Tiny hands moved delicate sprouts from a plastic container to a commercial-grade hydroponic garden at Huffaker Elementary School Monday morning.
Fifth-grader Vivienne Cann transfers a row of lettuce from the germinator to its new home in the garden. She’s one of many students who voluntarily give up their lunch recess hour once a week to care for the indoor garden.
“It’s just a really easy and fun way to get kids excited about science,” said Hydroponics Club teacher Morgen Manly, later adding, “They’ve become a lot better problem solvers. When they come in here, and the pump isn’t working, or the lights are flickering, they are hands-on. … It’s great to see because I just kind of stand back, and they’re learning by doing, you know.”
Huffaker isn’t the only school in Nevada getting a Hydroponics setup. Thanks to state and federal funding, the nonprofit that offers the hydroponics program, Green Our Planet, says all public, private, and charter schools in the state can access the program for free or reduced-cost.
Manley hopes it gets the younger generation excited about healthy food and science. She said, “Who knows, we could inspire them when they go to college to say, ‘Oh, I’m going to study this; I did this in elementary school, and I loved it.’”
Source: 2News