Connecting Children with Play & Nature

Emma enjoys bugs & Butterflies at her family’s home garden

On August 10 2018, the governor signed a law requiring elementary schools to hold at least a 20-minute recess period each day and restricts the reasons schools can take away recess from an individual student. The law, introduced and sponsored by Hopewell Valley’s Senator Shirley Turner, further states that recess should be held outdoors if feasible.

The opportune timing of implementing the law just prior to school’s start sets the tone for expanding free play time outdoors. The September 2018 Hopewell Valley Neighborsincluded FoHVOS Community Conservation projects at local schools including The Pennington School and neighborhood public schools. New ponds, meadows, performance, and mindfulness areas go beyond traditional playgrounds.

According to Gretchen Kish, Founder of Nectars Landscape & Design and the designer behind the new Bear Tavern Elementary outdoor space, “Kids are naturally very curious. So, we believe that by providing them with a fun and engaging outdoor environment, they can learn through natural discovery and develop skills not found in a traditional classroom.”

The new law is especially helpful by ensuring that children get outdoors at school since the advent of screens makes it less likely that children will be exposed regularly at home. A survey by The Nature Conservancy states, 88% of America's youth say they spend time on-line every day and less than half spent time outdoors.

The Nature Conservancy data suggest that if American youth are given more opportunities to have a meaningful experience outdoors, they will be more likely to value nature, engage with it, and feel empowered to do something about it.

It’s never too early to engage children to play or connect with nature. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently published a clinical report stressing the importance of play in child development. "Collaboration, negotiation, conflict resolution, self-advocacy, decision-making, a sense of agency, creativity, leadership, and increased physical activity are just some of the skills and benefits children gain through play." Further, the report notes "outdoor play provides the opportunity to improve sensory integration skills."

Nicole Langdo, FoHVOS Board Trustee and Founder of Painted Oak Nature School, adds thatnature provides a sense of place, both on a local level -- for example, knowing the bugs and trees reside in one’s own backyard -- as well as on a broader scale in better understanding how truly connected living things are on this planet we all share.

Lango concludes, “When outside, children have more opportunities for team building, peer collaboration, problem solving, managed risk, and creative thinking. Given that they will be our future leaders, engineers, teachers, and professionals, I think providing them with these opportunities is a pretty good idea!"

While the new law provides opportunities for a deeper understanding and skill development, during recess all the children focus on is the fun. Maria Montessori famously said,“Play Is The Work of the Child.”

We encourage families to augment outdoor experiences for the whole family. No extra equipment or training is needed. Open the door. Play outside and develop young brains, hearts, and spirit.

A version of this article appears in the October issue of Hopewell Valley Neighbors magazine.

June Force of Nature: Gretchen Kish

photo by Benoit Cortet

Gretchen Kish was born and raised in Titusville, NJ.  She grew up in a house that backed up to the woods and her first job was as a gardener at Washington Crossing Park.  It was there that she learned that horticulture could be a college major.

Gretchen’s lifelong passion for both Hopewell Valley and improving its landscape made her an easy choice for our June Force of Nature.

Gretchen and her husband Jon founded Nectars Landscape & Design and in addition to helping our area improve its landscaping, she very generously gives back to the local community.

Her personal philosophy is in line with FoHVOS stewardship objectives. We both want to restore Hopewell Valley lands. Gretchen enjoys educating others on the importance of landscaping with native species and said that people are receptive if you come to them as a knowledgeable person.  

She shared, “People worry that larger beds require more maintenance, but that’s not true, because when the right plants are planted and allowed to mature, the bed space actually uses less maintenance and requires less resources to maintain.”

Applying these principles, Gretchen initiated an expansive design for Bear Tavern Elementary School to create a new outdoor classroom that will be implemented over several years at no taxpayer cost.

BT Outdoor Classroom rendering

As part of our Community Conservation initiative, FoHVOS is partnering on the first phase of the project by administering a very generous grant from Janssen Pharmaceuticals to include healthy habitats.

Gretchen has prepared a beautiful design and selected native plants and trees that will attract pollinators, butterflies, insects, and birds. She collaborated with FoHVOS Stewardship Director Dr. Mike Van Clef who advised on best practices to maximize the ecological benefits.

The Bear Tavern project will also rely on grant money from the BT PTO, The College of New Jersey, and the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation for the pond and classroom features.

New Pond at Bear Tavern

While Gretchen and Jon have a successful landscape and design business, they recently opened a home and garden retail location on River Road in Titusville.  Jon shared that it was all about that specific location. They had their eye on it for years.

Gretchen’s vision is to transform their amazing home and garden store into a community meeting place. They are beautifying the lot and creating shaded area to bring people in for networking, garden clubs, lectures, classes, and events.

Nectars is teaming up with the Hopewell Valley Arts Council and sharing their lovely space for events to further enrich the Hopewell Valley community.

Throughout her life, Gretchen has witnessed the significant growth of our Valley.  Past expansion has brought both positive and negative change. She believes that the right people representing our community can ensure new growth is done thoughtfully.   

Her commitment preserving the land and character of Hopewell Valley makes Gretchen Kish our FOHVOS June Force of Nature.

A version of this article appears in the June issue of Hopewell Valley Neighbors magazine.