WAJ Science Club Launches Their First Experiment
By Andrew Randazzo, 4-H Natural Environment Educator
On Friday, October 14th, elementary students from the Windham-Ashland-Jewett (WAJ) Science Club began
their scientific journey of experimentation. This year’s club will be all about experimenting with soil and plants to discuss the importance of environmental stewardship. Students will have the opportunity to learn about water, soil, plants and pollution through hands on experimentation over the course of the school year.
This month’s meeting marked the launch of our experiment designed to test the effects of using different soil substrates on plant growth. The students got the opportunity to prepare three different soil substrates for use in “The Edible Grow Wall.” This alternative growing system enables its users to utilize indoor space to cultivate plants and is perfect for student inquiry and exploration.
Deb Valerio, science teacher at Windham-Ashland-Jewett, and Andrew Randazzo, Environmental Educator from Cornell Cooperative Extension also led the students in collecting soil samples outside the Agroforestry Resource Center. The samples were used to teach students about the soil profile and how water travels underground.
The WAJ Science Club would not be possible without the generous financial support of The Windham Foundation. The next session of the WAJ Science Club will take place on November 18th where the fun with experimentation will continue.
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