A group of excited preschoolers lined each side of new garden beds earlier this week, with kid-sized gardening tools in hand ready to plant new flowers at Bluejacket Park.
While some disliked the dirt, others figured out they have a newfound love for gardening. Some asked their teacher if they could plant more.
The first phase of a new children’s sensory garden is underway in Bluejacket Park with goals of the project being complete by next summer.
LiveWell Douglas County, in partnership with the Parks and Rec Department and the Douglas County Extension Master Gardeners, started the project to provide an outdoor space where children can explore nature using sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.
“There is a lot of research for kids being outside and interacting with nature, and this is a fun, easy way for families to do that.” Executive Director of LiveWell Douglas County Ginny Barnard said. “Being able to see different colors, touch different textures of plants, smell different smells, really exploring those different senses.”
Assistant Parks and Rec Director Jimmy Kegin came across the idea for a sensory garden and saw it as a way to make a community space more inclusive.
“We’re always looking for ways to enhance our spaces and facilities,” he said. “What intrigued me about this was the five senses in one space for kids. If they’re deaf, blind, they can still experience it.”
A committee from the Master Gardeners designed the sketch for the landscape. The project will be done in phases, with plans for the final garden to have native plants, herbs, pathways and signs.
“Eventually there will be some signs helping families to be able to interact, too,” Barnard said. “If they’re not used to being outside, this is more like a guided experience because there’s paths.”
The project is funded through a $2,500 Pathways to a Healthy Kansas Grant through Blue Cross Blue Shield. Each phase will start as funding becomes available and will also rely on community donations, she said.
“This is really a grassroots community-funded project,” Barnard said. “So we’re starting with just this first phase, which is the three raised beds, the paths and the plants.”
Donations can be made to the LiveWell Douglas County Coalition Endowment Fund and adding a note designating the funds for Eudora Sensory Garden. The fundraising goal for the second phase is $2,500.
Volunteers from the high school’s National Honor Society cleared the area and built the garden beds in the spring. Students from the Early Learning Center planted the first plants Monday morning with help from the high school cheer team.
“It helps them to appreciate and be a part of the environment,” Early Learning Center Director Kristen Lewis said. “It is really awesome taking care of things in the environment, learning about plants and the importance of what they need to grow.”
The students practiced digging and raking, along with putting the plants in beds. Each student used a popsicle stick as a label so they can track the growth of their plant. Kegin said the preschoolers will be able to plant annuals in the beds each year and hopes they can help water the garden.
The preschoolers are eager to help, Lewis said.
“We are going to be coming over and helping with watering them, and just enjoying them as well,” Lewis said. “We’ll try to take care of them as much as we can.”
National Honor Society students are planning to help with the garden’s upkeep during the school year. Parks and Rec will also help with taking care of the garden.
The next steps for the garden will be adding benches, signs, pathways and a water feature. Future phases will also depend on the weather.
Reach reporter Maya Smith at [email protected].
