Here’s a fun and engaging engineering-focused lesson that incorporates microgreens. The goal is to challenge students to design and build a self-watering system for their microgreens. This combines engineering design with hands-on learning about plant needs and water management.

Lesson Title: Microgreen Watering System – Engineering a Solution for Growing Plants

Objective:

Students will explore engineering concepts, such as design and problem-solving, by creating a self-watering system for microgreens. They’ll learn about the importance of water in plant growth and how engineers use design to solve everyday problems.

Materials Needed:

• Microgreen kits (trays, soil, seeds)
• Empty plastic bottles or cups (for water reservoirs)
• Straws, tubing, or cotton string (for creating the water transport system)
• Small plastic containers, sponges, or other absorbent materials (for wicking)
• Porous paper towel and water (for wicking demonstration)
• Water with food coloring (1/4 cup for wicking demonstration)
• Scissors or craft knives (with adult supervision)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Markers or stickers for labeling
• Whiteboard to brainstorm and draw ideas
• Paper or cardboard for designing system blueprints

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction – The Problem and the Science (10 minutes)

• Set the Challenge:
  Introduce the engineering problem: “Microgreens need water to grow, but how can we make sure they get just the right amount of water every day? What if we could design a system that waters them automatically, even when we’re busy?”
• Brief Overview of Plant Needs:
  Review how plants, such as microgreens, need the right amount of water to grow well, just like humans need hydration. Too little water, and they won’t thrive; too much water, and they might drown. Engineers solve problems like this by creating systems to manage water.
• Explain Engineering:
  Introduce the concept of engineering design: “Engineers identify a problem, brainstorm solutions, design prototypes, test them, and improve them. Today, you’re going to act as engineers and create a self-watering system for your microgreens!”

2. Design and Build – Creating the Self-Watering System (30 minutes)

• Step 1: Plan Your Design
  • Students will first brainstorm ideas for their self-watering system. Encourage them to think about:
    • How will the water get to the microgreens?
    • Where will the water come from? (Using bottles, cups, etc.)
    • How can the water be controlled so the plants don’t get too much or too little?
  • Have them sketch a simple blueprint for their design, showing where the water reservoir, transport system, and microgreen tray will be placed.
  • Discussion: Ask guiding questions, including: “Where will the water come from?” “How will the water go from the reservoir to the planter?” “Where should the water go first? How can you make sure the water doesn’t flood the microgreens?”
  • Introduce the concept of wicking and capillary action and show how it works using a flat piece of paper towel and colored water dripped in the middle of the paper towel. The key to wicking is capillary action, which is the tendency of a liquid to move up a narrow tube or through a porous material against the force of gravity. This happens because water molecules are attracted to each other (cohesion) and to the fibers (adhesion).

• Step 2: Build the System
  • After finalizing their designs, students will begin building their systems.
  • They will use materials like plastic bottles (for the reservoir), tubing or straws (for transporting water), and absorbent materials like sponges, cotton string, or cotton fabric (to wick the water to the soil).
  • Encourage creativity. Have students experiment with different configurations to see what works best.
  • “Your job is to make sure the plants have enough water but not too much, so think about how to control the flow of water.”
• Step 3: Test the System
  • Once the systems are built, students will place their microgreen trays in or near the water system and observe how the water moves.
  • Students will test whether their system provides a steady supply of water without over-watering.
  • Evaluate Success: Ask them: “Did your system work? Did the plants get enough water?”
  • Encourage them to make adjustments where needed. “What changes could you make to improve the system?”

3. Reflection and Discussion – Engineering and Problem-Solving (10 minutes)

• Group Discussion:
  After testing the systems, gather students together to discuss their designs.
  • “What did you learn about how water moves through the system? What worked well, and what could be improved?”
  • Ask them to reflect on how engineers test and improve their designs: “What could you do to make your system more efficient?”
  • Encourage them to think about other ways engineers might solve similar problems in the real world, like watering crops in dry areas or creating water-efficient home systems.

4. Conclusion and Extension (5 minutes)

• Wrap-Up:
  • Recap the key lesson points: “Today, you used engineering to solve a problem. You learned how engineers design systems to make things work better and more efficiently. You also learned how important water is for plant growth.”
• Take-Home Challenge:
  • Give students a small challenge: “What other types of systems could you design to help microgreens or other plants grow better? Could you create a system to provide sunlight or nutrients automatically?”
  • This could inspire further exploration at home or future projects.

Engagement Strategy:

• Hands-On and Interactive: Students will be actively involved in the engineering process—designing, building, and testing—making it fun and educational.
• Creativity and Problem-Solving: The open-ended design challenge encourages students to think critically, experiment, and improve their designs, just like engineers do.
• Real-World Connection: By focusing on water systems for growing microgreens, students can connect what they’re doing to real-world problems like agriculture and environmental sustainability.

This lesson combines fun with practical engineering principles, allowing students to engage in hands-on problem-solving while learning about the science of plant care. It’s designed to inspire curiosity about how engineering impacts our daily lives and encourages students to think creatively about how to design solutions to everyday problems.

Additional External Resources:

Cohesion and Adhesion of Water ( Education.com)

Cohesion and adhesion | Middle school chemistry | Khan Academy

What’s an Engineer? Crash Course Kids #12.1 by Crash Course Kids

The Engineer Song: A song that helps kids explore different engineering disciplines. By Hopscotch and Heriot-Watt School of Engineering and Physical Sciences