Regular readers of our blog know that we love how hydroponics can help grow both bodies and minds. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants like leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and even strawberries without soil, producing healthy, fresh foods to fuel bodies. It also offers a multitude of hands-on learning opportunities for students in many areas such as science, nutrition, agriculture, sustainability, critical thinking, and art.
Hydroponics is well-known for providing invaluable hands-on learning opportunities for students across a wide range of STEM subjects including biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental studies. Through hydroponics, students can explore the biological processes involved in nutrient uptake, photosynthesis, and plant anatomy. Students are given the chance to observe, experiment, and actively participate in the entire life cycle of plants, from germination to harvesting. By maintaining a hydroponic growing system, students are responsible for monitoring pH levels, nutrient solution content, and plant growth, which provides the opportunity to develop valuable critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Moreover, hydroponics teaches environmental awareness firsthand as students learn about the importance of water conservation and sustainable practices.
While the learning opportunities with STEM and hydroponics are abundant, it's also worth exploring how hydroponics intersects with art, sometimes referred to as STEAM. Hydroponics helps connect kids to nature and after all, nature is art. Indoor hydroponic gardens offer unique ways to integrate art lessons into the school’s general curriculum, and provide interactive environments that can inspire creativity and artistic concepts. Tips on incorporating an indoor hydroponic garden into creative art lessons are provided below.
Cooking and experimenting are creative forms of art. Students can create homemade pesto from the basil they've grown in their hydroponic garden, experimenting with different recipes—one with pine nuts and another with walnuts—to experience varying flavors. They can also add kale to see how it alters the taste of the pesto. Mastering culinary skills, such as learning how to cut the greens, herbs tomatoes, and cucumbers they have grown in their garden, is also an artistic endeavor.
Whether in the cafeteria or the classroom, tasting new flavors and cooking with new foods provides discovery opportunities. Encourage students to taste the fresh foods they have grown and describe as many characteristics as possible, including appearance, flavor, texture, and aroma. Make it a full sensory experience, encouraging students to use descriptive vocabulary. Learning how to articulate and express sensory details is a form of art.
Journaling and writing are demonstrated ways to help students remember and comprehend information. Writing also encourages reflection, which is an essential part of retaining information. Hydroponics can be used to promote writing in the classroom by keeping records on how long it takes seeds to germinate and grow into mature plants, comparing and contrasting different plant growth methods, measuring and tracking pH levels, nutrients, water levels, and more.
Interactive and hands-on projects that require group input offer invaluable opportunities for students to engage with each other, explore different perspectives, and work as a team to achieve a common goal. These activities not only build artistic skills, but also teach important real-life lessons about cooperation, negotiation, and the positives of teamwork.
Now that we know how any teacher can incorporate art and hydroponic growing lessons into their school’s curriculum, here are some specific ideas for how a trained art teacher can use an indoor hydroponic garden for creative lessons:
Students can engage in traditional art by designing and drawing infographics that illustrate a plant’s germination period in a hydroponic system. Teachers can set up easels around the growing plants and have students capture the plants up close in their blooming hydroponic farm.
Encourage students to choose a plant to call their own. Students can carefully watch their plants and create a series of drawings that document the growth of their plants from sprout to harvest. Time-lapse work helps students practice detailed observation by sketching the plants at various stages of growth.
Students love to photograph living things. Photography classes can teach students about composition, lighting, photo editing techniques, as well as digital art.
Encourage students to use fresh foods from the hydroponic garden like dried leaves, peppers, and strawberries to create eco-friendly art projects. Students can explore different textures by creating rubbings or prints of various plants, fruits, and herbs.
It is evident that an indoor hydroponic garden is more than just a tool for teaching science-based skills; it can also be a valuable resource for art education. By incorporating nature and living things into art, teachers offer opportunities for experiential learning and creativity. Whether through drawing, journaling, working as a team, photographing, or experimenting, the possibilities for artistic exploration are endless. It’s time to hone those art skills!
Fork Farms has former teachers and administrators on staff who can help answer more questions about the abundance of learning opportunities a hydroponic farm can introduce to students and adults alike. Contact us to learn more and get your artistic juices flowing.