Many educators were concerned that public school children were subjected to too much abstract learning and needed also to be taught practical things in school. The school garden provided training in a practical skill and at the same time helped educators to overcome their fear that schooling would alienate rural children from the practical life of the farm. The rural school garden also emphasised the connection between the school and the surrounding community, while the city school garden was supposed to promote among urban children an appreciation of nature and the rural ideal. These students are tending their school garden at Bridgenorth, near Peterborough, Ontario.
