If you find yourself in Pasadena on a warm day with children under seven treat yourself to the enchanted environment of the Children’s Garden at the Huntington. Enter through a tiny blue door into a whimsical landscape to observe, touch and explore. Kids will gain knowledge about the environment through the sensory manipulation of natural materials. The atmosphere is not the messy nature that kids adore and many parents’ fret. It is a well-crafted landscape filled with green leafy plantings that take on the characteristics of a traditional English garden.
In the magical playscape there are punctuations of colors, textures and scents to uncover. The plantings of oversized leaves, bulbous palms, tall grasses, and topiary animals that look as though they came from a fantasy land. In different seasons you will find pomegranates hanging from the trees and diverse flowers waiting to be noticed.
The garden is meant to be experienced from a child’s perspective from various points-of-view. The benches, hidden pathways and stairs prompt children to move through the space and stumble into unexpected garden rooms to find visual surprises and fragrances. The structure transports children to different levels. The pathways are embedded with stones and impressions of leaves. When kids descend to a lower level, they can look up and feel as though they have shrunken into a miniature creatures. When they climb a secret pathway up a hill they can look down to tower over the landscape like giants. There are many small enclosures that kids love to make their own including, tunnels, a topiary volcano, a playhouse, and trees woven into a veiled hut.
The garden design is based on the four natural elements: water, fire, earth, and air. The themes are abstracted adding a level of interest for adults accompanying young explorers. Although each element is present much of the garden’s activation is around water creating sensory interactions with the same fluid material. Surprises occur throughout the garden when water pops out of pots, fog grottos form, and kids disappear. Steam erupts out of the top of a topiary volcano that also drips inside to form a shower of water. In the multiple fog spaces if the light is just right, visitors just might spot a rainbow. In other features vibrating water rumbles in sonic pools, vortexes are created, or kids can smooth their hands over a flowing water ball.
In the earth section kids will encounter a huge sandbox with magnetic particles that are naturally found in sand to feel and move on a metal surface. Pebbles create assorted chimes when dropped into a stone and metal sculpture again and again and again. There are sculptural turtles to ride and birds on benches to talk to. Looking down at the pathways you will see the phases of the moon.
In an urban environment where children don’t get to experience nature and water play as much as they would like the Children’s Garden at the Huntington offers a setting for spontaneous play through feeling and touching natural materials. This is fascinating however what is most impressive about the garden is the embedded prompts for pretend play. In this garden children can create alternative realities to use their inner voice for imaginative storytelling.
When visiting keep in mind:
-This is a great place to visit in Spring and Fall. Many of the features include water so in cooler weather the water may not be running and the garden doesn’t offer as many play opportunities.
- Wear sun protection. There is no shade and although the water is nice on a hot day there are few places to hide.
-Bring a change of clothes, or better yet bring a bathing suit. Children will get wet.
-The Huntington entrance fee is expensive for adults and older children although children under 4 are free. If you are local and will be visiting often or have a large family, consider a membership.
- While smaller children will enjoy the whimsical landscape, older kids are going to enjoy running from space to space and they move fast. Look out for them speeding by.
