The Sensory Loop in the Children's Garden
The main part of the Children’s Garden is the Sensory Loop. The Sensory Loop not only focuses on the primary ways our brain receives information from the world to help us understand the world around us (sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch) but also three additional inner senses on how we interact with the world: balance, self regulation and spatial awareness. Each part of the garden appeals to one or more of these senses.
The beauty and different textures of plants are covered by the sense of sight. The wind chimes that hang from the Harold Hatcher pecan tree and the babbling brook beside the Children’s gazebo are focal points for the sense of sound. The sense of smell is encountered by rosemary plants (brush your hand against its needle-like leaves and take a sniff) and peppermint as well as the sense of taste (please don’t eat the mint!). This year’s Fall for Hatcher took place in the Children’s Garden because patrons could taste the various foods and best craft beers. The sense of touch can be experienced by contact with the many textures of the different plants and rocks. The Altrusa Adventure Trail, located in the Sensory Loop focus on the inner senses (see the separate article).
