Enhance Your Park with a Sensory Garden

Start Date

01/22/2026

End Date

01/21/2028

Description

A sensory garden is a space with the main focus on sensory experience. All landscapes are sensory, but some are more sensory than others. It's the concentration of experiences that defines a sensory garden. Sensory gardens are designed to connect people closely with nature. Some are quiet places designed to be calming, while others are designed to stimulate activity.

Sensory gardens are often found in schools, parks, healthcare facilities, and other public spaces. They are beautiful amenities for local parks, nature centers and inclusive playgrounds. They can be therapeutic and beneficial for people with sensory processing disorders, dementia, or other cognitive and physical challenges. Additionally, they provide a peaceful and enjoyable environment for everyone to connect with nature and experience a range of sensory stimuli.

In this course, we will talk about planning, planting and maintaining sensory gardens. We will provide multiple ideas for which plants suit each sensory system. We will explore the importance of the hard and soft scape in the design. We will show examples of gardens from around the world.

Distance Learning

Yes

Course Equivalency

Subjects

Parks & Recreation

Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Hours

1.0

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, participants will be able to:

· Find resources for selecting plants for their specific areas

· List strategies for planning a sensory garden

· Identify the benefits of creating a sensory garden

Instructors

Mara Kaplan

Course Codes

Provider

PlayPower, Inc

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