Explore The Kidspace Gardens

Here at Kidspace we love working with Volunteers. We love their enthusiasm, their personalities, and their desire to go deeper as an artist, scientist, educator, or communicator. One of the first places we send our volunteers when they first start is up to the Kidspace Gardens.  The Gardens are one of the features at Kidspace that makes us a truly unique children’s museum and there’s much to discover.

While the Volunteers are in the Gardens we ask them to spend time looking around, getting to know the different garden spaces, as well as picking out a few special plants, and discovering a few things about those plants. The Volunteers have to learn the name of the plant, where it lives in the Gardens, a fact about the plant, and finally, why they like it.

Yes, why they like these particular plants. The results are always surprising.  There is no wrong answer, if they can tell me why they like a plant they remember it and can then tell our Guests why they like that plant, as well as where that plant grows and if it has any culinary or medicinal uses. Over time, Volunteers pick more favorite plants or other things about the Gardens and their knowledge grows as would their desire to share with our Guests.  

There’s a lot to like and investigate in the Kidspace Gardens especially in the Bee and Butterfly Garden, Harvest Corner, or the Bumpy Fuzzy Garden.

Some volunteers tell me how much they enjoy the smell of our Rosemary Bushes; others say that the texture of the Lamb’s Ear remind them of a favorite childhood toy, while still others love the bright colors of the Mexican Marigold or the sweet smell of the Lavender.

The next time you find yourself at Kidspace try spending extra time in the Gardens and play this game. Pick some favorite plants and have your kids pick their favorites. Don’t be afraid to pick a leaf, or pluck a sprig.  Tell your child why you like your plant and ask your child to tell you why they like their plant. After you leave the Museum see if you can find those same plants in your own backyard.

The more you play the more you’ll find that your plant vocabulary is growing as will the amount of fun you can have with your kids in a simple and beautiful garden.