Perfect place for work and play

Hannah Grow had dreamed of starting a nature-inspired child-care program for more than a decade.

A former kindergarten teacher and single mother of four, Grow felt her dream was out of reach for years, and at times she questioned whether she could ever achieve it. Then in 2019 circumstances started to align in her favor when a home offer she made — and considered humble — was accepted.

Just like that, Grow became a homeowner and a small-business owner, having acquired the residence at 2527 Belle Crest Drive — a three-bedroom in central Lawrence with an 8,000-square-foot yard.

When Grow initially toured the house she looked for features that would allow her to use the property to launch Wild Blossom Daycare. Eyeing the large back lot and the openarea living room adjacent to the kitchen, Grow was convinced the property would be a great space for young children.

“I was trying to put together the space that I had been dreaming of for 10 years. ... I’d worked with licensing for so long that I knew all the regulations, and I knew this place was great,” Grow says. “It was perfect for a home program.”

Before buying the house on Belle Crest, Grow lived in an 800-square foot apartment with her four kids — Charlie, Henry, Gus and Juniper. That apartment, which didn’t have any kind of yard, was all Grow could find, and it wouldn’t have worked as a home-care program. Now Grow has enough space for seven children in addition to her own four.

Bunnies, blue jays and cardinals regularly visit the yard, which includes a hammock, playground, balance beam, sandpit and toddler play area.

“I really wanted a natural playspace that allowed for imaginative play,” Grow says. “We have all these great trees, and it makes it a very magical backyard space. It’s so beautiful; when I look out my window

Mike Yoder/ Journal-World Photos and I just see those trees, it makes me feel so good inside.”

ABOVE: Hannah Grow and three of her four children are pictured in the backyard of their home at 2527 Belle Crest Drive. From left are Henry Grow, August “Gus” Grow, Juniper Grow and Hannah Grow.

LEFT: Grow’s kitchen features an island with chairs for casual dining.

The house has wood floors, not carpet, which are easy to clean. Grow even had an outdoor sink installed to aid in cleanup of messy kids.

“Kids love to be muddy, and I wanted it to be a nature space where kids can just immerse themselves and do whatever it is they need for their sensory experience,” Grow says. “For kids to just be in the mud and be in the sand, and we can wash it all off; it’s really nurturing.”

At 1,100 square feet, the inside of the house is small but the open-area living room and kitchen make it feel more spacious, Grow says.

“I love that it’s a big open space,” Grow says. “I am a play facilitator, and we do baking, we do chopping ... children can learn to measure, and they feel the warmness and the closeness to an adult as they’re creating something together, and if they don’t want to (bake) they have this whole play space they can be in ... where I can still see them.”

The house features an unfinished basement, which doubles the home’s square footage; currently it’s a rec room and a storage area. Grow says the space isn’t very fancy, but it’s filled with love — and kids.

“I worked really hard to get this property, and I own this as a single mom with four kids, and that’s a big deal to me,” Grow says. “It’s my home, and it’s also my business.”