1 Introduction

An increasing number of studies indicate that proximity to nature benefits physical and mental well-being and boosts productivity and academic performance (Maddock and Johnson 2024; Fyfe-Johnson et al. 2021; Holland et al. 2021; Jeon et al. 2018). However, as urbanization accelerates, humans have become increasingly disconnected from the natural world in recent decades (Alvarez et al. 2022; Frumkin et al. 2017; Soga and Gaston 2016; Kahn and Kellert 2002). In the book Last Child in the Woods, American scholar Richard Louv (2008) coined the term “Nature-deficit disorder” to describe this phenomenon, while in his memoir The Thunder Tree, Pyle (1993) referred to it as the “extinction of experience.” This disconnection from nature can lead to an increased risk of health issues, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, depression, and anxiety (Frumkin et al. 2017; Louv 2008).

Nature education has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for establishing and strengthening emotional connections between humans and nature (Ives et al. 2018; Soga and Gaston 2016), helping individuals better interact with, learn from, and protect the environment. Ultimately, it encourages self-development and fosters a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature (Liu et al. 2023; Lin and Yong 2022; Li and Yu 2017; Uzun and Keles 2012).

Countries such as the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom have long-established and refined nature education systems, with examples including the nature school models in the United States and Japan, the children's farm model in the Netherlands, the forest kindergarten model in Denmark and Germany, and the forest school model in the United Kingdom (Lin and Yong 2022; Yu and Qiu 2021; Zhang and Li 2019). These models provide great inspiration and valuable lessons for the development of nature education in China. Though nature education in the Chinese mainland started later, it has developed rapidly, especially since the early 21st century. Government agencies, experts, scholars, social organizations, and nonprofits are increasingly focusing on nature education, drawing on international experiences to explore and implement related activities (Lin and Yong 2022; Li and Yu 2017). A large number of national parks, nature reserves, botanical gardens, and urban parks are actively exploring and expanding their roles in nature education (Zhao 2023). By 2023, the number of organizations engaged in nature education in China had reached 21,556 (Huang 2024).

Natural venues are central to nature education, providing essential spaces for direct interaction with nature. In urban areas, where over half of the global population resides (United Nations 2019), green spaces are widely recognized for their physical and mental health benefits (Gianfredi et al. 2021; Wang et al. 2019). These urban green spaces, including botanical gardens and parks, are well-suited for nature education. Community green spaces, such as parks and surrounding green areas, are particularly accessible due to their proximity to residential areas, making them popular among residents (Mwendwa and Giliba 2012; Haq 2011). However, community green spaces often face challenges that hinder their ability to effectively promote nature education when compared to more suitable natural venues, like, botanical gardens and national parks. These deficiencies, which include low biodiversity (Ling 2014), disorganized landscape design (Taylor and Hochuli 2015), and a lack of clear educational signage or structured nature education activities, need to be addressed as soon as possible.

In response to these challenges, we propose a new model—the Mini Botanical Garden (MBG)—inspired by scientific botanical gardens as defined by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (Ren et al. 2022; Jackson 1999). The MBG model aims to provide urban residents, particularly children, with easily accessible nature experiences, helping them to establish a long-term connection with the natural world. A key element of this model involves transforming community green spaces to fulfill the main functions of a botanical garden, such as biodiversity conservation, science education popularization, nature education, and other services. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of MBGs through feedback from local residents. Our findings indicate that the establishment of MBGs has had a positive impact on the community's outdoor living environment and provides easily accessible nature experiences for children.

2 Materials and Methods

3 Results

3.2 Implementation of MBGs

As of today, all four MBGs have been completed and are actively in use. Key details are shown in Table 2. Each MBG includes indoor education spaces and outdoor planting areas, spanning over 1000 m² and featuring more than 100 plant species.

Table 2. Summary of the four Mini Botanical Gardens.

Project	Outdoor planting areas (m2)	Indoor education venues (m2)	Plant species	Composition of nature elements
Wan'an	> 1000	90	> 100	Sequential arrangement of bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, monocots, and dicotyledonous angiosperms forming a path of plant evolution.
Vanke-1	> 5000	145	> 300	Thematic gardens of spring, summer, autumn, and winter; five-sense garden.
Vanke-2	> 2500	160	> 180	Plum garden, rock garden, cherry garden, and aquatic woody plant garden.
Vanke-3	> 3000	140	> 200	Aromatic plant garden, dry creek garden, plum garden, and 24 seasons plants.

The Wan'an MBG was the first to be completed and launch educational activities. It involved the transformation and upgrading of existing community green space. The plant diversity in the outdoor planting area was greatly enhanced, with over 100 species of plants introduced and selected according to their growth characteristics and landscape requirements. Several mini specialized gardens were set up, including bryophyte, fern, and gymnosperm corners; a dicotyledonous garden; a monocotyledonous gramineous garden; a butterfly ecological plant corner (nectar plants); an aquatic plant pond; and a bamboo zone (Figure 1). The sequential arrangement of bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, monocots, and dicotyledonous angiosperms formed a path of plant evolution. Each plant species in the MBG was labeled with classification information, primarily for science popularization activities related to plants and for the use of community residents and plant enthusiasts.

The renovated indoor venue was transformed into a nature museum focused on birds, insects, and plants (Figure 1). The exhibits include a bird display wall showcasing 40 species of common birds in Ningbo, with Quick Response (QR) codes providing access to sounds, pictures, and text descriptions; an insect wall featuring 150 species from around the world, highlighting the most beautiful, largest, and most poisonous insects; and a seed wall displaying over 200 types of plant seeds, including those of medicinal herbs, grains, oils, rare species, timber, and spices. The seeds were categorized by different dispersal methods and fruit types. These elements serve as an introduction to natural science for children.

When collaborating with Vanke, we participated directly in the initial design stage of the green spaces as all three communities were newly built or still under construction. The outdoor planting area at Vanke-1 was much larger than the one at the Wan'an community and was divided into four themed gardens: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, featuring over 300 plant species. The five-sense garden in the summer thematic garden, covering an area of 180 m², has been particularly popular. Children are able to experience more than 50 types of special plants through five dimensions: sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste, hopefully sparking their curiosity about nature (Figure 2a). Each plant is labeled with its Chinese and scientific names, classification, and a QR code providing a voice introduction (Figure 2b). A number of insect houses have also been set up for children to observe (Figure 2c). The indoor nature experience venue is located next to the five-sense garden (Figure 2d).

3.3 Implementation of Nature Education Activities

Leveraging the easy accessibility and rich biodiversity of the MBGs, a number of diversified and systematic nature education courses were developed. These courses were organized into six categories: plant cognition, insect cognition, bird cognition, nature observation and note-taking, nature writing, and nature handcrafts. Taking advantage of the abundant plants and insect houses in the five-sense garden, plant identification and insect identification courses were offered. Most courses lasted 90 min, except for nature writing and nature handcraft courses, which lasted 120 min. The majority of children participating in the courses were primary school students or younger, typically under the age of 12.

During MBG activities, we emphasized direct observation and hands-on experiences to allow children to verify book knowledge and draw their own conclusions through their own observations of natural phenomena and interactive experiments (Figure 3). An example of the nature education courses offered in the MBG is shown in Table 3, which includes the course themes, objectives, and processes. In the “Poetry for Spring” course, most children were able to write about the spring they observed, either following a template or using free-form expression. With guidance, the children were able to relate aspects of their daily lives—such as food, clothing, and sound—to the plants or animals in the MBG, inspiring poetic phrases like “spring on the tip of the tongue and spring in the chirping of birds.”

Table 3. Main content of the “Poetry for Spring” course.

Item	Content
Activity theme	Poetry for spring
Activity purpose	Guide children to observe spring in the MBG, learn about spring in ancient poems, and write their own poems.
Activity process	Indoor introduction (20 min)	“What spring poems have you read?” Discuss spring using poems and engage children in a conversation about what they know, stimulating interest in the theme.
	Outdoor nature observation (50 min)	Go outdoors to observe the spring features in the MBG, such as sprouting, blooming, or fruiting plants like magnolias and cherry, and traces of insects, like, beetles and moths.
	Indoor writing (30 min)	Guide children to write poems about spring they observed using the format “Where is spring, spring is ____.”
	Artwork showcase and summary (20 min)	Encourage children to share their poems and their experiences of spring.

• Abbreviation: MBG, Mini Botanical Garden.

Parents of participating children felt that poems derived from direct observation were more authentic and moving, suggesting that this approach should be used in children's writing education. Moreover, discovering real-life creatures during insect cognition, bird cognition, and nature observation activities brought immense joy to the children. Creatures commonly observed in the MBG include insects, like, praying mantises, katydids, damselflies, butterflies, and longhorn beetles, as well as birds, like, bulbuls, bead-necked doves, blackbirds, sparrows, and great tits. Some of the courses that have been popular with children are listed in Supporting Information Materials.

4 Discussion

Seppelt and Cumming (2016) argued that humans must reduce the cognitive distance from nature while increasing the distance of direct human impact on ecosystems to maintain Earth's life support systems. The MBG concept epitomizes this harmonious equilibrium, not only providing community residents with more opportunities to connect with nature, but also circumventing the potential for excessive anthropogenic interference that might imperil the integrity of pristine ecosystems. The main advantage of the current MBG model is that they are easily accessible and do not jeopardize the natural environment. While landscaping and biodiversity in the MBGs are enhanced, maintenance demands have increased compared to traditional community green spaces. With upgraded resources, the activities carried out have become more diverse, but the format has not seen significant innovation. These realities remind us of the need for further development and refinement of the MBG concept.

For the four completed MBGs, the outdoor planting areas and indoor education venues are the core components. As part of the outdoor green spaces, the planting areas provide habitats for plants, insects, and birds, while also offering a comfortable recreational environment for community residents (Reyes-Riveros et al. 2021). Additionally, they serve as quality biological resources and venues for nature activities, such as plant and insect identification (Mensah et al. 2016). Specialized gardens within the planting areas provide opportunities to explore various aspects of nature, such as using “the path of plant evolution” to learn about plant development or observing the blooming process of water lilies in the aquatic plant area. The selection of over 100 plant species, which are rich in diversity, enhances both the educational value and the beauty of the gardens. Therefore, the design of these outdoor planting areas should prioritize esthetic appeal and species richness, creating specialized gardens that promote ecological awareness and nature education. The selection of plant species should balance beauty, ease of survival, and availability.

The indoor education venues serve as multifunction classrooms, providing access to equipment and tools for teaching activities (Lu et al. 2015). They also function as museums, showcasing natural specimens for residents to enjoy (Alberti 2005). The combination of these two core components provides a comprehensive foundation for nature education in the MBGs.

In Survey II, some respondents expressed a desire to learn more about the MBGs and to participate in more activities, suggesting that the promotion and publicity of the MBGs and their programs in the communities were still insufficient. There is a need for more active guidance to engage additional residents. Furthermore, with the increase in plant species and the transplantation of nonnative plants, the existing community gardeners are stretched beyond their capacity. Addressing these challenges has become a top priority. Stukas et al. (2016) noted that volunteering is beneficial to both the community and the volunteers themselves, and that the volunteers are more motivated when the work aligns with their own interests. Gibson et al. (2024) mentioned that engaging community members who are not typically involved in community activities but have an interest in gardening or research can help broaden the diversity of the volunteer team. Providing volunteers with specialized skills training can also help them perform their tasks more efficiently (Dempsey-Brench and Shantz 2022). Therefore, recruiting volunteers and offering them professional training may be a practical solution to address the immediate challenges, particularly with regard to tasks like plant maintenance, guiding activities, and interpretation, which would greatly reduce the pressure on community managers.

In the past, the organization and development of activities were mostly undertaken by educators, with residents acting as passive participants. However, children and adults can also play a role in planning and innovating nature education activities (Yu and Qiu 2021). Encouraging community residents to participate in the planning and implementation of MBG activities helps foster their initiative and also serves as a form of innovation, expanding the influence of the MBGs. For example, community members with special skills, such as flower arranging, plant painting, or bamboo weaving, could be invited to teach at the indoor education venue. Similarly, children in the community could share interesting natural phenomena they observe in their surroundings, further enhancing engagement with the community.

Reflecting on our progress, we believe that the creation of the MBGs provides a universal public service that contributes to the development of ecological civilization and fosters a new generation of citizens with green literacy. We aspire for every child in the city to experience nature and receive quality nature education in an MBG in their community. Moving forward, we are committed to popularizing the MBG model in cities across China, establishing a network of MBGs covering all urban communities, and making nature education accessible and beneficial to all urban residents.

5 Conclusion

Urbanization has contributed to a growing “nature-deficit disorder,” which poses a threat to children's health and the sustainable development of humanity. This study introduces the MBG as an innovative solution, blending the functions of botanical gardens with community green spaces to popularize nature education in urban settings. The goal is to help city dwellers, especially children, establish long-term connections with nature, encouraging a lifelong relationship with the natural world. As a readily accessible nature space, the MBG practice improves the nature experiences of community residents, contributes to the popularization of urban nature education, and offers a promising way to address “nature-deficit disorder.” Looking ahead, expanding the MBG model nationwide and establishing a network of MBGs across cities will further advance nature education and contribute to the growth of ecological civilization.

Author Contributions

Aoqi Zhang: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, project administration, resources, software, validation, visualization, writing – original draft, writing – review and editing. Yue Chen: conceptualization, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, project administration, writing – review and editing. Yong Hu: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, methodology, project administration, writing – review and editing. Wenjun Luo: funding acquisition, project administration, resources, writing – review and editing. Yaling Wu: investigation, project administration. Shuang Liu: conceptualization, investigation. Kaiyuan Wan: conceptualization, data curation, investigation, methodology, project administration, resources, writing – original draft, writing – review and editing.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.