Sensory Garden Brings Therapeutic Benefits to Park School Students
October 14 2016 - 9:00AM
Teachers at the Park School in Evanston will now be able to conduct
a broader range of therapeutic activities with their students and
create integration opportunities with the school district and
community thanks to a grant to build an on-site sensory garden,
designed by Clare Johnson of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Park
School Sensory Garden, supported by The Scotts Miracle-Gro
Company’s national
GRO1000 gardens and greenspaces
program, was the site of a volunteer day in the garden with
students and teachers to mark the installation.
Park School first imagined the sensory garden project as part of
its year-round horticulture therapy program led by the Chicago
Botanic Garden’s horticulture therapy services department. The
horticulture therapists primarily used container gardens and potted
plants to work with the students, but envisioned a larger,
in-ground sensory garden that could enhance the students’
experiences.
“Gardens naturally inspire wellness, creativity and exploration
and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to design a permanent
sensory-enriching garden for Park School and the surrounding
community,” said Clare Johnson, Horticulture Therapy Services
Manager at the Chicago Botanic Garden. “The Park students, staff
and families will utilize and learn from the garden year-round,
enhancing their thriving therapeutic programs in a new, exciting
way.”
The Park School Sensory Garden includes handicapped accessible
raised beds and walkways, as well as plantings that heighten all of
the senses. Students with limited cognitive and physical abilities
will be able to see, smell, touch and hear the many colors,
fragrances, textures and sounds from the garden. The new garden
will also increase students’ personal satisfaction and pride in
growing something that can be eaten or shared with others.
“The Sensory Garden will extend the knowledge and learning
experiences of our students and provide a way for every student to
be included in our horticulture therapy programs,” said Marlene
Grossman, Park School Principal. “It will also provide
accessibility to a beautiful urban garden to all of the Evanston
community for years to come.”
The GRO1000 sensory garden community event
kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 15, at 828 Main Street,
Evanston, Illinois 60202. Area residents and youth will join
ScottsMiracle-Gro volunteers and local leaders in garden-related
plantings and activities. The garden will be dedicated at 2
p.m.
“Gardens have the ability to improve a child’s life in so many
powerful ways,” said Lindsay LaSala, Community Relations,
ScottsMiracle-Gro. “It’s an honor for us to work with the Park
School students and faculty and the Chicago Botanic Garden to help
enhance the students’ daily learning experiences through this
sensory garden project.”
GRO1000 is ScottsMiracle-Gro’s commitment to
bring the life-enhancing benefits of gardens and greenspaces to the
children who need them most. The company launched the initiative in
2011 with the goal of supporting the creation of 1,000 gardens by
the year 2018, in conjunction with its 150th anniversary. To date,
more than 800 communities have received GRO1000
funding. For more information, visit www.GRO1000.com and follow
ScottsMiracle-Gro on Twitter @Scotts_MGro, #GRO1000.
About Chicago Botanic GardenThe Chicago Botanic
Garden is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 27 distinct
display gardens and four natural areas uniquely situated on and
around nine islands, with six miles of lake shoreline. The
Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society, on land
dedicated by the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Over one
million people have visited the Garden each year for the past three
years. The Garden mission, “We cultivate the power of plants to
sustain and enrich life” is realized through the conservation
science, education, urban agriculture and horticulture programs
that take place at the Glencoe campus, in the Chicago metropolitan
area, in the Midwest region and throughout the world. The Garden is
open 365 days a year.
About ScottsMiracle-GroThe Scotts Miracle-Gro
Company is passionate about helping people of all ages express
themselves on their own piece of the Earth. With
approximately $3 billion in sales, the Company is the world's
largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden
care. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry.
In 2016, the Company ranked in Forbes 100 Most Reputable Companies
in America for the second year in a row. To learn more about
the Company and our initiatives, visit us at
www.scottsmiraclegro.com
Contact:
Molly Jennings
ScottsMiracle-Gro
Molly.Jennings@Scotts.com
(561) 681-7683 (office)
(561) 350-5734 (mobile)
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