Kimberley Jr. Public School

Toronto, Ontario

Description: Sensory garden design

In an arid schoolyard in downtown Toronto a riot of colour hides around a corner, waiting to take unsuspecting students by surprise.

The Sensory Garden at Kimberley Beaches JPS sits between the music portable and library, and is completely hidden from the street.  Two years ago it was little more than a weed infested raised bed doing very little to improve the generally asphaltic palette surrounding it.  Today, thanks to a $200 donation of plant material, some free mulch, and the combined elbow grease of the entire student body, it is a show stopping sensory experience.  What makes this garden even more amazing is the way the children protect it.  Unlike many schoolyard gardens which succumb to trampling and other assorted forms of abuse, the children have taken ownership of the garden.