Les Verts Living collaborated with the Vancouver School Board and non-profit organizations, Growing Chefs and Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society on an Indoor Hydroponics pilot to educate students about indoor growing through use of the Terrace Pro indoor garden.
The system was intended to act as a tool to teach students about a myriad of topics, including:
Indoor growing and hydroponics
Garden planning
Starters for outdoor growing
Meal prep and cooking
Nutrition
From the Educators' Perspective:
“Les Verts Living Indoor hydroponic gardens are a great hands-on teaching tool for educators to use in conjunction with their curriculum. These gardens are perfect for students to engage in the exciting experience of growing their own food. By witnessing grow from seeds to delicious plants, students can learn through hands-on experience. They also enjoy the final product by using the plants to help create meals! Students can also transplant seedlings into their outdoor garden beds. These hydroponic gardens have the potential to transform students’ classroom science learning experience.”
(Tathatli Urueta, Fresh Roots Youth Program Manager)
“The Terrace Pro has made a strong impact on the students, and I’ve really witnessed student engagement grow across the weeks. We had our largest turn out at the Garden Club last week with students who are all showing care, interest and creativity with the Terrace Pro, which they affectionately still call Greta the Garden!”
(Hope Rapp, Growing Chefs educator)
From the Students' Perspective
Meet "Greta the Garden"
Students voluntarily attend a Garden Drop-in session once a week in their regular science classroom to learn about and grow with the Terrace Pro. They plan and log their activities weekly, then assist in harvesting and creating a meal with the Growing Chefs’ LunchLAB chef.
The first week, the students named their Terrace Pro, “Greta the Garden”.
They were asked to write on a post-it note what they were excited about when the school got the Terrace Pro. One student wrote, “I’m excited to see how this compares to regular outdoor gardening and if it could be better.”
Students plant lettuce together
Soaking blocks
Planting herbs
Planting microgreens
The students noted how efficient growing indoors is, and how it is a nice complement to the outdoor gardening they get to try at their school. They also noted how the produce has so much more “taste” than usual.
Schools and community organizations across Canada are gaining access to grants to fund a Les Verts system to integrate with their learning programs.
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