The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Things are really sprouting up at The Huntington! Just opened is the new Helen and Peter Bing Children’s Garden, created expressly for kids ages two through seven. From musical pebbles to billowing fog and magnetic sand, the Children’s Garden offers kids the opportunity to look, listen, touch … and then ponder.

Established in 1919 by railroad and real estate developer Henry Edwards Huntington, The Huntington is a 150-acre oasis in San Marino providing research and educational opportunities for scholars and the public. The new Botanical Education Center, of which the Children’s Garden is a central feature, builds on Mr. Huntington’s vision of transforming his world-renowned collections into tools that would inspire future generations—nourishing the spirit, enriching the mind.

Welcome to the Children’s Garden
On your adventure here, you will discover the recipe that makes up life on Earth. Time to get our hands wet. First ingredient in our recipe for life is water. Look at how the water moves here. How does it feel? What shapes can water take? Let’s add light to the mix. With a little water and a sunny day, you’ve got a rainbow! No pot of gold, but take a look at all the colors created by this mixture. Now let’s add a bit of earth, over by the big granite globe. See the pile of pebbles there? Grab a handful and make some music! Shape some sand with the power of magnets.

Let’s blow! The last ingredient is all around you. Air. When air and water come together, the mix can be pretty foggy. Jump in and discover.

The Four Essentials
Our recipe is complete. Water, light, earth and air are the essential ingredients for making life possible, including you! Protecting these ingredients is a recipe for the preservation of our planet.

A Link to Our Partners
The Norton Simon Museum also has a garden with earth, air and water. In this garden there are statues named Mountain, Air and River. Why do you think these statues have these names?