School Gardens (1900-1944)

Historical context

School gardens, past and present, connect students to nature and provide opportunities for student engagement in their communities.

This set highlights various school gardens and youth gardening programs in the first half of the 20th century, and in various places across the United States. This document provides additional context and resources.

Culturally relevant pedagogy considerations

Students can consider the communities where they live — rural, suburban, or urban — and the gardens, green space, or agriculture present. Why is gardening important in all of these communities? If your school has a garden, make connections between your garden and school gardens of the past, including the students tending the space and the food grown. How do these gardens look similar and different across time, and across different parts of the country?

This set was compiled by Angela Bianco, fourth-grade teacher in White Bear Lake.