Child-directed non-structured play is important in promoting pro-social learning opportunities, development and connection with natureThe benefits of gardening has been an area of increased inquiry in recent years. This study focused on garden-based summer camps in Helsinki, Finland to better understand children's behavior in the unique setting offered by a garden. Study participants were 390 male and female children, ages 7 to 12, that were observed in their participation in a full-day gardening camp that lasted the eleven weeks of summer vacation. The study was conducted over a period of three summers, from 2008 to 2010, with approximately 130 children participating each summer. The research design was a qualitative ethnographic case study, which used camp counselor notes, field photos, and participatory and non-participatory observation. Content analysis techniques were used to analyze the study data.
The researchers used three primary frameworks to organize their inquiry into children's experiences within the camp garden. With regards to the physical interplay between children and the garden, the "child-friendliness" and the "affordances" (the relationship between the environment and the child that affords the child the opportunity to perform an action) of the space were used to contextualize data analysis. With regards to the social dynamics of time spent in the garden, the concept of "zone of proximal development" was used to understand the effect of interaction with peers or adults on a child's capacity for problem solving, as compared to their independent level of development.
At the broadest level, "this study demonstrated that multidimensional garden settings inspired the children to investigate and experience their circumstances principally by the means of play" (p.200). More specifically, gardens were found to have the potential to be highly child-friendly and to offer an optimal zone of proximal development, especially when freedom to explore is provided and "the physical environment affords situations, space and materials from which individual children can take inspiration and learn, and then pass on the skills to others" (p.201). This study also found that child-initiated, non-structured play in the garden often led to more pro-social behavior and social interactions than did adult-led structured play. The large number of affordances available in outdoor play alongside peers facilitated such pro-social behavior as sharing, helping others, and collaborative play.
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