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Show Volume XVIII Issue I The Ogden Valley news Page 11 June 15, 2010 Kids Have Nature-Deficit Disorder? Ogden Area Garden Tour Slated for June 26 Do Our The garden gates are front yard! A drought tolerant fescue meadow Some are hyperactive. Some are distracted. schooling, bioregional education, nature studies, open! Come stroll through eight gem gardens in the Ogden area and enjoy live music, art, or delicate treats at each location. The Ogden Area Garden Tour will held be on Saturday, June 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets are $15 and are now on sale at the Ogden Nature Center or can be purchased online at <www.ogdennaturecenter.org> or the day of the tour at the gardens. This is an amazing chance to gather ideas for your own yard. From water-wise and native plantings to color combinations and clever design elements, you’ll be treated to heavenly sights, smells, and sounds. This tour is hosted by The Ardent Gardener Landscape & Design, with proceeds benefiting the Ogden Nature Center.\ Garden 1 – Anne Dodgeson Residence 4550 N. 350 W., Pleasant View Built in 1965, this home is located in Pole Patch, a term used by the early Mormon Pioneers to describe the groves of aspen located here. The original landscape was designed by Leonard Grassley and included defining and planting of the huge pioneer irrigation pond with its beautiful Japanese maples, Monet-like weeping willows, and tanyosho pine. In 2007, the owner hired landscape designer Laurie Van Zandt to redesign the back gardens of the home. With the team of Brion Taylor Stone Masonry, CMC Designs, and Beus Landscaping, the garden has been transformed into a magical setting that integrates incredible stonework; beautiful new patios; and formal and informal plantings with the original mature landscaping. Garden features violin music by Joy Clem. Purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win a basket of succulents donated by Willard Bay Gardens Garden 2 – Lee and Becky Malan Residence 1638 N. Mountain Road, North Ogden This garden has been carved into a heavily wooded setting and the sense of enchantment is maintained through winding paths, woodland plantings and terraced, moss covered patios and garden walls. With the children grown, the sun drenched upper lawn, which affords incredible views of the mountains and the lake, is being transformed into a family gathering spot, complete with formal herb gardens and a future outdoor kitchen area. A Zen-like energy flows through this garden. Flute by Dan Arnow and friends. Garden 3 – Howard and Anna Richter Residence 1585 26th Street, Ogden Proving that smaller can be better; this tiny back garden has been separated into several distinct “rooms.” Beautifully detailed stonework creates a sunken patio with a hidden gas line for intimate fireside moments and a “stream” of polished green beach pebbles. The upper garden provides a lawn area and beautiful perennial beds. A shaded dining patio with water feature completes the outdoor living possibilities. Delectable treats donated by Bistro 258 and handmade “green” gifts by Stephanie Howden will be offered for sale Garden 4 – Dave and Pat DeJong Residence 2744 Buchanan, Ogden The owners claim that they hardly knew any of their neighbors prior to installation of this new front garden. Now, it is not uncommon for them to see their neighbors wandering through their surrounds raised timber beds. An iron trellis invites a visit to the stone seat wall and thymeencircled patio. The Moonshine Garden softly glows with perennials and roses in blues, silvers, purple, and pink; while the Sunshine Garden provides a bright sunshiny blend of oranges, yellows and red. Garden 5 – Michelle and Corbin Craig Residence 2800 Fillmore Avenue, Ogden Step back in time to 1948. This glamorous, Hollywood-style backyard retains much of its original allure. Mature trees, rolling lawns, two stone grottos, one with a rill, and original, period patio furniture are just part of the scene. Freeform swimming pool, cabana rooms, and 1950’s outdoor kitchen will make you swoon! Look for the “accidental” moss carpet and Christie Jo selling her popular and unique container planters. The sounds of Cheyenne Herland’s lovely guitar music will be floating through the garden. Be sure to visit The Ogden Nature Center’s information booth. Garden 6 – Willard & Rona Maughan Residence 3241 Polk Avenue, Ogden A nice brick home in a nice neighborhood belies what is unseen from the formally planted front garden. Fragrant Iceberg roses and lavender line the front walk while birch trees and junipers provide privacy from the street. A stone path and steps lead from the rear lawn area to a hidden treasure—a natural seasonal stream and boardwalk meander through this woodland dream. Watch out for wood nymphs! Violin music drifting through the trees and played by Debbie Jackson is sure to lure them out. Garden 7 – John E. and Suzanne Lindquist Residence 5248 Skyline Parkway, South Ogden This is your chance for a rare peak through the gates of one of Ogden’s most magnificent gardens. An estate garden by every definition, this very private landscape is highlighted by a roaring water feature, private breakfast garden, wooded upper garden and stream, and mature trees and shrubs. Meandering paths lead through extensively planted beds that provide privacy, texture, and vivid color. Lovely Tracy Hales will lend her talent on the keyboard to this sophisticated and beautifully maintained garden. Bright watercolor artwork by talented local artist Cara Koolmees will be available for purchase in this garden. Rooster’s Brewing Co. and Restaurant will provide delicious samples of some of their favorites. Garden 8 – Morgan and Kelly Sullivan Residence 2361 W. 7875 S., South Weber Designed using a Feng Shui compass, this garden is a labor of love. From the shady wood gazebo to the stone dining patio to the babbling brook, this meticulously detailed garden has been installed entirely by the homeowners. A couple’s area signifies romance, while other areas represent health, family, fame, and career. The elements of wood, water, fire, earth, and metal are all represented. This is a charming garden that “feels good.” Samples of the most amazing cheese you can imagine will be provided by Beehive Cheese. Many thanks to the following local businesses who are donating their goods for the tour: The Ardent Gardener Landscape Design, Beehive Cheese, Grounds for Coffee, Grizzly Graphics, Ogden Valley Magazine, Bistro 258, Willard Bay Gardens, and Roosters Brewing Company and Restaurant. Valley Hair is pleased to announce that Ashley Doxey Waddell is returning to work at Valley Hair Co. beginning June 30th. Call NOW to schedule an appointment. Bring this ad and get $5.00 OFF your service with Ashley. Located in Old Town Eden behind Carlos and Harley’s 801-745-1979 Design & Maintenance Sprinkler Systems, Lighting Waterfalls & Ponds Custom Patios & Fire Pits Demolition & Renovation Snow Plowing, Salt & Sanding Some are obese. Schools can improve both health and learning by reintroducing students to the natural world. By Richard Louv Note: This is the first in a two part series of articles. Information from the “Educational Leadership” journal: December 2009/January 2010 | Volume 67 | Number 4; Health and Learning Pages 24-30. Article being reprinted by permission. A few years ago, I was deeply moved by a photograph I saw on the back page of a magazine. It showed a small boy at the ocean’s edge, his tracks receding in the wet sand toward the water. Beyond the sand, one could see a gray sky, a distant island, and a long, even wave in the beginning of collapse. The boy had turned to face the photographer. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open in an exclamation of discovery. He was a picture of joy. This powerful black-and-white image was accompanied by a short article explaining that this child had a problem—he was hyperactive and could not pay attention. Because he disrupted the other students, he had been expelled from school. At first, his parents did not know what to do. But they were observant. They had already seen how nature calmed their son and helped him focus. Over the next decade, they seized every opportunity to introduce him to the natural world—to beaches, forests, and dunes as well as to the rivers and mountains of the American West. The little boy turned out fine. The photograph was taken in 1907. The boy’s name was Ansel Adams. But what if Ansel’s parents had not given him the gift of nature, I wondered? Would he have given us the gift of his photography—the dome of Yosemite and the moon rising over Hernandez, New Mexico—all those iconic images that have helped shape the modern conservation ethic? Many teachers across the United States—I call them natural teachers—intuitively or experientially understand the role nature can play in children’s education and health. I meet them often. They’re in every school: science teachers, English teachers, and many others who are not formally environmental educators, who insist on taking their students outside to learn—to write poetry in a natural setting, to learn about science or history outdoors. These teachers see a schoolyard garden, a park, a nearby woods, or a beach as a learning environment—a place to find wholeness and health. They tell stories about the 10-year-old classroom troublemaker who becomes a leader outdoors, whose demeanor changes almost magically from agitated and disruptive to focused and respectful; about a budding writer who blooms; or about the young scientist who discovers in a field what was hidden in a textbook. The Evidence Grows Bringing children to the natural world—or bringing nature to them—is not a panacea, nor is it the only way for parents and teachers to ignite curiosity and wonder or to help children focus. However, researchers are assembling a growing body of evidence that strongly suggests the importance of nature to children’s health and their ability to learn. Environmental educators and groups such as Project WILD, Project Learning Tree, and proponents of natural schoolyard habitats have worked for decades to introduce children to nature. Some educators have emphasized this approach in the context of classroom learning; others have focused on getting students outside. Efforts to engage students in and through the natural environment go by many names, including community-oriented experiential education, and place-based or environment-based education. But the basic goal is this: to use the surrounding community, including nature, as the preferred classroom. Researcher and educator David Sobel (2008) says that we should consider place-based education as “one of the knights in shining armor.” Students in such programs typically outperform their peers in traditional classrooms. Sponsored by many state departments of education, a 1998 study documented the enhanced school achievement of youth who experience curriculums in which the environment is the principal organizer (Lieberman & Hoody, 1998). More recently, studies in California and across the United States showed that schools that used outdoor classrooms and other forms of nature-based experiential education saw significant student gains in social studies, science, language arts, and math. Another study found that students in outdoor science programs improved their science test scores by 27 percent (American Institutes for Research, 2005). Unfortunately, the relationship among nature experience, learning, and health is a new frontier. Many of the available studies describe correlations rather than cause and effect. We need to do additional longitudinal research, but as Howard Frumkin, who heads the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says, “We know enough to act.” Some of the most intriguing studies are being conducted by the Human-Environment Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, where researchers have discovered that children as young as 5 showed a significant reduction in the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder when they engaged with nature (Kuo & Taylor, 2004). Recent studies have also suggested a connection between the decline in outdoor activities and the dramatic rise in both childhood vitamin D deficiency (Huh & Gordon, 2008) and myopia (Rose et al., 2008). One interesting study looked at the effect of neighborhood greenness on inner-city children’s weight over time (Science Daily, 2008). Researchers reported an association between higher neighborhood greenness and slower increases in children’s body mass over a two-year period, regardless of residential density. This underscores the need for urban design to provide a greener, healthier environment, even in the most densely populated neighborhoods. Surely such a design can also improve children’s readiness to learn—and their sense of wonder. Nature—Left Out in the Cold Unfortunately, too many school districts have contributed to a growing gap between nature and children. I call this nature-deficit disorder, which is not a medical diagnosis, but a description of the growing gap between human beings and nature, with implications for health and well-being. In the 1970s, the physical and academic designs of too many school districts turned inward, resulting in the building of windowless schools, the banishment of animals from classrooms, and even the elimination of recess and field trips. Several forces have been at work. Within schools, these forces include the wave of well-intentioned and underfunded education reforms. Beyond the schools, they include poor urban design, disappearing open space, parental fear of “stranger danger,” amplified news cycles and sensationalized entertainment media, competition from computers and video games, the overstructuring of childhood, and the devaluing of natural play. Two Lots Available. Owner Motivated! Bailey Acres MLS #963510 $68,000 Make Offer! Evergreen Park MLS #963235 $60,000 Make Offer! Judy Knudtson 710-0827 or 745-2760 For more information visit: www.utahescape.com |
