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COPIA Kids Garden The COPIA Kids Garden is an interactive, hands-on learning environment in which children use all of their senses to explore an edible garden .“Sensory seats” feature cushions of living herbs such as thyme, while mobile “sensory signs” point out unique, ephemeral experiences that change through the seasons - “Smell the sweet peas, Listen to the birds nesting in the trees”, etc. Children can spin a zoetrope to see how fruit develops from a flower or plant their own imaginary garden with hand-made wooden produce. Visitors explore what produce is in season using a unique interactive dial and observe compost in the making; the "Pollinator Dial" lets children match various pollinators with the types of plants they are drawn to pollinate. Chicken and rabbit hutches are perennial favorites, as are the Bean Teepee and Gourd Tunnel in the Habitat Walk. The exhibition design was inspired by the agricultural past of the Napa region; interpretive signage features hand-painted illustrations and bold graphic design that echoes the sign painter's craft and early 20th century fruit and produce labels. Hay bale benches and a hand-made gardener’s shed evoke the vernacular architecture of the region. The gardener's shed, filled with tools, drying herbs, seeds, etc. conjures the presence of the knowledgable gardeners when they're not working in the garden - a reminder of the importance of gardeners in maintaining and nurturing the garden. • Selected for the November, 2005 Design Annual of Communication Arts Exhibition Design: Wowhaus Graphic Design: Patricia Bruning Design Wowhaus was also commissioned to create "Visitor Carts" and unique seating for COPIA.
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