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Why an Indoor Wall Garden Improves Education
Working as a teacher can be challenging. But what if we told you there’s a fun, innovative way to create a learning environment - one that fits into your classroom setting but also connects students to the natural world? Welcome to the Click & Grow Wall Farm.
The Wall Farm is an indoor vertical garden that makes it easy to grow indoor plants. Unlike typical wall planters, the Click & Grow Wall Farm has its own irrigation system and uses our unique growth medium called Smart Soil. As with all of our indoor herb gardens, the Wall Farm is fully automated.
Using the Wall Farm in the classroom
One local teacher making great use of the Click & Grow Wall Farm is Kirstin Karis, IB Diploma Programme Coordinator in Miina Härma Gümnaasium in Tartu, Estonia.
We asked Kirstin about her experience of using the Wall Farm and why it’s important for students to learn about sustainability and how plants grow.
Kirstin Karis
How did you find out about Click & Grow?
Years ago I saw Click & Grow advertisements on the Internet and many acquaintances already had a Smart Garden at home.
Why did you choose the Click & Grow Wall Farm and how long have you been using it?
The Click & Grow Wall Farm was gifted to our school in 2018 and since then we’ve used it regularly (except during school summer holidays).
How do you use Click & Grow as an educational tool?
Firstly, the students have done various research with the Click & Grow Wall Farm. For example, answers have been found to the following scientific questions:
- ‘How does the heat treatment of soil at temperatures of 35, 40, 45 and 50 degrees Celsius affect the growth of sweet basil plants (Ocimum basilicum) in that soil over a 15 day period as indicated by difference in dry mass?’
- ‘To what extent does the allelopathic effect of the adjacent growth of the tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum) inhibit the biomass and leaf widths of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) over a period of 4 weeks?’
- ‘To what extent do Faba bean plants (Vicia faba) have an effect on the pH of the soil during a 24-day period?’
Secondly, we’ve used several plants (basil, zebra flower, tomato, mint, etc.) in the chromatography (separation of plant pigments) practicum and in the microscopy practicum to observe air gaps.
Furthermore, secondary school students have picked herbs to use in cooking classes throughout the year.
Students of Miina Härma Gümnaasium growing plants in the Click & Grow Wall Farm
What do you and your students enjoy most about using Click & Grow?
We really like Click & Grow’s lighting which makes the classroom cozy. We also like that it’s a simple and reliable system. We can grow plants all year round, even when there’s snow and freezing temperatures outside.
In your opinion, why is it good for kids to learn about gardening and sustainability?
Today's young people are the ones who have to deal with the consequences of various environmental problems. It’s therefore important that they understand the physiology of plants and their importance in the metabolic cycle.
It’s also important that they recognize the dangerous plants around them. Growing and caring for plants develops children's creativity, analytical skills and improves their ability to pay attention. Through testing, children begin to understand cause-and-effect relationships.
What advice would you give other parents or teachers about using Click & Grow?
I recommend the Click & Grow Wall Farm for teachers to use in their lessons. The system is condition-controlled (amount of water, lighting, temperature), so students can do interesting research. Be bold and experiment!
For further reading, check out our blog post:
9 Exciting Indoor Gardening Activities for Your Kids
Read our ultimate smart garden guide here