This week our local newspaper featured a section on projects local school children were working on in classes. One of the area high schools got front page coverage for their agriculture classes having teens build miniature greenhouses. Each student got to design and build a small greenhouse (the size of a birdhouse). They each got to plant seeds to keep in their greenhouse to see if they would grow as part of the lesson.
As someone who loves to garden I enjoyed reading this news story and seeing pictures of all the different greenhouses the teens designed. Learning how to grow plants and how to grow your own food is an important lesson for young people to learn. Even using miniature greenhouses, students can learn the materials needed to build a greenhouse, how they work, and how to grow plants inside of them.
We live in a society that loves food that is fast! Fast food restaurants, pre-cooked meals, frozen prepared meals, etc dominate our culture so that our food is processed and made in factories. So much of our food is unhealthy and full of preservatives, high levels of salt/sugar, fats, and more.
Teaching teens how to grow fresh fruits and vegetables is an important skill to learn. Projects like building greenhouses can be used in lessons about nutrition, healthy eating habits, unhealthy eating habits, how plants grow and different stages of growth. Kids get a chance to learn useful skills along with learning about scientific processes and health.
There are many different types of greenhouses. They come in different shapes and sizes. Some are large and some are small (like birdhouses). I love the idea of having kids design their own greenhouses, build them, and test them out by growing plants in them. It isn't hard to make one. All you need are simple supplies most people have around the house. You can use plastic bottles, cups, egg cartons, and more.
A greenhouse may seem like a big project but in reality making small ones can be simple. You can recycle objects you probably throw away all the time. Below are links to different simple greenhouses you can build at home with your kids.
photo credit pixabay.
