Professional Practice

Children: Cognition

According to Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., our brains fatigue within minutes of a deluge of stimulus. So if a child is confronted with too much stimulus, their brains will lose the ability of focus and learn.

How Nature Helps

A published in the journal, Environment & Behavior, says that spending even a short amount of time outside is restorative and reverses those temporary issues of fatigue and concentration issues. If your kids are having trouble concentrating, take them for a walk in the park. 

Research

"," Landscape and Urban Planning, 2010
 
"," Journal of Attention Disorders, 2009

¡°,¡± Psychological Science, 2008

"," Environment & Behavior, 2000

¡°,¡± Journal of Environmental Psychology, 1995  

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ 2011 Professional General Design Honor Award, Manassas Park Elementary School Landscape, Manassas Park, Virginia, Siteworks / Image credit: Siteworks

Resources

"," Scholastic via Instructor

Organizations





Role of the Landscape Architect

Landscape architects recognize that importance that green space can have on people and design school landscapes accordingly.

Manassas Park Elementary School in Virginia has a sunken bio-retention garden with ample opportunity for seating, and a forest courtyard with shade trees, ferns and logs for seating, all of which give the children places to refocus.

Urban parks like Shelby Farms Park in Memphis provide places for play and exploration, which are important for the ability to learn and grow. 

Case Studies

Manassas Park Elementary School Landscape, Manassas Park, Virginia, Siteworks

, Memphis, Tennessee, James Corner Field Operations

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