Tying Education and the Environment Together

For the longest time, the environment was one of the greatest teachers available to humans. From nature, early civilizations learned how planting cycles could yield more prosperous crops, acquired the practice of camoflage, and even the primitive development of directions (stargazing).

Even today, we constantly are learning from the environment, but now it is more focused on examining the impact of our behaviors on the environment. Places like the Frick Environmental Center and the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, both in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, exist to help continue passing on lessons provided by nature to the general public, especially kids!

However, there is one type of environmental educational structure that I favor above all- sensory gardens!

Currently, my brother is working on his Eagle Scout project, and he chose to construct a sensory garden for a local special education school, which I was fortunate to work with back in high school. Obviously, with my ties to both the school and the environment, I was ecstatic when my brother told us his idea and, as family members are allowed to help, we have done a lot of research on sensory gardens and their impact, especially for those with special needs.

On that note, let’s get you familiarized with sensory gardens!

What is a Sensory Garden?

According to South Dakota State University, “a sensory garden is a garden that has a collection of plants that are appealing to one or more of the five senses; sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch” (“Creating a Sensory Garden”). Sensory gardens should also, due to the positive effects correlated between them and disabled individuals’ experiences, “should be accessible for all people to enjoy – disabled and non-disabled” (“Creating a Sensory Garden”).

The best part is that sensory gardens are always going to be unique! This is due to the vast number of non-living additions available, such as wind chimes or water fountains, as well as the flower preferences of the designer, which also varies on the climate and sun!

As mentioned previously, sensory gardens exist in order to stimulate all of the senses, either individually or multiple at a time. This is an amazing experience for anyone, but for those who are disabled, including those with sensory processing disorders such as Autism, exposure to stimuli can be extremely overwhelming and upsetting.

A sensory garden allows those with disabilities, to gradually experience and learn about stimuli on their own terms in a safe environment. The excerpt below, from Planet Natural, explains the importance of sensory gardens:

“Kids who have sensory processing disorders tend to have extreme reactions to sensory stimulation in that they are either stimulated too much or too little… A sensory garden can be very therapeutic for people who suffer from sensory problems. It may be used as a calming place and as a gentle way to stimulate the senses. This type of environment can become a place where children with autism and other sensory processing disorders feel safe and comfortable in exploring their senses without feeling overwhelmed by them” (“Sensory Garden Benefits”).

What to include in a Sensory Garden?

As mentioned previously, sensory gardens are never exactly the same. However, they all focus on the five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound. You can break down what to include in a sensory garden by which sense they stimulate! Of course, especially with taste, you must design the garden for the appropriate audience. For example, since my brother’s garden is for little kids, we decided to wave off on anything they could eat.

For sight, vibrant colors are always a great way to go! My brother also decided to add tall decorative grasses (which also double in the touch and sound categories) as well as painted rocks, which are going to scatter throughout the garden as little easter eggs.

For smell, once again the answer is flowers! Flowers such as marigolds, roses, and lavender are wonderful additions to a sensory garden. Yet, you must consider your audience, so for the garden my brother is doing we are avoiding roses due to their thorns. There are also flowering trees that could fulfill smell stimulation.

For taste, the incorporation of vegetables and fruits is exactly the way to go! Especially if the garden is located at a local church or community center, this is a great option as those who visit can benefit from the free produce. You could also plant honeysuckles, which is one of my favorite options for this sense!

For touch, there are endless possibilities.  There are decorative grasses, flower petal texture variations, water fountains, different leaf types, and so much more. For this sense, there are so many options that you can pick and choose to your heart’s content.

Finally, for sound, most of the time the sounds associated with the garden are doing to flowers/leaves rustling in the wind. Besides that, gardens are typically quiet, which can be a positive thing as those with sensory processing disorders are already experiencing other new stimuli. However, if you would like to add something a little extra you can make wind chimes or have a water fountain.

Overall, sensory gardens are beautiful areas that everyone can benefit from. My brother was really excited, though, to provide a safe space for the children at this school to learn from nature by experiencing new stimuli on their own terms. The project kicks off at the beginning of April and we are beyond excited to start creating this (hopefully) amazing place for these amazing kids!

What You Can Do

If you are interested, I have attached a video about sensory gardens as well as pictures of some examples! There are also plenty of articles about how to create a sensory garden, common plants for them, and how to support current projects!

Expand Your Horizons

“Creating a Sensory Garden”

“Sensory Garden Benefits”