On Friday, my students mostly completed building mini-greenhouses, which we are using as a way of studying Earth's atmosphere and the greenhouse effect. I'm a big fan of project-based learning, and even though my new school doesn't require it, I'm trying to do as many hands-on labs and projects as possible. This upcoming week, my students will place their greenhouses outside with tomato and lettuce plants inside and see how they do throughout the winter. One of my students also suggested the idea of placing thermometers both inside and outside the greenhouses so we can monitor whether or not they are having a measurable effect on the air temperature inside.
I did this project last year with my students, but we only got as far a paper designs, since we never got the ok from the school to order the materials. This year, I took matters into my own hands and requested what I needed from DonorsChoose. If you haven't used it before, it is a gold mine for teachers. Check it out!
