Green Urban Lunchbox

Almost a month ago, we had the opportunity to have the Green Urban Lunchbox come to our school. Basically it is a former school bus that has been transformed into a greenhouse. They travel to schools teaching kids about plants and about where our food comes from. To read more about the Green Urban lunchbox and to see photos, check out this article. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera the day they were coming, so I don't have photos.

Before they came, we talked about where our food comes from...and that ultimately it all goes back to soil... either it is a plant that grows in the soil or it is an animal that eats plants grown in the soil or so on. Each child got a sticker to wear home that said, "I eat dirt." We also painted little plant pot with the parts of a plant and labeled the parts of a plant.

Then the bus came. They'd converted the hood of the bus into a chalkboard and they had the students draw and label the parts of a plant and what a plant needs to survive. Then we got to go into the bus and see the greenhouse and even sample edible leaves including mint, basil, lemon basil and a few others. Then we played a game that demonstrated how important roots are. First, they sprinkled colored chips on the grass around us and asked us to pick up a red. Then a blue. Then two whites. And so on. Each chip represented a nutrient the plant needs. We could not move our feet. Soon many plants couldn't reach the chips they needed and they died. Only a few plants were able to get what they needed. But then they explained that with roots, the roots spread out and reach into many directions so the plant can get nutrients that are farther away. So they repeated the activity but we were able to move and get nutrients. We, the plants, lived a much longer time.

Then each child got to plant swiss chard in their plant pot.

The next day, we did a follow up activity. First, we wrote thank you letters to the bus to tell them how much we learned. Then each child got a baggy of seeds. They were to try to match their seeds with some samples glued onto cards in the middle of their tables.

Then they sorted their seeds. Some kids sorted by size. Some by color. Some by shape. Some by type of seed, separating each kind. They examined the seeds using magnifying glasses. They shared how they had sorted their seeds with other students.

Then each child selected one type of seed, wrote down their name and the type of seed on an index card, and added a wet paper towel, the index card and the seed to a ziplock bag. We observed these over several days to see them begin to sprout.

They loved these activities and learned a lot about plants as well. It was a great series of lessons.