- Students will be able to describe how an automated watering system functions.
Tools & Materials
- CAD program or grid paper
- Scale or ruler
- SMART Board
From day one in the flagship Edible Learning Lab we decided that the process of watering starts each day would be managed by the students. It’s important for students to learn how to be responsible, develop fine motor skills, and use hands-on observation to assess just how much water the young starts need.
The plants in our Lab have been watered every single day since September 2016 and that task can get old for even the most engaged students. It doesn’t take long to water a table of 500 starts but who doesn’t like automation. Right!
There are several designs in use today for watering tables that make the daily process of watering starts a no-brainer. Check out the timed watering system for flats created by the BA flood table (Additional Resource). What could be improved? Is there a way to build it for less?
Design a timed watering system for your Lab’s seed starting station that will automatically water plants when you’re out of school. Draft a design as a first step, and then build it out for operational use.
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