Hands-on Hydroponics Get Students Excited About Plant Experiments
Looking for new learning experiences that inspire students to start thinking about solutions to climate change events? Consider hydroponics, growing plants in nutrient solutions, for a hands-on, interactive science experiment that involves plants, water and light.
Hydroponics kits like this one made it easy for students to experiment at home.
Philadelphia resident Kyle Wyche developed hydroponic kits for students and teachers. Kyle is also COO of Ecotone Renewables, a Pittsburgh-based start up that turns food waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer. Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants’ Sustainability Intern, Margaret Chen, caught up with Kyle to learn what makes his hydroponics kits so successful with students.
Applying a Background in Biology & Ecology
While at University of Pittsburgh, Kyle studied ecology & evolution in the department of Biological Science. This background led him to experiment with terrarium design and hydroponics. Upon graduating from Pitt, Kyle joined Ecotone Renewables as COO while also applying his knowledge to developing affordable hydroponics kits for teachers and students.
Science teacher Jim Hall (left) & Ecotone Renewables’ COO Kyle Wyche (right) assembling hydroponics kits for students.
Last summer, Kyle collaborated with science teacher, Jim Hall, who was teaching students on-line. Kyle’s kits included air bubblers, cilantro and basil seeds, hydro balls, rockwool, and air pumps. With help from Kyle’s instructional videos and science content from Jim, students built, created and maintained their own hydroponic kits at home. Through their experiments, students learned about a low-cost, easy way to grow plants on site. The experiments challenged students to think about their experimental design, variables such as light, water, and nutrients, in ways they would not have experienced by just reading a textbook.
Philadelphia middle school students experiment with hydroponics.
Deepening Scientific Concepts
“My students loved having their own kits in their own homes,” reflected Jim Hall. “After a year of learning on-screen, the fact that they had tactile, real live plants to experiment deepened abstract concepts like the carbon cycle to life. Their understanding about plant biology, chemistry, and ecology was heightened by the fact that they could see first hand what was happening to their plants.”
Experimenting with hydroponics to grow basil.
“Hydroponics is the “gateway” for students learning about other related issues such as land-use, monocultures, food insecurity, pesticides, and alternative methods to farming” notes Kyle. “It’s important that students learn how food can be grown locally and sustainably. This is the first step in inspiring students to care about the environment.”
Kyle and teachers like Jim are connecting students to plants and their environment -- one kit at a time. To learn more about hydroponics, see UMass Hydroponics. To learn more about hydroponic kits, contact Kyle Wyche at kyle@ecotonerenewables.com.
Article by Margaret Chen, former Sustainability Intern, Boyer Sudduth Environmental Consultants, January 2022.
