St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care has unveiled its one-of-a-kind Intergenerational Play Garden at center’s Bucyrus Campus, 2450 W. North Ave., Milwaukee.
The 11,660-square-foot playscape includes four structures — large enough to accommodate an adult and two children or multiple youngsters. There’s a fairy house, a teapot house, a castle and a dinosaur cave. A railed sidewalk connects the structures, and the play garden is wheelchair accessible.
Bordering the play garden are 27 cedar raised bed gardens, each measuring 4 by 8 feet.
“The Intergenerational Play Garden is not a place where adults sit on a bench and watch the children play,” said Sr. Edna Lonergan, founder and president of St. Ann Center, an all-ages day care that serves infants, preschoolers, after-schoolers, summer camp kids, as well as older adults and people with disabilities. “Here, the generations will have adventures together, with opportunities for fun and learning.”
The Urban Ecology Center is partnering with St. Ann Center to design a curriculum of environmental and nature-based activities children and adults will enjoy together.
This $350,000 Intergenerational Play Garden was funded by the Burke Foundation. Initially, the play garden will be used by clients in St. Ann Center’s adult and child day care programs, with plans to open it to the public in the future.
