We went to the park. I found it incredibly one dimensional. There was a climbing structure, shade trees, picnic tables, and a whole lot of grass. That’s the norm out here. Out in Georgia, many parks had forested areas, streams, rivers, or ponds, and certainly more than two types of plants. I miss the variety. A trip to such a full park would take up a few hours. After the play-structure got old, there was ducks to admire, frogs to find, flowers to pick, and streams to wade in.

There will probably never be quite as full parks as there was in Georgia. The climate doesn’t grow as many trees or include as many waterways. But  as I was sitting at this park, which became dull in a half-hour, I wondered how hard it would be to include some sort of  wilderness area or garden. I remember several parks growing up that included overgrown areas. We could explore there, enjoy forts made from sticks, find insects or birds, dig in the dirt a bit. One of those parks has recently undergone a transformation to “beautify” the place. Lawn replaced the areas that had long been ignored. And it ceases to become a place for exploration, but turns into a one-dimensional place that will only engage a child’s mind for so long.

Too often our yards and landscape mirror this trend. In my own yard, my sons does not spend his time playing on the grass. He watches the flowers emerging and blooming, he spends hours digging up dirt with shovels and dump trucks. He picks dandelions and weedy hyacinths.

Many in my community strive for long areas of green grass. There is no place for weeds, for shrubs and perennials. A good park or yard seems to be one that looks nice. But I go with my children and I miss the wild overgrowth that speaks so strongly to children to come explore. I doubt I’m going to convince anyone to let the weeds grow up…but maybe instead we can put in a garden. Flowers can come up and bring in insects. Shrubs and trees can provide homes to birds and make places for hiding and discovery. Children need more than lawn and climbing structures: they need nature they can interact in.