indication of the importance of educating children valued by this culture. These gardens serve as an outdoor classroom which may be a more effective platform for teaching certain topics.

Miniature playhouses at Chenshan Botanical GardenSuspension bridge for an aerial view of the gardensMap of future children's garden locationThe Children’s Garden at Chenshan Botanical Gardens opened in January 2011. This 2.47 acre children’s garden was designed to intrigue, teach and excite children about the importance of conservation and the environment. Small interpretive signs, throughout the garden, draw visitors’ attention to informative displays. Rubberized surfaces are used near the play areas and along paths throughout the garden for safety. Chinese gardens often incorporate miniature representations of natural features. Examples of this in the children’s garden are the “mountains” represented by mounds of sand covered with therubberized material to hold their shape. The most popular areas for children are the child-sized houses and open sandy play areas. A suspension bridge allows children to see the garden from a different perspective.

The Children’s Garden at Shanghai Botanical Garden is a large garden planned to be built next year. With regard to children’s gardens in the United States, these gardens will be divided into three distinct sections to accommodate the varying interests of children. One section will be designed for younger children, another for older children and the third section will be designed for the two age groups to interact. Perhaps this relates to the Chinese culture of maintaining harmonic relationships.

Nanjing Botanical Garden was the first national botanical garden, established in 1929. One of the highlights for children at this garden is the Education Demonstration Area where children can learn from interpretive wall displays about the many different uses of plants. There are plans to establish an official children’s garden in the future but the actual size and features have not been decided. Summer camp programs, including the popular Science and Technology program, are held annually and provide a great opportunity for children to ask questions and interact more closely with plants. 

Japan

Japanese gardens have been designed as a form of art for over 1,000 years. Some common elements of these gardens include stones, water features, islands, bridges, and hills. These features naturally evoke curiosity for children making Japanese gardens a good fit for children’s gardens.

The Yokohama Municipal Children’s Botanical Garden, located in Kanagawa Prefecture, is one of the only botanical gardens in Japan designed for children. It was first opened to the public on June 23, 1979 and was designed to educate children about the environment and develop a closer relationship between children and horticulture. It is about 7.4 acres in size with 6.4 acres open to the public. Some of the most interesting features of the garden are the children's vegetable garden and a "Green Counseling Center," which provides free information about the types of plants growing in the park and advice about growing vegetables. There is also a training exhibition hall on the park grounds where educational classes and demonstrations are held to teach children about the exciting world of horticulture and gardening. 

Singapore

Informative sign at Jacob Ballas Children's Garden about how plants provide our daily needsStudents walking behind waterfall at Jacob Ballas Children's GardenThe Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden at Singapore Botanic Gardens was designed based on the belief that "All Life on Earth Depends on Plants.” Children who visit the gardens can develop an understanding of how plants are necessary in our daily lives. Interactive exhibits create a fun opportunity to play, explore, and be exposed to the life sciences. Everything from the design of the visitor’s center to the tops of the light posts, to the shape of the interpretive signs used throughout the garden have a playful theme. The plants in this garden are full of unusual shapes and colors. There are over 21 different areas for children to explore including an area that showcases plants used to make dyes, an area with gigantic artificial mushrooms where children can lear n how nutrients are recycled, a sensory garden, a hedge maze, and much more. The water play area, interactive photosynthesis exhibit, and the artificially constructed cave under a waterfall are the most popular places amongst children.

While it’s interesting to learn about global opportunities, you don’t need to travel to Asia for a children’s garden experience. There are many spectacular gardens throughout the regions of the United States. Check your local or state travel guides to discover what opportunities are near you. You can also become a member of the Kidsgardening.org group “Garden Vacations” where members share of their travels to worldwide public gardens. This is a great way to share your experiences and gain from others. Use the gardens as a source of inspiration for your own school garden creations.

Guest Author

Min-Hyeong (Jasmine) Kwon is a doctoral candidate in horticulture science at Korea University. She works in the education department at the Korea National Arboretum studying children's gardens and education programs. Jasmine was an international intern at Longwood Gardens and Kew Gardens. She believes children's gardens may play a key role in helping children grow up to be more conscious of their food, including where it comes from and how to eat healthy as well as how to care for the environment.