Supporting student success with a school farm
Research has long shown a positive relationship between school garden programs and higher test scores. And now, with Tower Farms, it’s never been easier for teachers — from kindergarten to college — to grow plants in the classroom.
Thousands of schools are already using Tower Farms growing systems to teach students. Here are a few that outline the educational opportunities available to you.
Why introduce the Tower Garden aeroponic tower program to your classroom?
This pedagogical program makes it possible to bring beautiful values on commitment and responsibilities while stimulating the learning of your students. It is a tool that you can easily integrate into different subjects such as science, mathematics and English.
You will also have access to a teacher’s guide and reproducible sheets.
- Students will become aware of the importance of developing good eating habits and they will be amazed to observe the evolution of food cultivation from sowing to harvesting.
- Students will understand the importance of eating well with healthy foods, free of pesticides and toxic products. You will use organic, non-GMO seeds and all-natural nutrients that come with your tower.
- Students will be made aware of the impact that food has on the environment and pollution. They will be made aware of the importance of eating well while reducing the ecological footprint.
- In addition, the tower uses 98% less water than with soil cultivation.
- Tower Garden’s aeroponic tower program will make everyone proud of having collaborated and helped develop food self-sufficiency in your classroom while learning and adopting good habits.
Classroom students' dinner made entirely from tower ingredients!
Some schools use the crops
sold to the general public
to finance certain activities,
as well as to contribute
to the well-being of the community.
If you want more information about the work of Stephen Ritz and his Green Bronx Machine, simply visit his website here.
Explore examples of school farms
University of Florida
Located in Gainesville, Florida, USA.
The University of Florida’s Tower Farm greenhouse offers students the unique opportunity to conduct research in vertical aeroponic growing methods. This hands-on experience gives new graduates an edge early in their careers.
Westside Elementary School
Located in Warner Robins, Georgia, USA.
The 10-tower farm at Westside Elementary School teaches students the importance of healthy eating and, through bountiful returns, also teaches them how to give back to the community.
Crane Country Day School
Located in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
Crane Country Day School’s gardening program teaches children the basics of food production along with curriculum-based lessons in science, social studies, math, and English.
The school’s state-of-the-art Tower Farm is an integral part of the gardening program. But it also serves another purpose: providing students with an abundance of lettuce and herbs each week.
École de l’Escalade school
Located in Gatineau, Quebec, in Canada.
Several schools across the country are following suit
To name just a few:
- Ecole de l’Escalade school, Gatineau
- La Marelle school
- Trivent school
- Mathieu-Martin school
- Lloydminster school, Saskatchewan
- The Ottawa Network for Education, as well as several schools in the U.S. and across Canada have already joined the Tower Garden educational program.
7 Reasons School Farms Get an A+
Whether you’re starting small or going big, Tower Farms technology can help you:
1. You will be able to farm more products with less resources.
Tower Garden operates using aeroponic technology which, when compared to in-ground gardening techniques, demonstrates up to 30% higher yields, in addition to tripling the growth rate of plants, while using only 10% of the water and space required by traditional gardening.
2. You can grow plants inside the classroom.
LED indoor grow lights make indoor gardening easier throughout the school year, meaning there’s no need for bodies (and brains) to leave the learning environment to grow a garden.
3. It produces much less damage compared to traditional gardening.
The Tower Garden is less complicated to manage and easier to clean because there is no soil to pick up.
4. You can move it anywhere you teach.
With the Rolling Dolly, you can move the Tower Garden between the classroom and cafeteria or playground—in short, wherever the students are!
5. You will get lots of support.
With lesson plans, gardening guides, FAQs and more — the Tower Garden grow community has a wealth of useful information for you. Alternatively, you can also call or email our customer service department who will be happy to assist you with any issues you may have.
6. You will be able to access the lesson plans for free.
With over 30 free lesson plans developed according to CCSS educational standards and NGSS scientific standards, for students from pre-K through Secondary 7, it will be very easy for you to incorporate Tower Garden into your curriculum.
7. Grants to help you set up your Tower Farm at school.
Each year, there are grants that are offered to schools to help them educate young people to go green, to sustainable development.
Here’s what’s coming up for the 2023-24 school year:
- The Green Matter support and certification program offered by ENvironnement JEUnesse is aimed at primary and secondary schools in Quebec, both public and private.
- Grants for projects that promote healthy lifestyles in elementary schools in Quebec from the Pierre Bruneau Foundation
- The WWF Grow Wild Grants at School
- The Nutriments for Life grant Learning Gardens
- Farm to Cafeteria Seed Grants
