Our fourth Nature Explore family was the first family we chose for the project and we're so glad we chose them! Ezra and Emily shared some very interesting insights and fantastic suggestions for Nature Explore. They also have some of the youngest children we've worked with during this project. In fact, baby Desmond was only four days old when Ezra and Emily submitted their application!
Ezra and Emily were wide open to our ideas for their space. Their two daughters, Takoa, 3½, and Simone, 2, love to play outside and seemed content just to be outside when we were there. Ezra and Emily said they aren't sure if the kids love to be outside because they have a great backyard or if it's because of a love for the outdoors that Ezra and Emily have instilled in them. Either way, the Planks are very happy to have outdoor-loving children.
One of the first things that Tony and Fred noticed about the space and wanted to capitalize on is the Plank's next-door neighbor. The Plank's neighbor is an elderly gentleman who loves the children. This grandfriend, as Tony called him, is very important to the family. Tony noted that the Nature Explore spaces have a multi-generational component and this would be an excellent relationship with which to demonstrate that. He wants to address the relationship properly and ensure there is a connection between the two yards.
Conversely, the space is very important to Ed and his wife, Mary. They were close with the people who owned the house before Ezra and Emily. The previous owners passed away, but there are plants in the yard that are quite dear to Ed and Mary. For instance, the lilac bush on the east side of the house has to stay. Ezra and Emily have communicated very well with Ed and Mary about which plants will stay and which can be transplanted or gotten rid of completely.
Emily said she would very much like to have a compost pile incorporated into the space. Their current compost pile is in the southeast corner and perhaps not conveniently placed. Tony has better ideas for that space.
Ezra and Emily both agreed that a dirt-digging area is imperative. The girls love to dig in the dirt and, when he is old enough, there is little doubt that Desmond will love it, as well.
The dirt-digging area brought up another concern of the Plank's, however. They want to make sure that the space is both fun for the kids but also aesthetically pleasing to adults. They want a balance between wild and manicured as this could affect the future resale value of the home.
The Planks really enjoy having their neighbors over. When they first returned from a vacation in Paris, Ezra would make crepes for the neighborhood on Saturday morning in the backyard. They want to make sure they continue to have a gathering space for adults in the neighborhood.
Water is also going to be an important feature in the Plank's space. Ezra and Emily both want the kids to be able to experiment and play with water. Tony had some ideas for that, as well.
Since Ezra's father was in construction, he knows a lot about building and where to acquire resources. His knowledge will give Tony a little more leeway with some of his ideas for the space. Ezra has a very large skill base when it comes to building and repairing things and assured Tony it was okay for him to go wild with the design.
Ezra brought something very interesting to our attention when we were discussing each of the spaces. In public Nature Explore spaces, each area is marked with a sign. Ezra said he is not a fan of the signage. He pointed out that, in his experience, students often think in categories and they have trouble thinking about subjects as they relate to one another. He wondered if doing away with the signage would allow kids to mash the areas together and experiment in different ways. Tony said that, if the space does what it's supposed to, it will become one big messy materials area. He agreed with Ezra in that the signs could prevent that from happening.
Next, we talked a little bit about what kind of food the Planks would like in their space. Emily is fascinated by large things. She believes that large plants challenge the common perception that plants have to be small. She wants to grow giant pumpkins and sunflowers. They've grown sunflowers in the past and the kids really enjoy watching them grow and harvesting the seeds. They also want lots of tomatoes and squash. In addition, she'd like to keep it fairly low maintenance and grow perennials. The girls love raspberries, so those are a must.
Takoa was so excited about her new yard, Emily said she had trouble going to sleep after we left the first meeting. Emily said she asked, “Mommy, when I wake up, will I have a new backyard?” We all had a little chuckle about that, but we were also thrilled to hear her excitement!
Tony's design for the space will surely meet Takoa's expectations.
The Music & Movement stage was the first area inside the entry to the space. The girls love music and this is going to be a very important part of the space.
The Planks have a concrete patio with part of the house as the roof. This will become the Art area and the Building & Construction area. It already has built-in protection from the elements and makes perfect sense. This space will have lots of horizontal surfaces, storage and, Tony and Fred suggested, potted plants.
Tony said it was difficult to decide where to put the water play area. He suggested an in-ground cistern tank with a pump, which will either run off into the keyhole garden or into a creek bed. If the Planks decide to carve out a creek bed, Tony suggested building a small bridge. This can help the kids understand their relationship with water, as well as work their gross motor skills.
Tony made sure to keep a third of the existing turf grass for the open space.
The sand traps are one of Tony's favorite areas. He also likes to have more than one sand trap area. In the Planks' case, there will be three sand traps. Tony explained that it's good to dig the sand traps deep. Kids love to “dig to China” so the deeper the better. Another reason for depth, however, is educational. When the sand traps are deep, the sand on the top gets hot in the sun, but as the kids dig, they can feel the temperature change. Having three spaces also allows for solo play and even a space for the kids to use for alone time.
The next space is more for the adults, but will also be popular with the kids. Tony added a gathering space with a fire pit in the center of the space. He suggested using tree stumps as seats. If they're placed close together, the kids can run along them or between them, something they enjoy doing.
Tony moved the compost pile and turned it into one of the most fun places in the space. First, he raised the space several inches with a berm. Then he added an embankment slide. This way the kids will haven the opportunity to be up high and have a different perspective of the space. Around the berm, behind the slide, Tony added a living tunnel. The Planks currently have a tunnel made of branches but it's not fully-enclosed. It's up against their chain-link fence. On the other side of the fence is a trail with a lot of traffic and a pet cemetery. The new tunnel, made of willow, will be enclosed and will serve as a quiet space. This quiet space will give the kids a little privacy, which will help them feel ownership in the space.
The dirt-digging area and the Messy Materials area will be adjacent to one another. Emily is happy to have an area for the kids to dig. They enjoy digging in the yard much more than she does and she's happy there will be an area designated to it.
Fred suggested the Planks place flags around the yard and see how they like the design. It's important to find out how the space flows and if it's comfortable.
Ezra and Emily were so excited about their space, but they had questions about how to make Nature Explore playscapes more accessible to kids from all walks of life and all income levels. Their concerns definitely left us with some pondering to do. Our goal is to make it so anyone can build a playscape in their backyard. This was an excellent question to help us think more about how we can accomplish this goal.