Digging in, Part I: The History of Seattle's School Gardens
When we engage children in harvesting our gardens -- when we teach them about where their food comes from, how to prepare it, and how to grow it themselves -- they reap the benefits well into the future. (Michelle Obama, American Grown) In recent years renewed interest in environmental education and child nutrition has led to an increase in the number of horticultural gardens at Seattle's elementary and secondary schools. Advocates of outdoor classrooms hail the conversion of asphalt jungles into green spaces. While this may seem like a relatively new phenomenon, in fact, gardening has been a part of school programming going back a century -- with peaks and valleys in interest along the way. Early 20th Century: The School Garden Movement Children take to the hoes. This likely staged photo shows what may be the beginnings of a 1918 war garden adjacent to York School (now John Muir Elementary) in the Rainier Valley. Courtesy Rainier Valley Historical Society. The early 20th century ...