Tucked away near Upper Buttermilk Falls State Park is The Magical Garden. If you pay attention, you may spot a fairy or a bear skipping to the house after picking herbs for the bread they will prepare together in the kitchen. There might be a banjo playing gently in the background while a peacock wanders by. It is completely expected that you will hear laughter at any moment, as little discoveries are made while Heather and Brian Fowler raise their family and care for children in their licensed group family daycare.

Playtime at the Magical Garden

The Fowlers, now in their sixth teaching year at the site in Danby, offer an opportunity for young children to learn in a setting that provides something beyond the usual preschool experience. While other parents might find their children playing with plastic toys or dressing up as TV characters, Magical Garden parents typically see their children forming letters out of grasses and leaves that they've found themselves. They might be taken by the hand as their little one identifies a chickadee or a titmouse.

These children are not treated only as learners, but as participants and explorers in their world, where they experience the seasons and cycles of life in an integrated way that allows them to see both the big picture and the littlest details. They notice the tiny wonders in the dirt and in the sky. "That's my favorite thing," says Heather, "Finding the spider or the caterpillar. [The children] learn naturally because they're curious. They want to know."

But what makes the Magical Garden truly different is more than its natural, media-free environment. It offers an exploratory experience in permaculture. Kids get to watch and be involved in the process of creating many of their needs from beginning to end. "What the outside world presents to us is what inspires us and what we teach to the children," Heather explains. The children are involved in ongoing, seasonal processes such as planting, tending and harvesting plants that they cook and eat, and felting toys or hats from the wool they helped card (shorn from sheep they helped raise).

Playing with a homemade wooden seesaw

While many kids grow up with a sense of separation from the wider world - a sense that their food, clothing and toys come from stores (wrapped in plastic), kids here grow up involved with their lunch, growing it, observing it, and picking it fresh from the garden. "A lot of the arts and crafts change throughout the season and the activities coincide with the planting cycle and what we are harvesting," says Brian. "I like that they get exposed to longer processes, like waiting for something to ripen - things that develop patience and attention."

While the Fowlers have four children of their own (ages seven, nine, 11 and 13), they care for kids as young as nine months and run after-school programs for elementary school ages. The Fowler children are all homeschooled, so the younger children build meaningful relationships with a wide range of ages- not just adults and other little kids. The older children become natural teachers and love sharing their knowledge, deepening the learning of the little ones. There is also a regular assistant, Della Hovanec, who provides an additional level of supervision and guidance that many licensed daycares don't provide. Kids are part of a large extended family that includes sheep, miniature horses, rabbits, peacocks, turkeys and chickens.

Cathy Lamm's son, Derek, attended The Magical Garden from ages one to three, the entire time the family lived in Ithaca before they moved out of the area. "I absolutely cherish Heather and Brian and wish I could have taken them with me when I moved," says Lamm.

Heather Fowler in the garden with a group of children

In addition to the bonds her son formed during his time with the Fowlers, Cathy has a long list of reasons she recommends The Magical Garden. "The things I especially liked included the home made meals that were sensitive to allergies and used organic foods that the kids had helped plant and grow; the farm environment that allowed kids to work in the garden, interact with animals and spend a lot of time outdoors appreciating nature; and the enriching environment that included continual access to instruments, art supplies and other inventive toys."

If you'd like to learn more about The Magical Garden, you can contact Heather and Brian Fowler at 607-351-8809. Their location is handy for those who work at Ithaca College or drive to downtown Ithaca along the 96B corridor from Danby or Candor. And many downtown residents feel the experiences their children have at The Magical Garden are worth the few extra minutes it takes to go up the hill. "We're on an eight-and-a-half acre hobby farm. You can't do that downtown," says Heather.

TAGGED WITH: children, gardening, parenting, permaculture, play, The Magical Garden