Topiary Gardens, Deaf School Park

Flat Stanley here on another fun filled Friday Adventure. Click to enlarge the picture to read the full sign for The Topiary Gardens. It was started in 1989. Hey kids get your pencils out and subtract from our current year and tell me how long ago that was. Do you know what the word Topiary means?

.	topiary - a garden having shrubs clipped or trimmed into decorative shapes especially of animals garden - a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
	2.	topiary - making decorative shapes by trimming shrubs or trees

Did you know that? Isn't it interesting what you can find out looking things up in the dictionary, even the on line dictionary.
This painting comes to life in the form of shrubs. You see people, dogs, umbrellas, and children in the photo. Sorry the picture of the picture isn't very good. There was a lot of glass to shoot the picture through and that caused lots of reflection. People enjoying the shade of the trees, fishing in the pond. Such a peaceful and fun piece of art. This very famous painting is by French Artist George Seurat and is titled, "A Sunday Afternoon on The Ile De La Grande Jatte". Have you ever seen this painting before?
Look closely here. Look where Flat Stanley is. A woman with a bustle wearing a hat is right behind him, and further behind you see two other shapes, two other people! Scroll back to the painting, can you find the lady with the bustle in the painting?

And here's Flat Stanley with a couple taking a walk through the park under the protection of an umbrella. Look around. Do you see other people walking, do you see some sitting under a tree? Do you see a dog on the right side. Look carefully and click to make the photo's larger so you can the details.
Here's a bronze plaque showing this same famous French Painting. Look at all the shapes, they show up perhaps a little better here then they do in the painting.

This fabulous display of art is located 10 acres of land on East Town Street and Washington in Columbus, Ohio; the former site of The Deaf School.

This is a historic area. The Deaf School was started in 1829, enlarge in 1845, one building replaced in 1868, another building added on 1899. In 1908 it added a hospital, and in 1953 The Deaf School was moved to a much larger campus on Morse Road in northern Columbus on 235 acres that had been a golf course. There weren't many schools for The Deaf and this was ground breaking on so many levels, changing the way The Deaf are educated, and live forever.

All parks are peaceful, have places to sit and contemplate, and space to run and romp and explore. This is unique because here you can do all that, and learn about Art at the same time. I encourage you to take the kids and let them stand beside one of the figures, take their photo, and see if they can find where they were in the photo. It's great fun and a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. As always you can teach some math, some history, some geography all the while you're playing with the kids at the park.

See you next Friday for another Fun filled adventure with Flat Stanley.