By Kayla Frost
In South Tucson, a nonprofit science garden and community hub called Second Sky is growing to include a lush desert oasis for adventure and sensory play.
Once completed, Oasis for the Senses will be a one-acre sensory garden for children to engage in play that is embodied, confidence-building and connective with nature. The oasis is modeled after a riparian zone and will include a stream-like water feature surrounded by “native plants chosen for their texture, their shade and their ability to attract butterflies and birds,” says Joseph O’Connell, director of Second Sky.
Kids will also be able to enjoy shade trees, play on artful climbing structures, explore a dune hillscape, relax on hammocks and whiz through the landscape on a zip line.
“The zip line will only be a foot or two above the ground, and it’s so inherently safe that if you want to build a cardboard fort and come crashing through it, you could do that, or you could joust with your friend with foam pool noodles,” says O’Connell.
Oasis for the Senses will build on offerings already underway at Second Sky, which opened to the public in 2025. Second Sky is designed to be a hub that meets a variety of needs and offers activities for children and their families, including indoor and outdoor space for adventure play, after-school homework help, STEM/STEAM activities, space to socialize and food and drink. It also hosts workshops, classes and creative events in partnership with local organizations.
As director of Second Sky, O’Connell draws inspiration from fatherhood. He is working to co-create a space where families can gather for an enriching experience instead of retreating to their own homes after work and school. “Partly it’s recreating what you’d see in a good, healthy European city square or even some downtown areas in the U.S., but with the addition of a native riparian ecology,” says O’Connell.
Access to the oasis will be through Second Sky’s usual admission options: an entry fee or membership. The entire space is free at certain times, and families can always enjoy free resources such as art supplies.
It’s important to Second Sky that there’s something for everyone, regardless of income. “There’s a fascinating amount of social science that says that one of the strongest drivers for permanent social and economic transformation is mixing across socioeconomic lines,” O’Connell noted. In addition to free and paid activities, Second Sky’s small café offers meals families can buy with EBT cards as well as more expensive food, beer and wine. This mixed model helps the nonprofit stay in business without relying solely on grant funding.
Oasis for the Senses was spearheaded by Dutch nonprofit Office for the New Earth (ONE) in partnership with Phoenix-based The Green Room Landscape Architecture (TGRLA), a Phoenix-based firm. Michaël Vrijhof (ONE), Niels Hofstee (ONE) and Charlie Ray (TGRLA) were instrumental in bringing this project to life. The two organizations are well suited to collaborate because their work focuses on designing spaces that prioritize natural elements, sensory qualities and feelings of well-being.
The project is slated to break ground in December 2026. Project leaders are seeking large capital donations to fund permanent visible improvements that directly serve the community, and are setting up a more robust volunteer program.
To learn more, visit secondsky.org.
