As Realityworks marketers Emily and Allen conclude their hydroponics journey, one final task loomed: harvesting their vegetables and herbs for the first time. These beginner hydroponic growers approached their first harvest with excitement; Emily’s lettuce and kale were bursting out of her Plant Lab Educational Hydroponics System, while Allen’s herbs had grown over the top of his Plant Mini Educational Hydroponics System.
So, what can teachers learn from their experience? What are some fun ways for using hydroponics produce in your own school?
Keep reading to find out.
New Vlog: Allen and Emily Harvest Their Hydroponics Plants
3 Ways to Use Hydroponics Produce In Your School
Hydroponics opens the door to many active learning opportunities. Students explore STEM concepts as they monitor pH levels, and practice soft skills as they collaborate and problem-solve. One of the most exciting ways to use hydroponics in the classroom, of course, is eating! Hydroponically grown vegetables and herbs are nutritious and fresh, and can be a lot more fun to eat simply because they were harvested right in the classroom.
If you’re looking for fun ways to use hydroponics in your school, consider these ideas:
- Contribute to your school lunch program, like this Illinois Agriculture teacher did
- Create smoothies and salads, like this Louisiana FCS teacher did
- Raise money for your school by selling produce at community events
- Donate to a local food pantry or community table
- Create realistic plant dissection opportunities
We’ll stop there, but the list could go on! What could you do, for instance, by collaborating with other departments? Agriculture teachers, science teachers, culinary teachers, and food service employees can use hydroponics to collaborate on concepts of sustainable farming, farm-to-school programs and more.
Learn more
If you’re looking for more information on classroom hydroponics systems, consider these resources:
- Our recent blog, “3 Tips for Teaching with Hydroponics Growing Systems“
- Our “Hydroponics: Know How to Grow” guide, which details the benefits of hydroponics, how hydroponics systems work and what you need to start growing fresh, healthy food in your classroom.
- You can also watch our recent webinar, “Grow Learning with Hydroponics Educational Systems: A Panel Discussion.” During this 40-minute presentation, you’ll hear from Realityworks marketers Emily and Allen about their hydroponics growing experience and Realityworks Education Programs Manager Jamey McIntosh on the best ways to teach with hydroponics. You’ll also discover a variety of free hydroponics resources:
