Growing More Than Plants

This article features teachers Alan Roth and Jan Weertz that are no longer at the schools.

Growing plants is more than placing a seed or cutting in soil and seeing the results, it is actually about chemistry, economics, art, mathematics, sociology and a host of other subjects. We all know that many students don't really enjoy learning chemistry or math or many of the other subjects taught in school, but experience has shown that they all seem to like growing plants. The logical answer is to use the experience of growing plants to teach many of the other subjects that students may not be as enthusiastic about. And that is exactly what has been done through a joint program by the National Garden Bureau and the National Gardening Association. Through this joint venture, a commercially produced growth chamber called a GrowLab^® is donated to selected elementary schools around the United States. The donation of GrowLabs is possible through funding from the three organizations. In addition to the growth chamber, supplies such as seeds, growing media and other growing necessities are also contributed.

The GrowLab^®...

The GrowLab^® units the National Garden Bureau and its partners donate is 52 inches wide by 23 inches deep, and 39 inches tall. It fits on a tabletop and has a metal frame that holds two 4-foot light fixtures with special grow lights, and plastic trays to hold plants. There is a 24-hour timer to control the lights, a climate control tent to regulate humidity, and a guide book and other materials to help the teacher get the most from having a GrowLab^® in the classroom. Video tapes and other materials are also available, and the teachers receive a newsletter three times year that is full of tips and advice from other educators who are using GrowLabs.

While the program provides lesson plans for using the GrowLab^® to teach a variety of subjects through experimentation, the National Garden Bureau also arranges for a seed company professional to adopt the designated classroom or school, provide growing advice and answer questions by visiting the classroom to talk with students and teachers.

Educators' Comments...

Professionals who have been involved with the classroom projects report that it has been a very rewarding experience. Among those are Nona Wolfram Koivula, Executive Director of the National Garden Bureau.

"I am always impressed with the enthusiasm and the intelligence of the students," she said. "Once they start growing their plants a lot of the other subjects they study begin to fall in place and make sense. They readily see that plants not only provide food for a country, but also the basis for fabrics and building supplies. They learn that the climate in a certain country can help or hinder agriculture, and they begin to understand that not every place has the best soil for growing plants.

"Depending on what the classroom teacher does with the program, students can also learn business from growing and selling their plants, which means they have to use math and a host of other subjects. It's really amazing what they learn from growing plants.

"And they also want to know all about the plants. They'll ask what a hybrid is? How is breeding done? Why is it done? And all sorts of solid questions like that. This program really gets them thinking."

Teachers who have received a GrowLab^® from the program share in their praise.

Alan Roth, a teacher at the Washington State School for the Blind, Vancouver, Washington, says the GrowLab^® has provided a lot of experiences for his students some of them amusing. Roth's students are both totally blind and partially sighted, and are in grades 6 ,7, and 8 (11 to 14 years old). Next year he will also include high school students.

"They learn as much from their mistakes as from their successes," says Roth. In addition to learning about plants, "Kids learn spatial awareness by standing up and hitting their heads on the lights. And I have learned not to put my briefcase near the GrowLab^® because it gets watered if I leave it there.

"Students learn what grows and what doesn't grow. [In one experiment] students used variables to grow plantsÑwater, salt water, cranberry juice and chocolate milk. All their ideas. It was very interesting.

"The GrowLab^® is also a good conversation piece with other teachers, and several other teachers now have added window boxes on their own, so the concept is spreading.

"We tried growing some barley, but it wouldn't germinate. When we looked at the seed package we found that it was very old, so we talked about the many things that affect germination."

Roth's classes have had the GrowLab^® for about one year, and some of the instruments had to be modified to fit special needs. For instance, they had to have a Braille ruler to be able to measure the height of the plants as they grew.

Roth also added wheels that turn 360 degrees instead of just back and forth, which made it easier to maneuver the cart.

The class has been growing squash, peas, green beans, and herbs. "At the end of the school year we plan to have a picnic and invite parents and friends. The kids will sell the produce or the plants (depending on maturity), so they will learn business skills as well. They may want to price a plant at $5, and we'll see if it sells. If it doesn't we'll explore why.

"GrowLab^® teaches responsibility if plants die back because someone forgot to water them, they experience peer pressure. And being responsible like this also teaches self-esteem because they see what they accomplish.

"The GrowLab^® is great because it ties in with biology, chemistry, social studies. It lends itself to multiple abilities. We can use it with kids who have minimal abilities or with those at more advanced levels."

Next year, Roth plans to introduce GrowLab^® projects to his high school students. "With high schoolers we will be able to do more advanced studies in biology, chemistry, and social studies, plus math and other subjects. The program is very versatile.

"We're very pleased with the GrowLab^®, and frankly we would like another one. We will do a lot more with it in the future."

At the William Beye Elementary School in Oak Park, Illinois, fourth grade teacher Jan Weerts has had a GrowLab^® for two years. "We use it a lot for two large social studies and science units," she said. "We studied the prairie and the rain forest. We also cross pollinate an Amaryllis, dissect daffodils, and plant seeds.

"We grow flowers and vegetables, and we have learned not to plant all the vegetables at once or we have too much produce. It is also too much for the kids to handle when we have to do everything at once. Now we spread our planting time out a little more."

Weerts' class has also learned about recycling. The class reuses its pots, flats, and mini greenhouses as many times as possible.

The vegetables and flowers are planted outside in a raised bed on the playground.

"It's a beautiful display in the neighborhood, and it encourages the kids to come in summer to see the garden. We harvested a lot last year broccoli, tomatoes, onions, lettuce. I was just amazed at the beauty.

"We talk about what the world would be like without plants."

Weerts' students have studied how liquid moves in a plant, and many other subject areas. "It also helps the kids learn that they have to plan ahead. We have to plan what to grow, where it will go in the garden, and how to protect it in the garden.

"I love having the GrowLab^®. Each year gets better and better, and we learn more and learn how to do more. It's really fun."

More Donations to Be Made...

The National Garden Bureau considers children's gardening one of its most important missions. The non-profit organization intends to continue donating GrowLabs to schools through the 21st century.

For more information about donating a GrowLab^® and other educational programs, write to the National Gardening Association, 1100 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT 05403, call 1-800LETSGRO, or visit their website at www.kidsgardening.com.