ABSTRACT
Modern living has brought increased urbanisation and higher density housing to most modern cities. Children living in Australia today have significantly less opportunity to venture outdoors and enjoy the natural world. The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden (IPFCG), which sits within the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, has just turned ten years old and we hope has helped to redefine how children interact with nature. The garden was designed around the premise that ‘play is the work of children’ and that kids need to be able to dig, build, create, hide and explore as part of their everyday play to learn about themselves and their place in the world.
