The Urban Thinkscape at Gardopia Gardens spans approximately 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall. The frame is held by 6x6 cedar wood beams and black steel angle brackets. The 6-foot spindles are held in place by 22 flange bearings fabricated to 22 half-inch steel rods. The 11 spindles are lightweight, providing optimal rotation for children to turn. The spindles are decorated with 4 themes: 1) transportation & livestock, 2) flowers & grasses, 3) fruits and vegetables, and 4) insects & pollinators, all core components in Gardopia Garden’s garden-based learning curriculum, which educates thousands of children annually. It is here that youth, families, and individuals may rotate the spindles, matching themes, observing colors, and counting the painted features. The artwork is adaptable and as the years change, newer forms of art pieces such as murals, pride colors, reflectance, and more can be applied.

The Urban Thinkscape is also designed with 4-foot wide and 10-foot tall steel trellises on both sides of the structure. During the upcoming spring, trellising flower vines such as duranta erecta and trumpet vine will engulf the sides, becoming a habitat for birds, butterflies, bees, and more. This amplifies the learning experience, expanding touch sensory, and beauty for all ages.

The social impact of the Urban Thinkscape reaches over 1556 individuals in the garden-volunteer program, and more than 660 persons in our quarterly farmers’ markets are Gardopia Gardens. Gardopia Gardens services thousands of youth during the academic and calendar year, exposing local schools, homeschool, and out-of-school time programs to differentiated learning opportunities that blend both the garden and art. The Urban Thinkscape is across from a 40-foot community mural, both together creating a tunnel of art as visitors enter to and from the urban microfarm.

Gardopia Gardens, supporters, and the community extend our most gracious thank you to ChangeX and Microsoft for providing the resources necessary to construct a one-of-a-kind Thinkscape in the Eastside of San Antonio, Texas. Gardopia Gardens also extends our gratitude to Shelly Kessler and Rachael Todaro with Playful Learning Landscapes for providing design direction and expertise in the early stage of development. And lastly, thank you to Angelica Gonzales, Board Member with Gardopia Gardens, and Dominic Dominguez, Chief Operating Officer with Gardopia Gardens, who spearheaded the design process throughout the project.

To ChangeX and Microsoft, this transformative garden-based learning work in the heart of San Antonio is made possible through your support. Thank you for gifting our community with the opportunity of expanded learning through Playful Learning In The Garden!

Hi All,

Thank you for your time and patience while we completed the procurement of materials and contractors here in Central Texas. As I'm sure is happening over locally and globally, labor storages and fluctuations of material prices can pose its challenges. Nevertheless, we're on a good work plan and finalizing installation.

Thank you all for the help!

Gardopia Gardens is exploring the option of creating a puzzle wall with community murals to be built on the southside of Microgreens and Mushroom Education Laboratory at Gardopia Gardens. Our plan of action is to provide outreach to local metal fabricators to determine the structural build of the turning spindles. Once the fabricator has constructed the spindles, the nonprofit will start building on the green wall encasement to hold the spindles. The green wall will include sensory plants (see, touch, taste, smell, hear) to stimulate learning for community members. Additional features such as rainwater harvesting (rain chains, gutters, etc) and even wind chimes will be considered in the design concept, creating a high-quality learning environment accessible to all people to engage in systems thinking.

In accordance with the Centers For Disease Control guidelines, facial coverings are to be worn when physical distancing of 6-feet is not possible. Practicing sanitization, maintaining physical distancing, and staying home when feeling/showing symptoms associated with COVID-19 are imperative. The Centers For Disease Control has provided the following statement regarding the details of possible symptoms.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. The Centers For Disease Control will continue to update this list as more is learned about COVID-19.

Hello! I’m Angelica @myth.BNA and I’m looking forward to figuring out what all this is and being a part of it! 🥰🎨

Ler's grow!