Landscape architects and designers,
teachers and botanic gardens consider the "children's garden" as
one of the strongest trends in gardening. Begun nearly 10 years
ago, it continues to generate interest and does not appear to be
slowing down. This is attributed to the fact that this
inter-generational environment has so many opportunities within
its green borders: helping children develop social skills,
enhancing school curricula, bringing families together, and an
awareness of the link between nature and our food, clothing and
shelter, to name just a few. Children's gardens replace the
free exploration of the natural world that no longer occurs in
today's era of TV's, video games and concern over safety.
In 1993 the American Horticultural Society
saw a need to reconnect children with nature, so it created the
first Children & Youth Garden Symposium that educated and inspired people
to look at garden design from a new point of view. This
reconnection was accomplished in landscapes designed
specifically for children and the way they play, explore, and
interact. Since that date many thousands of children's gardens
have been created all over the world. AHS is proud to have
opened the doors for so many, and the Society continues to
embrace all youth garden programming that not only reinforces
what has been accomplished so far, but takes children's gardens
into the next millennium.
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