Rowan University’s Learning Garden

Development

A Learning GardenA “Learning Garden” is a place to share the joy of learning in addition to ideas and information using interactive means. To be effective it should create a stimulating environment that utilizes all five senses to communicate and educate.

Children’s Starter Garden at Rowan Longwood Gardens

Camden Children’s Garden

Winterthur Gardens

The Site for the Learning Garden:Robinson Circle

• Rowan’s ”Learning Garden,” might just as easily be called “The Integration Garden” or “The Interdisciplinary Garden.”

• Rowan University’s distinction, as a sponsor, from all other learning garden facilities lies in its ability to incorporate in the planning, implementation and operations diverse skills and talent of its students, faculty and staff.

Imagine……The creative potential, which can be

achieved, at Rowan combining the talents of professionals in childhood development with civil engineers and biologists. This is an enormous advantage.

…The contribution the Rohrer College of Business can make to an operating program, or the contribution poets can make to the garden graphics. Our Learning Garden will offer opportunities for participation by every member of the Campus Community.

Participation may include involvement through:

• Long range planning Specialized programming • Research• Assisting with garden care, collecting exhibit artifacts

and/or plant material • Fund raising• Administration• Public relations • A range of communication activities.

Our site is limited in terms of space, but developed intensely, it can have a multitude of exhibits and experiences tastefully overlaid and incorporated.

Other major contributions of our “Learning Garden,”

• May be in the outreach of educational programming, garden tours, publications and potential spin off programs to other schools and communities in the region, across the State and on a National level.

• The learning garden should reflect not only what Rowan University is but what it can be as a cultural community, as a physical environment and as a learning center. Ultimately this garden should be a very special place that involves, inspires and motivates.

Some Current Ideas for Exhibits• Windmill powered water feature with a

rainbow of Dutch tulips• Extensive mounding with tunnels and bridges

that helps break the site into exhibit rooms• Orchard of miniature fruit trees• Butterfly garden• Assortment of geologically interesting boulders• Artistic interpretive signage and pavement• Schoolhouse Gazebo• Greenhouse (created by the College of

Engineering implementing Green Engineering)• More!

One Concept for the Learning Garden: Alphabet Garden

Early Organizational Needs Umbrella Committee-reviews & approves all

actions of the subcommittees• Space/Planning Exhibit Subcommittee-eventually this

subcommittee will give rise to specialized groups focused on a water garden, butterfly garden, etc.

• Public Relations/Communications Subcommittee – eventually this subcommittee would give rise to a newsletter, event announcements, program announcements and so on.

• Business Operations Subcommittee – eventually this subcommittee will give rise to a Financial Sustainability Plan that will include variety of sales and fund raising efforts.

Organizational Needs Cont’d• Curriculum Subcommittee –The curriculum

subcommittee should come into existence when there is sufficient physical development and program development of the learning garden to permit professional course training and instructions whereas community outreach and learning can take place almost immediately.

• Volunteer Coordination Subcommittee – It is not understood at this time if this function should stand alone, be integrated into all subcommittees or be incorporated into the functions of the Public Relations Subcommittee.

About The Subcommittees• There is a need to have volunteers with interests

and focus on various exhibits and communication, but there will come a time when the number of supporters is insufficient in a given area. • For example on the day of a plant sale, the number of

individuals in the Business Operations Subcommittee may need help.

• Every third year the maintainers of the Butterfly Garden Exhibit may need help dividing and potting overgrown plants in preparation for a plant sale.

• There will be lots of opportunity for highly specialized interests and at the same time a need for general support between groups.

Existing Children’s Gardens Throughout the U.S.

• Green Acres Elementary School Life Lab Garden, California Website:http://www.greenacres.santacruz.k12.ca.us

• Enchanted Woods (TM) - Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library, Delaware

Website: http://www.winterthur.org

• Dow Children’s Garden, Michigan Website: http://www.dowgardens.org

• Camden Children's Garden Website: http://www.camdenchildrensgarden.org Contact: Mike Devlin Email: mdevlin@camdenchildrensgarden.org

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Children's Garden, New York Website: http://www.bbg.org

• Cleveland Botanical Garden's Hershey Children's Garden, Ohio Email: mheffernan@cbgarden.org

Thank you for attending our presentation!

We will now open up the floor for discussion and questions.