Suggestions Sought for Garden Science Supplies

[Sherman Garden]

Hello Gardeneers,

Our program was fortunate enough to receive a windfall grant to purchase supplies for garden-themed STEM projects. We want to stock up on high-quality scientific supplies and materials that will last us for the long haul.

I am pretty burnt out and the list I have auto-generated is rather short. It is this: refractometers. 

So if you have any suggestions for specific products and brands, I would really appreciate it. We're very open to most things, except we're not really interested in hydroponics.

Thank you!

-- 

Christina Abuelo

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Coordinator - (858) 210-2628

Sherman Elementary School Garden & Barrio Botany

www.ShermanGrows.com

www.BarrioBotany.org

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ Cultivating Healthy, Happy, Nature-Connected Kids

[Amy Bowman]

Have you considered drones? I know a teacher who uses them for pollination. A PBL based on what happens if bees disappear. She did this with 2nd graders, it was awesome.

Amy Bowman

On May 12, 2022, at 11:24 PM, Sherman Garden <sherma...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Gardeneers,

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[Shauna F]

Just curious, but how will you use the refractometers?

I am sure you already have a good collection of hand lenses?  What about a field microscope?

I was just reading a farm article in which the farmers talked about the value of a penetrometer in determining soil compaction and the need (or lack thereof) for soil tilling, etc.  He said using it significantly decreased the amount of work that he did for bed prep.  You might not need it for that, but it could be a cool way to demonstrate the power of roots.

Have fun!

Shauna

[Chelsi Crawford]

Soil & water testing kits (for field use) LaMotte Brand or Nasco 

https://www.enasco.com/p/Nasco-Introduction-to-Soil-Classroom-Kit%2BSB48134

Weather station 

https://www.enasco.com/p/3-in-1-Color-Display-Weather-Station%2BSB52021

Strawberry DNA Extraction kit - Nasco 

Creature Seeker Pond Kit - Nasco

Carson MicroBrite Plus 60x-120x Power LED Lighted Pocket Microscope - I wish we had a class set of these—kids love them! 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X5TNSCA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GKV8GRKPNTK73JD5Y3Z8?psc=1

Mushroom indoor growing kit 

Class set of high quality binoculars 

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--

Chelsi Crawford
Environmental Education Faculty
Greensboro Montessori School
www.thegms.org
336.668.0119

[Ben]

just a suggestion about a garden themed STEM project for kids,... show them how to build a simple solar still

actually did this myself as a kid in the boy scouts, basically a solar still is nothing more than digging a hole in the ground and covering it w/ plastic so fresh water condenses on the under side (here is a link to the basic setup)

http://www.starhop.com/blog/2020/4/29/at-home-stem-activities-diy-solar-still

A solar still is also a good way to introduce kids to the hydrological cycle,... IMHO it's important that everyone has a basic understanding of where water comes from AND that water is a precious resource that should not be taken for granted,... 

anyway FWIW given the drought in and my interest in the topic here are some videos that outline key aspects of the issue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68h_DXpN-A0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKT3R5n4_3M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJLMgCnYyG4

A study in San Diego asked if people could identify the scientific reason why climate change is happening

The findings sadly no one could correctly answer the question

www.ThereIsNoPlanet-b.org

Make science in America great again

[Ben]

Since water is necessary to grow any sort of crop, just wondering if garden educators ever thought about or introduced their students to the hydrological cycle AND the concept of drought (which is happening in different regions all around the world,... not just in san diego or the south western USA)

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct1z2n

in other words seems the garden AND garden educators are in the idea setting to build a simple solar still AND show your students how it is a small scale model version of the the hydrological cycle 

(for example since a picture is worth a thousand words)

actually to further reinforce the idea of STEM education might be interesting to have students break up into teams and have them compete to see who can build a solar still that beats the other teams design/builds

for example a clear cover can be either plastic or glass,... but what one discovers in physics/engineering is glass is more efficient than plastic because "silica" is hydrophobic

to illustrate the idea people need water to survive, watch a myth buster video building a solar still using duct tape and shrink wrap (AND a news report about solar stills)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zuj_NnymqMg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGXTkV8Gag

A study in San Diego asked if people could identify the scientific reason why climate change is happening

The findings sadly no one could correctly answer the question

www.ThereIsNoPlanet-b.org

Make science in America great again

On Tue, May 17, 2022 at 2:19 PM Shital Parikh <shi...@1parikhs.com> wrote:

This is awesome. We live in San Diego so we could get salt water from the ocean when doing this experiment i suppose. 

Thank you

Shital

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--

Shital Parikh

Master Gardener, School Garden Consultant

"To plant a garden, is to believe in tomorrow" Audrey Hepburn

[Shital Parikh]

Thank you so much for sharing this  

I’ll look into it and see if a school can take this project on! Very useful concept 

[Ben]

shital,

since you are looking for a school (in the san diego area) to take on a project about teaching students about the idea of solar stills and the hydrological cycle, here are two more infographics I came up with on the topic

A study in San Diego asked if people could identify the scientific reason why climate change is happening

The findings sadly no one could correctly answer the question

www.ThereIsNoPlanet-b.org

Make science in America great again

[Shital Parikh]

Thx so much  connect academy wants to do the project so I’ll work on it in aug and will run it by you before we go ahead. Shital

[Ben]

was reminded of the proposed STEM garden school project to teach students about the science of where fresh water comes in nature from after watching a 60 minutes news segment on the severe drought in the South Western region

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/colorado-river-water-level-60-minutes-2022-08-14/

figure garden educators teaching students about the hydrological cycle is important because fruits and vegetables are mostly water (by weight)

AND sadly looking at the much bigger picture science indicates,...

Rainwater everywhere on the planet is unsafe to drink due to levels of toxic chemicals known as PFAS that exceed the latest guidelines, according to a new study by Stockholm University scientists.

Commonly known as 'forever chemicals' because they disintegrate extremely slowly, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were initially found in packaging, shampoo or makeup but have spread to our entire environment, including water and air.

"There is nowhere on Earth where the rain would be safe to drink, according to the measurements that we have taken," Ian Cousins, a professor at the university and the lead author of the study published in Environmental Science and Technology

https://phys.org/news/2022-08-rainwater-unsafe-due-chemicals.html

A study in San Diego asked if people could identify the scientific reason why climate change is happening

The findings sadly no one could correctly answer the question

www.ThereIsNoPlanet-b.org

Make science in America great again

[tamara o'brien]

Wow Ben! 

Just here for the ideas this is amazing!

Tamara 

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[HENRIKSEN, REBEKKA]

Truly appreciate these lesson ideas. I will just caution that I think we need to be very mindful how we discuss these facts with students so as not to induce despair/overwhelm them. Solution-oriented curriculum can counterbalance the hopelessness that some may feel when learning about all this. Just my two cents as a parent of a middle schooler with anxiety disorder who struggles with climate change reality.

Rebekka Henriksen
Farm to School Projects Manager
Schenectady City School District
518-949-0520 (work mobile)
518-929-8590 (personal mobile)

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From: school-gar...@googlegroups.com <school-gar...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Ben <ben...@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2022 4:55 PM
To: Shital Parikh <shi...@1parikhs.com>
Cc: School Garden Support Organization Network <school-gar...@googlegroups.com>; Sherman Garden <sherma...@gmail.com>
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Re: Suggestions Sought for Garden Science Supplies

 

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[tamara o'brien]

Rebekkka THIS!! 

David Sobel is one of my favorite authors and he talks about the importance of solution based learning! There should be no tragedies before 5th grade. Obviously our students hear about things and have bad experiences but the point is not to focus on the problem. Hear it, acknowledge it and then quickly teach them "yes but scientists have come up with these solutions here are examples of them working....how/what can we do to help with the solution" 

Thanks for great project ideas all! 

Tamara 

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[Ben]

It's human nature to want to avoid dealing head on with big problems (like drought and man made climate change) BUT the inconvenient truth is big problems don't magically fix themselves! 

Said another way before a solution to a problem can be formulated and to greatly improve the odds of a favorable outcome, it is first necessary to admit there is a problem and fully understand the big picture

To put things into context what kids and adults need is the OODA loop which is a mental tool that I learned about in flight school which illustrates the deadly consequences of not fully paying attention what is going on

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, consider,... 

Point being just as kids are taught early on that it is important to be aware of cars (when walking) in order to avoid harm to themselves,... the OODA loop concept points out, being scientifically aware of what is going on is necessary to avoid harm

Case in point because elected politicians and policy makers have ignored well understood science, it should not be too surprising that humanity faces some pretty daunting issues, (in other words) we are where we are (up a proverbial creek w/ out a paddle) because well understood science was basically all but ignored 

(for example) according to "news reports" because science was pretty much ignored, millions of people in California face a troubling future,...

California is running out of water fast. While corporate interests guzzle up our precious, finite water resources, more than 1 million Californians lack access to safe drinking water.

Our elected leaders have failed to hold corporate interests accountable for their egregious water abuses. We need Governor Newsom to step up to the challenge and use his broad executive authority to rebalance California’s water allocation.

Add your name to tell Governor Newsom to put people over corporate profits and protect the human right to water NOW.

https://secure.foodandwaterwatch.org/act/defend-california-human-right-water?ms=fwws_np_05172022_big-water-abusers&oms=fwws_np_05172022_big-water-abusers


In his time at the California State Water Resources Control Board, Max Gomberg has witnessed the state grapple with two devastating droughts and the accelerating effects of climate change.

Now, after 10 years of recommending strategies for making California more water resilient, the board’s climate and conservation manager is calling it quits. The reason: He no longer believes Gov. Gavin Newsom and his administration are willing to pursue the sorts of transformational changes necessary in an age of growing aridification.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-07-28/california-drought-official-blasts-newsom-administration


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/colorado-river-water-level-60-minutes-2022-08-14/

WRT garden education and a solar still (which is a useful device to teach people about the hydrological cycle), an active carbon filter which is a another simple component to build and when used in series after a solar still is something which can filter out harmful PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and cyanobacteria byproducts (from water)

Actually what garden educators should find interesting is ancient farmers actually noted the benefit of using "carbon"

https://rainwaterrunoff.com/biochar/

https://www.permaculturenews.org/2016/11/18/biochar-brief-history/

A study in San Diego asked if people could identify the scientific reason why climate change is happening

The findings sadly no one could correctly answer the question

www.ThereIsNoPlanet-b.org

Make science in America great again