meet jena

The natural world had a magnetic pull on me. When I was three years old, I’d wander away from my mom at the store. She’d find me, always, in the plant aisles somewhere between the fiddle-leaf figs and the jade plants.

At four years old, I asked Santa for a plant for Christmas. You heard me right, Santa. You can keep your dolls.

At five, I was a garter snake tracker, fort maker, and picker of all flowers.

By 17, I built a large stone patio based on a photo I had been drooling over in my Fine Gardening magazine. This was about the time when my mom suggested I explore landscape architecture as a possible career path.

I’ve spent almost my entire career designing children’s nature-based play, learning, and therapeutic environments. In 2004, after a series of “A-HA moments”, I began researching neurodiversities, like autism and sensory processing disorders, because I wanted to make sure the spaces I helped create
supported all kids and how each are “wired” a little (or a lot) differently.

As my understanding of the neurodiverse experience grew, I realized just how important children’s sensory experiences are in play, learning, and connection. For me, nature play is one of the most powerful tools we have to regulate children’s nervous systems so they can play to their greatest ability, learn to their greatest potential, and connect in the deepest, most meaningful way they can.

Did you know we have more sensory systems than the classic five: sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound? Kids have two more movement-based senses that are equally important to understanding their environment and thriving in their daily lives: the vestibular system and the proprioceptive system (or proprioception). When play and learning environments support all 7 senses, the benefits to children are
truly profound. What’s more, these benefits create a strong personal foundation they carry into adulthood. Sensory-rich nature play? Yes, please!