Reason #8 to Save the WSV Sasaki Garden

The top 10 reasons to save the WSV Sasaki Garden in 10 parts.

Reason #8:

The Garden contributes to our mental well-being.  Passive (looking out at, being still in) and active (children's play or Qi Gong) recreation  in the garden are therapeutic.


From Kuo and Sullivan (2004) on the role of natural settings in treating ADHD in children:

"...our findings  indicate  that exposure to  ordinary  natural settings  in the  course of common  after-school  and weekend  activities may be widely  effective  in  reducing attention deficit symptoms in children.  Analyses  of the sample  as  a whole indicated  that green  outdoor activities resulted in  reduced children's symptoms  and had more positive  after effects on symptoms  than did  activities  conducted  in other settings. Moreover,  the  advantage  of green  outdoor  activities  over other activities was  consistent  for  children  across  a wide range  of individual,  residential,  and  case characteristics."

From R. Kaplan (2001) on the psychological benefits of views unto nature from one's home:

"...the content of the view from the window in the home setting makes a difference. Nature content contributed substantially and differentially to residents’ satisfaction with nature and with their neighborhood; the availability of gardens and well-landscaped areas was particularly salient to these satisfactions."

Read reason #9 here.

Read reason #10 here.