Spring Break Update

Three weeks in and most everyone is on Spring Break.  The students planted seedlings the first week in March and I finally have some pictures to update our progress.  Each of the classes chose which seeds they would be testing in the three systems and we have some growth starting to show.

We had to make an adjustment to the PVC system in order to ensure it would properly water the roots.

My classes split into three groups per class and 2 plants per group.  The students started out their seedlings in rock wool which served great as a starter and allowed the students to easily transfer their plants to the net pots or the grow bed.   

We divided our class groups into three distinct roles.

The Farmer who is responsible for the plants and has a list of daily tasks to complete.
The Engineer who has three clipboards worth of checklists to go through daily.
The Group Member who monitors the overall progress, cares for the fish, and helps where necessary.   We have added some guidelines to how we move about the greenhouse as there are often other classes in there at the same time.

For the most part the students have been monitoring the progress in their plants, feeding the fish, maintaining the systems, and keeping the place clean.

The enthusiasm has been great and we have had very little issue with behavior as each of the students has a task to be completed and on average we have been on site for 30-40 minute intervals.  This is just enough time to complete the tasks but often not enough to properly clean up and reflect or simply explore.  For now this is okay as routine and processes are being established and we are forming good habits.

Just planted these show about a weeks worth of growth in the new systems.