Fall is finally here, and the school year is in full swing! Teachers — we know you’re well aware that with a new school year comes new opportunities and inevitable challenges. Whether it’s finding a new, refreshing way to engage the class, or making a daunting subject matter approachable, you may be looking for a creative approach that educates and inspires your students. Enter, School Gardening by Tower Garden!

With aeroponic technology that doesn’t rely on soil and the ability to grow year-round (and indoors with grow lights), Tower Garden is a valuable asset and memorable learning experience for students of all ages. With over 30 CCSS and NGSS aligned lesson plans and learning materials available on our website, we have lesson plans perfectly suited for your classroom. They are designed to guide you through a successful growing journey, while also providing lessons on a variety of subjects, including math, literacy, and of course, healthy eating! We’ve picked some of our top lesson plans for you to try out with your school gardens:

Plant Anatomy

It all starts with the basics! If you have a class full of little ones, this simple seed dissection is perfect for you. This print out breaks down the parts of a plant, helping students learn the proper name, location and function of a plant from root to stem. Display this in your classroom and refer to it periodically throughout your Tower Garden growing process.

Planting Seeds

Whether you plan to use seeds from the Tower Garden growing system or buy your own, engage your students from the start by inviting them to have a say in what gets planted. Tower Garden seeds are planted in Rockwool cubes covered with vermiculite and then watered to germinate. Students will learn what’s inside a seed, the importance of soaking, and how to care for a crop to ensure optimal growth.

Pollination

Many students believe the function of a flower is to smell nice and look beautiful. Even after the lesson, it can be challenging to understand that flowers are responsible for generating seeds and fruit. Engage your classroom by asking students what they know about flowers, clear up any misconceptions, and reiterate that the flower’s special job is to make seed(s). You can also discuss the importance of bees, and hand pollination for indoor gardening.

Mineral Nutrition

Since Tower Garden is a soilless growing system, mineral nutrition is a unique component to the gardening process. Tower Garden Mineral Blend is a solution of minerals that plants absorb through their roots. This lesson will help students understand the importance of these minerals and how to monitor and regulate the pH of the nutrient solution.

Flavors and Phytochemicals

Now, for the fun part! This lesson is meant to encourage students to become interested in sampling fresh fruits and vegetables and to explain the relevance of flavors, colors and phytochemicals. Distribute fresh herbs and plants for students to sample, then discuss possible physiological effects of these samples based on the experience of tasting them. Examples may include basil, cilantro, thyme, oregano or kale.

Social Media: Support from the Similar-Minded

Want ideas for how to best leverage Tower Garden in your classroom? Discover what techniques have worked well for other Tower Garden teachers by connecting with them on Facebook and Twitter!

Like what you found here? Check out our comprehensive list of lessons plans here.

By Logan Nickleson for Tower Garden.

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Tower Garden is the way of the future. Vertical gardening and urban farms will reduce planting space, and provide food production at larger scales.