Curiosity Garden, Hangzhou, China
Unique in its character and cutting edge in its purpose, Curiosity Garden is the first of its kind in mainland China and offers an innovative learning environment for children 1-3 years old. A developmentally appropriate, educational play space, it invites Hangzhou’s youngest learners to touch, explore, and learn through the discovery process. Designed by Ganymede to blend a western idea with Chinese sensitivity, Curiosity Garden was fabricated and installed by a team of American and Chinese craftsmen coordinated in China by Ganymede.
In contrast to the bustling city life and accompanying noise so prevalent in China, the peaceful nature of Curiosity Garden is a welcome respite that invites activity with purpose and addresses the developmental needs, physical scale and cognitive growth of toddlers. Its whimsical nature sparks imaginative play, builds a foundation for creative problem solving, and encourages children to guide their own learning. At the same time, Curiosity Garden fosters awareness in Chinese parents of the importance of crawling, the inherent nature of learning through play, the value of self-guided exploration and discovery, and the real need for young children to experience risk.
