Childrens Outdoor Environments Newsletter, Summer 2012

Letter from the Co-Chairs of the Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN
As schoolchildren embark on summer adventures, this newsletter offers inspiring examples of design landscapes for children to discover, play, and learn. Special thanks to Lisa Horne for bringing this newsletter together as well as writing a book review of Richard Louv's The Nature Principle, and to those who provide an array of insights through their articles.
more>>

It Takes a Village: A School Community in California Collaborates to Create a Vibrant Green Schoolyard at Rosa Parks Elementary School
Schools across the United States and around the world are using their grounds to enhance hands-on teaching and learning, enrich outdoor play, improve the ecology of their neighborhoods, and develop and celebrate their own sense of place.
more>>

Growing the Imagination: Hidden Hollow at Heritage Museums and Gardens
The growing interest in creating spaces for children to marvel at the taste of a perfectly ripe tomato and learn about the industrious attributes of honeybees is helping bring children back to nature. Equally important is the ability of children to experience, explore, and play in designed spaces that are imaginative, educational, and safe
more>>

A Post-Occupation Evaluation of the Indoor Children’s Garden at Longwood Gardens
A Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) is a comprehensive examination of the performance of a project or installation after it has been built and used or occupied. A POE helps to answer questions about whether design goals were met and whether the project satisfies the needs of the users, and usually recommends changes or remediation if these needs were not satisfied.
more>>

Book Review: The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
Seven years ago, Richard Louv coined the term "nature-deficit disorder" in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. He is now giving us possibilities to move beyond it in The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder. While the first book looked at nature’s absence from children’s daily lives, the second recognizes that the need for nature extends to all of us
more>>

COE Staff Announcements
The importance of "natural play" has gained attention as a way to improve the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of children. We are often tasked with developing natural play areas for schools, communities, institutions, and private organizations. A natural play roundtable is being organized for Fall 2012 to encourage pediatricians, insurance specialists, attorneys, educational and public administrators, and landscape architects to participate and discuss how to create healthier, more effective environments for children.
more>>