Making Sense of Your Garden

Monday, 25 January 2016

We are working on two different community projects at the moment, both of which include a sensory garden. It is so much fun designing these spaces and ensuring every sense is stimulated. Here are some of the features we are considering for these spaces which could be easily incorporated into any garden…

An outdoor xylophone

These xylophones are great for adding colour and sound to the garden. Kids will love making “music” here for hours.

Hanging lanterns

We love these home made lanterns hanging from the pergola. Watch them sway and hear them rustle in the breeze. A great way to include the kids’ craft projects outdoors.

Standing Stone

These standing stone water features are very popular in the gardens we design as each one is unique and they give a wonderful, relaxing sound as the water gently splashes down the sides. But they would be a great addition to a sensory garden too allowing children to touch the stone and feel it as the water cascades over their hands as well as hearing its sound.

A sensory garden wall

This is such a brilliant way of giving kids a nice neat area to explore. Handles, switches, artificial grass, anything can be added as long as it’s interesting to touch. We’d like to explore adding batteries to the back of some compartments so sound/light can be included. Perhaps add a lego board to one section and have a pot of lego pieces which could be stuck on by children? There is so much scope to make this space entertaining and easy to update over the years.

Another way of making a dull corner more interesting is upcycling lots of items from the house to use in different ways: pots and pans make great drums; old grill pans are great for making a noise; bottle shakers; wind chimes made from old keys and shells. Just get creative!

A sensory garden tree

This craft tree could be made by the children making each leaf truly unique and a wonderful feature. Each leaf would be created using different materials such as mosaics, buttons, shells etc so they all feel and look different.

A sensory garden tub

This is a great way for children to learn about nature. Change the contents each month/season to keep it interesting and fresh. Try blindfolding the children to make a fun game of guessing what they can feel. Add things that smell, taste and sound good too.

All of this teamed with some amazing sensory planting creates an exciting place for children to explore. Wouldn’t your kids have a ball with some of these items in your garden? For advice on how to create a sensory garden and a space for the whole family to enjoy, please get in touch.