Rationale for School Gardens

Not all government resources are wasted! The Library of Congress offers some wonderful resources on School Gardens. These are worth investigating as IGSS students pursue the development of a school garden.

View this webcast by Constance Carter, Head of the Science Reference Section, Library of Congress, explaining the history of the school garden in America and describing reasons why school gardens are making a comeback.

The American Memory Collection has wonderful resources for the history of school gardens:

America From the Great Depression to World War II
Search on school gardens to find images of school gardens and children's victory gardens.

American Landscape and Architectural Design
Images of school and children's gardens in New York, NY.

Garden and Forest (1888-1897)
Search on school gardens to find articles on school gardens.

Juvenile Nature Literature and Nature Pedagogy, c.1850-1920 from The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
Bibliography of print material documenting the development of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century juvenile nature literature and pedagogy, including what was known as the "nature study" movement in American education.

Additional Information on School Garden programs:

American Horticultural Society: Youth Gardening
An array of resources (see links at left) assembled to help young gardeners, including schoolchildren, by a major national gardening organization.

Chicago Botanic Garden: School Gardening
Information and links about the Chicago Botanic Garden's extensive school gardening program.

Edible Schoolyard
An innovative school gardening program created in collaboration with chef Alice Waters.

Gardens for Learning: Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden
A comprehensive, downloadable guidebook created to support today's school-gardening movement, by the California School Garden Network.