10.3 Hydroponics-Soilless Farming
This is an upper elementary lesson from Unit 10: Agricultural Technology of the Food for America curriculum, titled “Hydroponics: Soilless Farming.” Students learn to define hydroponics as growing plants in a soilless, water-based nutrient environment, then build a simple hydroponic system from a soda bottle and aquarium pump to raise lettuce in the classroom.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
-
- Define hydroponics.
- Create a hydroponic system and raise plants in it.
- Time required
- 50 minutes
- Grade level
- Upper elementary
- Materials
-
- Writing surface
- Copies of Activity Sheet 29:1
- Jar filled with water
- Pot or planter filled with soil
- Plant with soil removed from its root system
- Two liter soda bottle (1 per group)
- Plastic foam
- Aquarium bubbler
- Aquarium tubing (1 cm diameter)
- Knife or scissors
- Lettuce seeds or small lettuce plants
- Key Term(s)
- Hydroponics