Sustainable Gardening for the Future

School:: Oakridge Middle
Subject:: Science
Teacher:: April Jaycox- Varga
Students Impacted:: 150
Grade:: 6
Date:: September 4, 2023

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

A Champion For Learning - $799.00

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 150

Our Gardyn tunred into one of the most meaningful tools/lessons in all of our 6th Grade Earth Science year.

The Students began by constucting the unit from one big box with many parts. Following the written directions throughout the construction of our system turned into a major life lesson. The system was taken apart two different times due to lack of proper constuction. In addition, the students got to see exactly the engineering componenets of the delivery of recycled water throughout the system.

From here we implanted the pods of seeds and waited for germination. I let the students get impatient before I decided to clue them into a fact that they were missing: nutrients pack. It was helpful for students to see up close a sustainable aand parallel process of seed germination and plant growth.

These were all intended results. However, there were many more positive impacts yet to come! The students researched on their own and were very territorial of our crops. In addition, as we started to harvest, there was intense competition on who could produce the best recipes for out vegtables and herbs. They also likes to produce goodie bags for teachers and students in our pantry program so they could have fresh produce!

grant photo

Original Grant Overview

Goal

My goal is to teach my students a more sustainable way to garden.
Last year, we were awarded a generous grant for an outdoor school garden. The hands -on opportunity for students to have an opportunity to grow food from seed to table is priceless!
However, as of today, Naples FL is classified as a moderate drought, something we experienced first hand last school year, which greatly affected our crop yield! It also wasted much water, an exceedingly precious resource in the work today.

I truly believe that now is the time to show my students (every year with this system) a more sustainable method of produce harvesting.

What will be done with my students

I will purchase the Indoor Gardyn Kit for our classroom
( https://mygardyn.com/product/gardyn-home-kit/).
My Earth Science students will educate themselves on the system by immersing themselves in the resources provided, including the extensive technology system provided with the kit. Each of my 6 classes will choose and research 5 plants to grow ( the system supports 30 large plants in 2 sq. ft. area!).
The emphasis will be on individual plant needs as well as overall sustainability of this approach.

Benefits to my students

I hope to instill a passion for sustainable solutions for the future. Our local environment and climate has seen large-scale changes and my students will be able to relate to real world solutions. The Gardyn uses 95% less water than typical outdoor growing methods, with an added bonus of no plastic usage in the entire process.

Budget Narrative

Gardyn Home Kit 3.0 ( Includes System, 30 plants, and plant nutrition) is $799.00 with an email sign-up.

Items

#	Item	Cost
1	Gardyn Home Kit 3.0 ( Includes System, 30 plants, and plant nutrition)	$799.00
	Total:	$799.00

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