Kew Gardens has launched a garden aiming to reconnect children with nature.
The Royal Botanic Gardens has spent five years developing the Children’s Garden in a bid to create a sensory experience for youngsters aged two to 12.
On Thursday, 30 pupils from Dormers Wells Junior School in Southall, west London, used the new giant garden, which covers 10,000 square metres – nearly the size of 40 tennis courts.
“These kids are from a part of London where they don’t have these types of facilities readily available to them,” Jarz Woodford, 50, head of year three at the school said.
“They are able to learn as well as play and be right in the middle of nature.
“There is so much for them to see, and they are probably not even realising how much they are taking in.”
Filled with hundreds of mature trees and plants, children are able to discover hidden treasures and adventure, and develop a love for nature and the environment, designers said.
Lead garden designer Suzie Jewell, 38, said she wanted the garden to be a space with play elements in it, rather than a playground with plants in.
“This garden, in particular, was designed around the elements that plants need to grow: earth, air, sun and water, which gives the different spaces in the garden a different character,” she said.
The Children’s Garden opens to the public on May 18.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here