Now more than ever, there is a great deal of focus on healthy eating, especially in the face of scary obesity statistics and a turn toward ‘clean eating.’
That is one reason Jason Wagner, fourth- and fifth-grade science teacher at Apollo-Ridge Elementary School, wanted to have his students grow their own fresh, healthy vegetables.
“With the controversy surrounding genetically modified food being sold in our larger grocery stores, growing your own fruits and vegetables has never been as popular,” he says.
Wagner obtained a grant from Pittcon, which hosts educational activities and conferences to advance and benefit science.
It is billed as “the world’s largest annual premier conference and exposition on laboratory science,” and is organized by The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, a nonprofit educational organization.
“They are also really involved in promoting science in our schools,” says Wagner. “I received a $750 grant from them and decided to spend it on grow boxes to grow vegetables.”
The plastic grow boxes are designed to grow plants in a controlled environment, perfect for the classroom setting. Their design makes them compact and easy for the students to use. The plastic lid keeps weeds from growing and the design allows for a bottom watering system, so moisture moves upward through capillary action making overwatering impossible.
“They seemed like a great way to bring a garden into our classrooms,” Wagner says. “They are re-usable, there is no runoff, and they only need to be watered every three to four days.”
Wagner and his students started the gardens last spring, selecting lettuce, tomatoes and green peppers as their first crops. Throughout the process, Wagner related the student curriculum to their garden work.
“They learn about the food pyramid and body systems, so this ties right into those lessons,” he says.
The gardens also related to his science lessons. Wagner and his students discussed the design and benefits of the grow boxes, food concerns and issues, fertilizer use and its effect on plants, photosynthesis, and other gardening concepts.
“One thing the students learn about is the water cycle and water table, so having the grow boxes was a way for our students to visualize and directly see these concepts in action,” he says.
The students also learned about healthy eating and the benefits of growing their own foods.
“Everyone is so busy these days and don’t think they have the time to grow their own food and maintain a garden,” he says. “The grow boxes made this simple for us and got the kids excited about growing their own gardens.”
The gardens didn’t yield as much as Wagner and his students had hoped, but that too was a learning experience.
“We germinated the seeds in March and we need to start them sooner next year,” he says.
Wagner also thinks the controlled environment might have been too controlled.
“Our plants were not as strong because there were no environmental factors, such as wind and rain, which help strengthen the plants’ stems,” he says.
Wagner and his students have discussed how to improve their gardens for
the next season.
“All in all, this was a great project and we look forward to doing it again next year,” he says.
