https://www.fpconservatory.org/explore/gardens-collections/childrens-garden/

In the Earth Art Garden, a striking circular arrangement of upside down trees holds flowers dripping from aerial root balls. Visitors will enjoy the bold, dramatic lines of contrasting texture and colors of the Earth Art Garden.

 The Sunshine Celebration Arch punctuates the main entry into the Children’s Garden. On sunny days, overhead prisms make magical rainbows appear on the ground and on children’s hands and shirts!

An alternative version of a kaleidoscope, this “teleidoscope” transforms changing floral displays beneath its viewing tube into colorful, abstract repeating mosaics.

Little ones race ahead through their own entrance. A Cardinal (Ohio's state bird) topiary marks the entrance to the Willow Tunnel, a kid-sized pathway cloaked in living green leading to many garden adventures ahead.

 The Playhouse Garden offers a whimsical playhouse, puppet stage and plenty of opportunities for dress up and role playing as well as flexible lawn areas and moveable furniture and a secret path to the Nature Play Zone.

Built of stacked straw bales and wrapped in mud and clay, the organic forms, rounded corners, deep windows and living, green roof of this 16-foot diameter artisan playhouse result in a space that feels as though it was transported directly from the Shire.

Bee-bop garden

 The curving stone walls transform into the subtle outline of the salamander’s body. The mosaic paving becomes her tail, and the mystical circles in the lawn, her yellow spots that run from head to toes.

 Visitors pass alongside the 15 foot tall Sandstone Bluff, inspired by Hocking Hills sandstone geology, to discover a friendly Wayside Gnome, who welcomes all to My Ohio Woods. As they walk along the 166-foot long bluff, children discover moss, lichens, ferns and fossils. My Ohio Woods captures the essence of the dramatic landforms, towering trees and rugged streams of the Hocking Hills region.

 Moss-and fern-laden plant pockets on the bluff hide the face of the Green Man in the rock layers, the mystical creature that oversees all that happens in the woods.

 Caregivers reminisce about fond childhood memories of cookouts around the campfire while the next generation get their first rewarding taste of grilled veggies, fruits and even popcorn.

Kids learn how to create healthy soil from organic waste produced in the garden. The compost area gives us an opportunity to talk about the science behind composting - life cycles, decomposition, recycling, resource management, and

A literary-themed garden created fresh each year that highlights plants and/or places within a favorite book. Visitors can sit in quiet corners of the Reading Garden and grab a book from the Free Library.

 Geometrically designed to gather even the smallest of voices at one end of the semi-circular bench and amplify and project the messages forward to eager listeners at the other end, the Whisper Bench delights visitors of all ages.

 In the Faery Garden, staff have tucked fairy houses among the plants for children to find. At the faery house creation station, visitors build tiny houses out of natural materials

 A newly planted grove of native Ohio trees, the Ohio Grove creates a diverse and rich collection of trees to enhance the canopy experience while at the same time introducing youngsters to native leaves, flowers and fruits.

The Boulder Scramble, tucked into the tallest part of the slope, gives little climbers quick access to and from the Tree Top Bridge to the Mulberry Perch.

 Mulberry Perch offers a commanding view of the garden and the elusive Spotted Salamander. Here, children and their caregivers are introduced to the largest tree in the Children’s Garden, a White Mulberry. They also find the larger-than-life Cardinal's Nest, a nest in which kids and their grown-ups feel bird-sized.

 Hammock Lounge features a true bird’s eye view of some of the most striking yet delicate spring wildflowers Ohio has to offer. The Hammock is the star of the show. Children can run, roll, lie on their bellies and look at the woodland wildflowers below, or switch to their backs and cloud gaze.

 Children and caregivers can scramble up and down the inclined web.
Children build motor skills, coordination and balance as they continuously hop upon and jump down from this collection of native Ohio tree stumps.

Garden Guides from Mill Creek Metroparks.