Scott Gierasch
UMBC
MD

Methods and Strategies: The Future of Farming

Fri, Oct 16, 2015 3:19 PM
Hydroponic Gardening Project

I thought this was an interesting article detailing a hydroponic gardening project because it all begins with the common belief among elementary students that you need soil to grow plants. This article describes the project from the building of the hydroponic system to pickling the cucumbers the class produced. The authors included math connections, social studies connections, and language connections which help illustrate the broad appeal of this project. Perhaps the only downside is that this hydroponic garden was set up in the school greenhouse. I imagine it would be difficult for teachers to recreate that environment at most schools. The authors did include a small section on adapting the project to schools that lack greenhouse facilities, although part of the wow factor of this project is the scale of the hydroponic system. It may still work well enough with a smaller system set up in a classroom.

Design in the Watershed

Fri, Oct 16, 2015 2:57 PM
Great STEM Project and Environmentally Friendly

This article is an informative guide to an interactive, environmentally friendly, elementary STEM unit. Although I can imagine the project would be beneficial to students beyond 5th grade. The authors explain why pollution from storm water is harmful to local water systems (in this case, the Chesapeake Bay) and explain in detail how students can design, test, and build watershed gardens that will filter water before it enters the storm water drainage system. Materials list and general planning guidelines are included.