Students investigate, “How can we use our greenhouse to grow, harvest, and distribute food and products in a way that serves our school and community?” Through partner visits and guidance, greenhouse work, and nature journaling, they model photosynthesis and carbon cycling while designing a sustainable food-production and distribution system. Teams use surveys, yield and sales data, Crew reflections, tastings, and stakeholder critique to refine crops, recipes, branded packaging, marketing, and distribution choices based on cost, safety, reliability, aesthetics, and community impact. Students share their learning at a Harvest to Table Expo and From Seed to Spoon Celebration featuring products, scientific models, data graphs, presentations, and artwork, while continuing to document longer-growing greens and herbs beyond the four-week project.
Learning goals
Students will use greenhouse observations and partner expertise to model how photosynthesis stores light energy and how photosynthesis and cellular respiration cycle carbon through Earth’s systems. They will design, evaluate, and refine a safe, sustainable plan to grow, harvest, package, market, and distribute greens, herbs, and products using criteria such as cost, reliability, environmental impact, community needs, and aesthetics. Students will analyze yield, sales, survey, and product-use data in spreadsheets and apply feedback to improve recipes, labels, packaging, persuasive materials, and distribution decisions. Through Crew circles, nature journals, presentations, and the Harvest to Table Expo, students will communicate evidence-based choices, reflect on teamwork and personal goals, and demonstrate responsible service to the school community.
Standards
[Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS2-5 - Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
[Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS2-7 - Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
[Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS2-7 - Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
[Next Generation Science Standards] HS-ETS1-3 - Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
[Next Generation Science Standards] HS-LS1-5 - Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.
Competencies
Global Citizen - Acts responsibly and ethically within local, global, and digital communities, employing civic knowledge, skills, and mindsets to promote global sustainability and contribute positively to a culturally diverse, democratic society.
Reflective and Future Focused - Engages in self-reflection to identify strengths and areas for growth, sets meaningful goals, uses social awareness to maintain supportive relationships, and demonstrates responsible decision-making that prioritizes social, emotional, and mental well-being.
Academically Prepared - Demonstrates a strong foundation in the New York State learning standards and is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve success in college, careers, civic engagement, service, and life.
Creative Innovator - Utilizes imagination, curiosity, and flexible thinking to solve problems creatively, and develop new ideas and products, while adapting to evolving circumstances and challenges.
Products
Student teams will create crop plans, greenhouse work logs, nature journals, and models showing photosynthesis, stored chemical energy, and carbon cycling. They will develop and revise surveys, spreadsheets, graphs, recipes, distribution plans, and marketing materials using ethos, pathos, logos, and the existing greenhouse logo. Based on feedback from staff, administrators, and community partners, teams will refine safe, clearly labeled produce or adult-supervised food samples, packaging, flyers, brochures, banners, leaf art, and plant-dye displays. The final Harvest to Table Expo will feature these products, student-led science stations, evidence of design trade-offs and environmental impact, and presentations documenting how feedback and data shaped each team’s decisions.
Launch
Begin with a field trip to the Kingston YMCA farm on October 15, so students can observe fresh produce, value-added products, packaging, and distribution systems in action while taking notes and nature journal sketches. Back at school, facilitate a Seed to Service discussion in Crew where students generate ideas for what to grow, harvest, and distribute from the greenhouse, while setting norms for use of the space, production, and cleanup. Students then research potential crops and recipes; and create short presentations, sample flyers or packaging concepts, and initial product ideas for feedback from administration, staff, and community partners. This launch gives all students a shared experience and opens the project through science, service, design, communication, and community impact.
Makers and Creators have already created a school greenhouse logo that we can use on correspondence and products.
Exhibition
Students host a Harvest to Table Expo and From Seed to Spoon Celebration for families, staff, peers, administrators, and community partners, including Kingston YMCA Farm, Bronx Green Machine, and Adams Fairacre Farm. A tasting walk features safely prepared greenhouse produce and products, while student-led stations use models to explain photosynthesis, carbon cycling, environmental impacts, and decisions about growing, harvesting, packaging, and distribution. Students display greenhouse-logo packaging, labels, persuasive marketing materials, nature journals, plant art, and spreadsheet graphs of yield, demand, sales, and survey results, highlighting revisions made from critique and reflection. Guest judges provide final feedback and recognize products such as salsa or soup for quality, sustainability, communication, and community usefulness.
