JOIN THE SCHOOL GARDEN ARMY, 1919: The History of School Gardens in the US

 

School Garden poster, 1919

On a recent visit to Washington, DC, I spotted this reproduction of a 1919 poster in the National Archives Museum gift shop. (The original poster is in the Library of Congress.) It made me realize that school gardens, the subject of my new book Planting a Garden in Room 6, have been around for a long time.

The United States School Garden Army, was founded by the Bureau of Education in 1917 during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson described gardening as "just as real and patriotic an effort as the building of ships or the firing of cannon" and opined that "food will win the war".

The First World War gave a real boost to the School Garden Movement, which began in this country as a way of developing courses about nature, providing a taste of the country to inner city children, and motivating youth to work together.  School gardens flourished as an integral part of the war effort and were an important source of local food.  

Adopting the motto, “A garden for every child, every child in a garden,” the School Garden Army was created by the U.S. Bureau of Education, with funding from the War Department and the blessing of President Wilson.  It was comprised of boys and girls, ages 9 through 15.  Each participant pledged to “consecrate my head, heart, hand and health through food production and food conservation to help the World War and world peace.”

For more about the history of school gardens go to https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2017/01/the-school-garden-army-in-the-first-world-war/ .

 

 

Author Visit to Endeavour Elementary School, Bakersfield, CA

Yesterday was my third day in Bakersfield and another terrific school visit, this time at Endeavour Elementary School. I did presentations to three groups students in the auditorium, grades 1-6, and was impressed by their enthusiastic participation and good questions. I also did a workshop with a second grade class who had “won” my visit because their class had ordered the most books for autographing. I read my tall tale, The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers and then asked the students to create their own “mixed-up” animals. They invented some very unusual creatures! 

Many of the primary students had read Wiggle and Waggle and as I toured the school I saw the school garden filled with flowers and vegetables and feeders for attracting birds and butterflies. At lunchtime I enjoyed a delicious meal of Mexican food with the teachers in the staff lounge. I thank librarian Katie Feldstein for all her hard work in organizing the day, ordering books, and preparing the students. I thank Principal Matt Diggle for introducing me and seeing that everything in the day ran smoothly. And I especially thank Cathy Jordan, a very devoted volunteer at Endeavour, for guiding me through the day. Altogether, it was a very successful visit!

School Garden: Plant in Containers

An old tire, dresser drawer, tin can, or bucket can make a good gardening container

Gardening is a great hands-on learning project with kids.  But many schools have limited gardening space.  One solution is to use containers.  Container gardening is a flexible alternative to the usual garden plot. Small containers and some containers with wheels can be taken in at night. Larger containers can be used for rooftop and parking lot garden spots.  Spread wood chips or sawdust to cover the asphalt and you can transform a hot dusty corner of the playground into a green oasis for your children.
Containers  should hold at least three gallons of soil for large or deep-rooted plants such as tomatoes, squash and melons, and one and one-half gallons of soil for smaller plants like lettuce, onions, and herbs.  When filling the container with soil, leave a one to three inch basin below the lip for watering.  Containers should have drainage holes in the bottom.  And, containers should be made of a material that will not rot or deteriorate before the plants have matured.

Have fun growing plants and reaping the harvest!

Thanks to Children’s Gardens, A Field Guide for Teachers, Parents and Volunteers by Elizabeth Bremner and John Pusey.  Illustrations by Caroline Arnold