Children Garden Statues

When statues are part of your landscape, children are naturally drawn to them. I have two little turtles that "live" by my front entryway. Everytime my little 2 year-old grandson passes them, he stops to touch each of their backs. Often he will also point out their eyes and count them as he finds each one. He loves to look for them. I also have a fountain in the courtyard into which he carefully places little stones that he collects and floats his boats. You can bet grandma's courtyard is not a boring place for him. He doesn't know it but seeds for a lifetime of loving nature are being sowed in him every time he visits.

On a recent blog post, I commented on a trip I had made to the Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Fla. My grandson was born with a serious birth defect and had open heart surgery. A hospital that deals with such major children's cases has some serious kid-friendly landscaping because they will do anything to help their little patients feel more at ease. In this case, they have some beautiful little children's garden statues in a handicapped accessible play area. I found it a fascinating study of what works and what doesn't when dealing with small statues in large areas. You can find it at the Arnold Palmer Play Area post. and use it as an object lesson when you plan your own garden.