How to Start a Classroom Hydroponics Program: 6 Tips from Real Users

August 16, 2021
Agriculture Education, Career and Technical Education, FCS

Whatever you teach, you can use hydroponics to engage your students with a classroom garden, or explore careers related to sustainable food growth and modern farming methods. Students will hone soft skills as they collaborate and problem-solve, and they’ll learn how science, math and other STEM skills apply to the real world. The benefits of hydroponics systems are seemingly endless — just ask the teachers who use our hydroponics educational systems.

In fact, that’s exactly what we did in a recent webinar about hydroponics. During the presentation, Realityworks Product Manager Jamey McIntosh reviewed the benefits of hydroponics systems and shared 6 tips for starting a hydroponics program. He also shared feedback from real users.

Keep reading to learn the tips Jamey shared. You’ll also hear directly from other teachers who are using hydroponics in their programs.

Do your research

If you’re considering using hydroponics in your classroom, we encourage you to start by exploring what systems are available. Determine your time – how long you have to dedicate to this topic? How many students do you have who will utilize these tools? What are your goals? What are you trying to accomplish?

In the case of Realityworks, we offer three different systems we recommend using to accomplish two different goals. We recommend using our Plant Producer Educational Hydroponics System to grow production-level quantities of greens, and using our Plant Lab Educational Hydroponics System to experiment with different, smaller quantities of greens. Our Plant Mini Educational Hydroponics Systems, available in a package of 5, are wonderful tools for experimentation as well. Not only can you vary the types of greens you grow, but the methods you use to grow as well. Your specific teaching goals will help you determine which type of system is best for you.

Learn the types of systems

Hydroponics systems include Deep Water Culture, Ebb and Flow, Drip Systems, Nutrient Film Techniques, aquaponics… you may be surprised at the variety, but in our experience, they all offer valid, engaging learning methods. Spend some time looking into each type to determine what’s best for you (and your budget).

Create a plan

When do you want to start growing? What do you want to harvest? What materials do you need? These answers and more are all great starting points – and many can be answered by downloading our free guide, “Hydroponics: Know How to Grow.” (Get your copy here.)

Expect challenges – and triumphs

The more teachers we speak to who’ve implemented engaging new tools into their programs, the more we understand the importance of managing expectations (both yours and your students). After all, some of the greatest learning opportunities come from failure. That said, expect the unexpected. Expect a batch of lettuce or some plant to grow incorrectly one time… have a plan in place to deal with that. What went wrong? What can you do differently the next time?

(These trial-and-error questions will also help your students develop valuable soft skills, like problem-solving and critical thinking.)

Just do it!

To steal Nike®’s infamous phrase… just do it! Start the process. Create space to start growing. Don’t be afraid to get started.

(Bonus: We are currently offering our entire hydroponics curriculum online – whether you already have these tools or not. Use these lesson plans to add get ideas for using these systems and add details to your own planning process.)