Getting Northwest Kids and Families Outdoors!

​Would your kids rather spend a couple of hours watching TV or go outside and play?  If the latter, hooray, you are one of the few!   As a landscape architect, I hope to encourage kids and their families to spend more time outdoors and enjoy nature.  

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be outside and explore nature every day?  Well, that’s easier said than done.  For people living in metropolitan areas, parks and open space may be difficult to get to, or may not be safe to enter.  That’s why it’s essential to promote and provide educational landscapes at our schools and neighborhoods.

Thank goodness, we have the opportunity to help.  I’m excited to announce that BauerCombs Landscape Architects is currently working on an interactive sensory trail for kids and families in Snoqualmie Valley.  The sensory trail will also be an excellent resource for children with learning disabilities.   Please re-visit our blog in late fall 2018 for updates. 

​If you’re not quite sure what a sensory trail is, it’s a trail with a series of experiences that engage the five senses while interacting with the outdoors.  Sweet!  I’m just giddy about sensory trails and can’t wait to lead the first field trip.

​If you, your school, or local parks district need help creating a sensory trail or educational landscape, I would love to chat.  Give me, Susan, a call at BauerCombs (425) 496-7772, and I’ll walk you through the steps.  To get the ball rolling, here are a few key concepts to keep in mind: 

​5 Key Concepts for Educational Landscapes:

1. Encourage outdoor play
   
2. Learn and discover
3. Engage with nature
4. Create memories
   
5. Interact and participate

​Here are a few more related blogs on our website that you may be interested in:
Add Outdoor Musical Instruments to your Community Park
Four Simple Design Tips for Kid-Friendly Gardens
Awakening Outdoor Spaces through Sensory Design

About BauerCombs
BauerCombs Landscape Architects serves the greater Puget Sound, Seattle, Eastside, and Cle Elum areas.  We specialize in designing community parks and trails, senior living landscapes, and private estates.  As a Northwest leader in sensory landscape design, our captivating landscapes bring refreshing life to outdoor spaces through the artistic balance of sight, color, scent, touch, taste, and sound.

We are excited to say that our landscape work has been published in several magazines and continues to grow in reputation for creating healthy outdoor living environments for people and communities.
 
Author: Susan Combs Bauer, Landscape Architect, Copyright © 2018 BauerCombs & Associates, Inc. www.bauercombs.com (425) 496-7772