Sensory Garden

  • Location
    Valley Glen, California
  • Status
    Complete
  • Age Level
    14 to 18 Years

The Problem

The Sensory Garden is a featured activity at our annual Jack London CDS Peace Conference in May however it has been neglected during the pandemic and the subsequent school closures. It is in desperate need of refurbishment. The mini-grant will provide the materials and plants needed to renovate the Sensory Garden. The Sensory Garden is divided into five distinct sections and the plants in each section are chosen for their ability to stimulate the respective senses—touch, smell, sight, hearing, and taste—and is designed with accessibility in mind. The Sensory Garden benefits our program by engaging our at-risk students and their families.

Our Plan

We are refurbishing the Sensory Garden by cleaning up the area, replacing and adding plants and containers in the different sections, adding signs, repairing broken drip irrigation systems, and repairing the shade structure.

Themes Addressed

  • term icon
    Community
  • term icon
    Education
  • term icon
    Environmental Justice
  • term icon
    Social-Emotional Learning

The Benefit

  • term icon
    People
  • term icon
    Environment

Here is how the project went:

The project went well overall. Observing the many plants in all the sections of the Sensory Garden was very fun and hands-on. It was fascinating for our group to be able to find out how plants are about to impact our senses. Repairing all the different parts of the garden was hard work but rewarding nonetheless.

Through this project I/we learned:

The Sensory Garden has taught me how different plants adapt to their surroundings. The variety of adaptations in the Sensory Garden shows the wide range of ways plants change. We also learned more about our own senses and how all of them are able to help us observe the world around us.

What I/we might change:

Hopefully, as we refurbish our Sensory Garden we are able to add and expand each section. Once we repair the various problems plaguing our garden, we will make sure to weed on a schedule and do general maintenance.

My/our favorite part of this project was:

We decided our favorite part of doing this project was completing it and seeing the fruits of our labor. We enjoyed the intense feeling of satisfaction we all felt when we saw the garden come together. Exploring our senses through the garden has been very rewarding.

Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:

For those interested in repairing gardens and fixing up flaws you need to make sure to keep the garden and plants watered and healthy. Ensuring your plants are properly watered is vital to the plant’s health.

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