 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Youth Design Sessions
An important element of children's gardens is youth input in designing, building, and maintaining the garden. In 1998, every 2nd grader in Ithaca contributed ideas for the Ithaca Children's Garden through drawings. These drawings were made into quilt blocks that were used in the development of the conceptual design.
In addition, during the fall of 2001, a kindergarten art class at Cayuga Heights Elementary and youth at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center afterschool program participated in youth design sessions, generating numerous wonderful ideas that helped guide the conceptual design process.
Youth were told a story about a grandma and grandpa who want to do something extra special for their grandchildren. They decide to create a garden just for them. After the story, participants discussed what they'd like to see and do in this garden and then the drew pictures based on their ideas.
Here are some of the great ideas youth suggested:
ˇ Grow flowers ˇ Add some geese ˇ Dig and plant bushes and cut animals out of them ˇ Plant carrots ˇ Find a place near the river with sun and water ˇ Plant near the lake ˇ Plant lots of seeds all around, bushes & plants would grow ˇ Plant wheat ˇ Add some flowers and people ˇ Put a seed in and sprinkle it with water from a watering can ˇ Put some fish and turtles in the river ˇ Plant fruits ˇ Play ball ˇ Put a bench and some trees ˇ Add a maze ˇ Have a picnic ˇ Have a nice little place where people could walk around ˇ Grow a maze ˇ Have a path for people to walk on ˇ Eat a snack ˇ Play ˇ Have an apple tree where you pick apples ˇ To touch ˇ dinosaur drinking fountainˇ place for kids to draw their own mural ˇ paint children having fun ˇ tree swing ˇ slide ˇ plants: rose, red cactus, berry bush, iris, nice big sunflowers, daisies, all the flowers, daffodils, water lilies, tulips, six kinds of cactuses with a sign "Pricker bush, do not rub" ˇ different kinds of flowers, lilies & daisies ˇ pond with water lilies ˇ sprinkler to water the plants and have fun in ˇ rock climbing ˇ bench to read ˇ meditate ˇ play hide & go seek ˇ hiding place ˇ maze ˇ big garden ˇ playground ˇ tree swing ˇ vegetables ˇ people learning about plants ˇ tree house ˇ fort in forest with rock chairs ˇ daycare place ˇ big old fashioned car with horn ˇ chess-extra large with pick up pieces ˇ a sidewalk with a carved in chess bed & paint it black and white ˇ storytelling place on huge rock ˇ a path to go through the garden ˇ zigzag ˇ greenhouse ˇ farmstand ˇ picnic area ˇ sandbox ˇ door with a rainbow over it ˇ a mural ˇ suns with flowers ˇ sun setting over rainbow ˇ sundial ˇ lots of trees & raspberries or blueberries & blackberries ˇ pathway of handprints & stones to follow to different areas of the garden ˇ bubbles where you can blow different bubble shapesˇ caterpillars ˇ butterfly garden ˇ plants from different areas of the world and say where their from ˇ petting zoo ˇ rocks to paint and put in the garden ˇ colors they liked: purple, violet, red, blue, pink, green, gold, yellow, silver, all the colors, orange ˇ sandbox to play in ˇ fish in the pond ˇ hill for sledding in winter ˇ stick up cardboard shapes at the top of the hill ˇ LARGE tree house ˇ recycle and compost pile ˇ basketball hoop ˇ wheat field ˇ hang bird food on a tree ˇ farm ˇ birdbath ˇ dress up ˇ skateboard place ˇ tent ˇ tire swing ˇ pretend area ˇ spinning thing where you sit on top ˇ ask people to sponsor it ˇ a concession stand ˇ a trampoline ˇ benches ˇ jacks/ marble court ˇ hills for snowboards ˇ first day it opens whole community comes ˇ fire place for a sleep over ˇ barrels to climb in ˇ telephone to talk across the park with ˇ airport ˇ restrooms ˇ ping pong ˇ tennis ˇ baseball / football ˇ water the plants ˇ music ˇ disco ball ˇ hopscotch ˇ 4 square ˇ trees to decorate for holidays ˇ orange trees, pear trees, pine trees ˇ a piñata with candy in it ˇ wild animal zoo ˇ a real live skunk ˇ a pickle tree ˇ clown & pinwheels ˇ merry go round ˇ circus ˇ turtles & frogs in the pond ˇ mud skippers ˇ a mud pool ˇ jellybeans & cake ˇ jellyfish ˇ a walk in piggy bank so you can see how money works ˇ seesaws see how a flower grows & video before you go in the garden ˇ wolves ˇ tent area ˇ hire teenagers
On to Community Design Session
615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14850-3555. 607 272 2292, fax: 607 272 7088