Intergenerational Community Gardening

With support from Livable Futures, Design student Susan Booher spent the summer working with Elizabeth Speidel and the elders and children at Columbus’ Champion Intergenerational Center to plan to a garden, maintain and harvest together. The intention of planting a garden is to foster intergenerational interaction and education.

Preschool children completing their planting of vegetables and herbs.

The garden was planted in mobile rectangle containers indoors; then, moved outdoors to grow. The garden containers are visible from the children’s outdoor play area to retain their interest by watching the plants grow and produce fruit for harvesting and enjoyment.

Adults placing gardening gloves on the preschool children’s hands.

An instructional binder was provided to Champion Intergenerational Center for future intergenerational gardening activities as well as the equipment needed to support them. Champion will be able to grow plants from seeds in February and March; then, plant them into mobile garden rectangle containers and vertical towers in the spring over the course of the next several years. The rectangle containers can be planted by the children with adult clients assisting them; the towers’ trays can be planted by the adults and children seated comfortably at tables. The binder also includes activities that can be completed by the children and adult clients, independently and together. It was a joyful experience and we are grateful to Champion for letting Susan come learn with them and share her passion biophilic design / designing spaces with lots of green growing friends.