EXPLORATION GARDEN AT THE LIBRARY
New Carlisle-Olive Township Public Library, New Carlisle, Indiana, U.S.A.
by Roanna Hooton, Adult Services Coordinator, New Carlisle-Olive Township Public Library
This is the text we used to welcome our community to our new Exploration Garden:
Welcome to the Exploration Garden!
We are so excited to have you visit the Exploration Garden at the library! Many of you have walked the sweet little path that goes behind the children’s department. We have a log to climb on, rocks to walk on, a stage to sing and dance on, and an akambira that you can play.
Beginning April 15, 2021, you will also be able to use the mud kitchen, paint on the art panel, and complete the literacy activities that will be posted throughout the space! Paint and a few other items will be available for checkout inside the library. Please help keep the space tidy by putting things back where they belong. People are welcome, but pets should stay at home.
Lessons learned: Outdoor spaces take time to build. Start enhancing your greenspace however you can, and over time you can add more and more as partners and resources become available.
Libraries are often outdoor learning spaces. Take advantage of that fact!
Learning takes place in many ways. Not only through books, but also through music, exploration, and play. Your spaces can support all ways of learning!