Case Study - Elizabeth Downs Primary School

Elizabeth Downs Primary School is a primary school in Adelaide, who started growing with the Airgarden in 2021. Below we talked to Primary/Robotics/STEM Teacher, Shane Singlehurst, about their experience so far!

How was your experience growing with Airgarden?

Growing produce with the Airgarden is a very rewarding experience – from watching seedlings germinate, to putting them into the Airgarden and watching them grow in a short time for harvesting. 

As a STEM kit, the Airgarden has been brilliant in that all the necessary components come included. All that is required from the school is a space to grow, water, electricity, and people to get involved. 

Airgarden also provides many tutorials, how-to guides, and blogs online to support, as well as a comprehensive library of lesson plans and resources that teachers can use with their classes. 

How did you incorporate the Airgarden into your teaching?

The Airgarden has created opportunities for students to see and work with non-traditional farming methods.

The Airgarden has fitted nicely in with the STEM lessons I run, which are in the same building as the kitchen, looking at sustainability, vertical farming and an alternative to traditional farming methods.

What was the response of your students to the Airgarden?

The students at EDPS have really enjoyed working with the Airgarden, from the assembly, testing PH levels, inserting seedlings and experimenting with a different growing medium such as clay balls. The students also enjoy following their produce's growth and then actually using it in kitchen lessons.

Would you recommend Airgarden to other schools?

I would highly recommended Airgarden to any school. Airgarden allows students to be involved in growing fresh produce in a sustainable way, and gives schools that don't have a garden program or the space to grow with soil the opportunity to grow meaningful amounts of produce.