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This fall, as part of the project "Advocacy for Shared and Educational Gardens in Public Spaces", Ekonaut is releasing the publication "Green Spaces as Places of Rest, Play, and Learning", dedicated to environments rich in natural stimuli for various activities across all generations. These may include play scenarios where children feel bold and empowered, testing their abilities and showcasing themselves as competent, capable, and free beings. The publication emphasizes that activities encouraging the healing properties of green spaces are also crucial, offering a natural way to address anxiety and other emotional challenges. Acting as natural catalysts for stress reduction, increased creativity, and enhanced quality of life for all generations, such spaces are increasingly integrated into various settings—from hospitals and rehabilitation centers to public parks, kindergartens, schools, and private areas. The publication is divided into three sections:
- Why is it important to play in nature and embrace risk in play?
- Gardens as places of healing and learning
- Design for a better world: How to improve outdoor play spaces in urban environments
The authors of the texts in the publication are Vladimir Milutinović, Tijana Bogovac, Tijana Petrović-Jovanović, Tatjana Radaković, and Sabina Kerić.
Publication design: Katarina Koledin
The project and publication will be presented during this year's 4th KidHub Café, organized in collaboration with our partners from the KidHub educational center koje okuplja edukatore iz oblasti formalnog i neformalnog obrazovanja, sa ciljem podsticanja pozitivnih promena u obrazovnom sistemu. Događaj je ove godine posvećen unapređenju prostora za igru i učenje u skladu sa prirodom.
Održava se 28. novembra od 14:00 do 16:30 časova u prostoru Nova Iskra Dorćol, located at Cara Uroša 18, Belgrade.
If you'd like to join us and learn how we can collectively improve play and learning spaces inspired by nature, please complete this QUESTIONNAIRE to confirm your attendance and help us with better event organization, as capacity is limited..
The event will feature a panel discussion and an exhibition of works created during this year's Global Children's Designathon on the theme "How to Improve Play Spaces Using Circular Design", as well as co-creative workshops with students from the Faculty of Forestry. During the event, participants explored the application of circular design to improve spaces for children. As part of the project, students from the Faculty of Forestry, specializing in landscape architecture and wood processing, worked under the mentorship of the KidHub and Ekonaut teams to transform children's ideas into a technical project for an educational playground. This included an educational installation, a climbing structure, and a sensory pathway, all being implemented at the Arboretum of the Faculty of Forestry.
Additionally, under the same project, in late October, we organized the workshop "Autumn Garden Works" in the Arboretum of the Faculty of Forestry with our longtime collaborator Vladimir Milutinović.
During the workshop, Vladimir guided participants through the Arboretum of the Faculty of Forestry, introducing them to the importance and beauty of gardening and explaining why cultivating native plant species is crucial compared to non-native varieties. The group then moved to the vegetable beds within the Healing Garden, where participants learned about preparing gardens for the upcoming season and selecting species for winter vegetable growth. Vladimir highlighted various fast-growing leafy vegetables ideal for fresh food during the coldest months, such as spinach, lamb's lettuce, parsley, different lettuce varieties, and onions.
This workshop is part of Ekonaut's educational initiatives aimed at influencing the inclusion of educational gardens and garden communities in the urban and strategic plans of Belgrade to combat climate change, foster social cohesion, and protect green spaces from speculative urban development. Through diverse forms of education, we aim to empower local communities to participate in improving open urban and peri-urban spaces and greening local schools and kindergartens while integrating ecological education into daily curricula.
The "Advocacy for Shared and Educational Gardens in Public Spaces" project is implemented with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UK Government, under the public advocacy support program "Explore – Empower", managed by Trag Foundation..
