The Problem
The turtles in our school pond need better care, and students need healthy food. We also need to stay safe handling both turtles and food.
Our Plan
Our project takes care of both humans and pet turtles in several ways. We already cleaned up an old hydroponic system that is next to the turtle pond. We researched fruits and vegetables that are good for red-eared sliders and for people, and made a shopping list of what plants we should grow, such as kale and strawberries. At the same time, we have been cleaning the turtle pond each week. We take turns with the tools, relax by the water, and observe the turtles. Next, we will start growing the food and learn how hydroponics works, and continue taking care of the pond. We will feed some food to the turtles, enjoy eating some ourselves, and share extra food with our families or other families at the school. For safety, we will add a hand-washing station to use after cleaning the pond and any time we harvest food.
Themes Addressed
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Community
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Compassion
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Pets & Companion Animals
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Sustainability
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The Benefit
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People
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Animals
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Environment
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Here is how the project went:
We met our goals of helping both turtles and people. We took care of the turtle pond, and when the food grew in the hydroponic farmstand, we fed the turtles leafy greens and strawberries. When there was a lot of food, we picked bags of salad to take home.
Through this project I/we learned:
We learned how to grow food hydroponically, how to clean the turtle pond, how to take turns on jobs that needed to be done, and lots of different turtle behaviors. We also learned which plants grew best next to the turtle pond.
What I/we might change:
We can start the plants earlier in the year to have a longer growing season and share food with more people. We can grow more strawberries, because that's what the turtles like best, and kids love strawberries too.
My/our favorite part of this project was:
Watching the turtles. It was fun to get to be by the pond.
Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:
Turtles like strawberries the best! Kale, parsley, and dandelions grew the longest in the hydroponic farmstand. It's good we grew a variety of food. We used a repurposed cooler for a handwashing station, and it takes an extra person to hold the button down for someone to wash their hands.
