New sensory garden at High Point Public Library serves neurodivergent kids
The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
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The High Point Rotary Club Sensory Garden, located at the High Point Public Library, is designed to appeal to neurodivergent children. WFDD/Jacob Hancock-Hernández
The High Point Public Library unveiled its new sensory garden on Wednesday.
The goal of the garden is to appeal to the senses of sight, sound, touch, and smell.
One of the most popular features is the Kugel fountain, a sculpture with a sphere that sits on a pedestal and hydroplanes on a thin film of water.
Sara Nareau, children’s department division manager, says it was a hit with kids at Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting.
“It was like a magnet," Nareau said. "All the kids were drawn to it, trying to, like, touch the water and reverse the direction of the ball, and a lot of kids really like the swings and the giant building blocks. So it was, again, I'm focused on the kiddos, but it was a really, really good reception from the community.”
Other features include a tactile wall, Lego building blocks, braille and sign language boards, a porch swing and an herb wall. As Nareau puts it, the garden has something for everyone.
“The sensory garden is designed specifically to appeal to kiddos that might be neurodivergent, because it appeals to all the different senses, whether it's tactile, visual, audio, things like that,” Nareau said.
Library director Mary Sizemore says the project was part of a broader goal of making the library a certified autism center. Staff was trained, and outside experts were brought in to observe and make recommendations on how they could better serve neurodivergent kids.
“The benefits are that it makes our library even more welcoming and inclusive," Sizemore said. "We want everybody that comes to our door to feel welcome and able to take advantage of what we have to offer, and we realize that there are certain populations that find a typical library setting perhaps not as accessible as it could be or should be.”
According to Sizemore, the idea for the sensory garden came from previous Children’s Services Manager Jim Zola. He made a proposal in 2019 to the High Point Rotary Club, which committed $100,000 to the garden. The library foundation raised the remaining funds.
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