In 2005, child advocacy expert Richard Louv came out with a national best-selling book called “Last Child in the Woods,” which addresses the lack of connection between this generation’s children and nature. Louv cites research that focuses on exposure to nature as a vital part of childhood development as it relates to obesity, depression and attention disorders.

   It is with Louv’s inspiration that Cincinnati Nature Center and the University of Cincinnati have embarked on a rich collaboration that has extended to other community partners and prompted funding from resources beyond the Downey Fund grant.

   Not only is their Cincinnati Playscape Initiative project an example of how wide reaching collaborations can become, it is also a great study in the evolution of a partnership.

   How so?

   Like many collaborations, they finished with a different idea than they started with. The original project between the Nature Center and UC fell apart after 2½ years when both parties realized they were heading down a path that was not mutually beneficial.

   When it was time to start over, Bill Hopple, executive director of Cincinnati Nature Center, was connected with Larry Johnson, dean of UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services. They ended up talking about early childhood education. That led to the involvement of Dr. Vicki Carr, associate professor of early childhood education and director of UC’s Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center.

   In February 2006, Louv was invited to Cincinnati, and the dialogue led to the playscapes concept – an attempt to reconnect children with nature. Louv’s research shows that because of TV, video games, scheduled activities and the fear parents have of leaving kids outside unattended, children spend far less time outdoors than their parents did.

   The playscapes are unstructured play areas that can lead to better self-esteem, creativity, motor skills, fitness, academic performance and potentially relieve systems of ADHD, according to Louv’s book. They encourage water play, digging in the dirt, climbing, building and exploration along natural paths and surfaces. The design is focused on what is called “open-ended creative play,” not pre-determined and specific as in a typical modern playground; nature is the focus, not human-made elements.

   As part of this initiative, there will be:

1. A 1.5-acre playscape at Cincinnati Nature Center that will be the largest nature playscape at a nature center in the country. Designs are presently being finalized. Hopple says he hopes building will take place this summer, planting in the fall with a Spring 2011 opening.
2. A quarter-acre playscape on UC’s campus outside of French Hall. It’s a smaller-scale project but with the same design principles as at Cincinnati Nature Center. This will be fenced in but open to the public. A Spring 2011 opening is planned, as well.

   Robin Moore, professor of landscape architecture at North Carolina State who has more than 25 years experience designing natural play spaces for children, was engaged as a consultant and instructor for the professional development and playscape design. Frank Russell, director of the Niehoff Urban Studio, facilitated the professional development on campus and through distance education.

   “I would say this is the most in-depth partnership we’ve ever engaged in,” Hopple says. “It really did fire on all cylinders for both parties. I don’t think either of us think we’re just doing the other a favor.”

   Total cost of the Playscape Initiative will be somewhere around $1.3 million. The Downey grant of $150,000 paid for the design of the playscapes by Moore, the training of local designers interested in building natural play sites for children and speakers for public lectures. The Nature Center playscape will be named for Marge and Charles Schott thanks to a gift from their family foundation.

   Carr and Hopple have collaborated to secure money from other grants and private fund-raising, including $340,000 from PNC Bank and its “Grow Up Great with Science Program.” They have connected with pediatric faculty at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to discuss expanding research related to the playscapes, and a grant proposal is being prepared for Procter & Gamble.

   “The Downey grant was the seed for all of this,” Hopple says.

   Carr and Hopple hope to take the message of their partnership and project to other parts of the country, as well. They have applied for participation in the Children and Nature Action Forum being hosted by the World Forum in Nebraska in October.  Hopple will present in August at the annual Meeting of the Association of Nature Center Administrators.

   Perhaps Cincinnati will serve as a model for other cities.

   “One of the key pieces to the success of this collaboration is that before we ever met, Vicki Carr understood the importance of nature to child development,” Hopple says. “So when we came together, we almost immediately saw the expertise that each other had.”

   Carr has, in fact, developed an online class for undergraduates or graduate students called “Romancing nature with young children.” She also is collaborating with Bill Creasey, chief naturalist at Cincinnati Nature Center, on a book on children and nature and has a co-authored chapter with Eleanor Luken, academic researcher at the Arlitt Center under review. In their chapter, Carr and Luken argue for replacing playgrounds with playscapes in schools and communities so children can access nature on a regular basis.

   “It’s been nothing but positive,” Carr says of the overall collaboration. “We’re looking out for one another. We help each other with funding. We see ourselves as partners. All of these other projects have arisen from our partnership. It’s just evolved very smoothly, very naturally. We have a great relationship.