Childrens Outdoor Environments, Summer 2011

Letter from the Chairs
Much has been going on with our PPN since the ASLA conference in Washington D.C. last fall. For those of you who don’t know, Julie Johnson, ASLA has stepped into the Co-Chair position with me.
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Nature Playground at the Auburn University Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve
A nature playground has been constructed at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve in Auburn, Alabama by Auburn University students, faculty, and the Auburn community. The Turner family donated 120 acres to the university in 1993 to establish the preserve, which now hosts an outreach program of the Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
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Evans Children’s Adventure Garden
Garvan Woodland Gardens is a 210-acre forested peninsula donated by Verna Cook Garvan in 1985 to the University of Arkansas’ Fay Jones School of Architecture. Besides offering natural features such as waterfalls and lake views, the garden features several unique bridges and architectural elements, including a six-story glass and steel chapel.
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Designing the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Children’s Campus
Opened to the public in 1972, the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois houses a living collection of more than two million plants from over 9,300 taxa in 24 exhibition gardens and four natural areas—woodlands, wetlands, prairie, and river—on 385 acres. A unique public-private partnership between the Chicago Horticultural Society and the Cook County Forest Preserve District, the garden is free to the public, open 365 days a year, and hosts over 900,000 visitors annually.
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Earthplace Nature Center: A Recreational and Educational Trail System within Universal Design Principles
The Earthplace sanctuary is 62 acres of privately-held land that is the largest open-space area in Westport, Connecticut. Adjacent to this land are 11.8 acres of land owned by the Town of Westport. This property was once a farm and there is still abundant evidence of stone walls, open fields, and old wagon roads through the woods.
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Educative Landscapes: Informal Learning and Landscape Architecture
Modern educators have long recognized the significance of learning in hands-on settings and linking knowledge in the classroom to real life skills (Dewey 1963). Not until recently however, has research begun to quantify the huge impacts of informal experiences outside of school on motivation and achievement for learning in general. Particularly in the area of science education, learning in informal settings not only reinforces what we learn in school, but helps establish lifelong patterns of motivation and curiosity.
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