Sustainability at a Glance

This month, students from Kindergarten through 5th grade are diving into the world of aquaponics. We kicked things off last week with an introduction to what aquaponics is, how it works, and why it's so important (and cool!). The kids learned some new vocabulary related to our system such as aquaculture, hydroponics, mutualism, and ecosystem.

Some classes explored the system by sketching it out to understand how water moves and what lives in it. Other classes took their diagrams further by creating word bubbles that connect the vocabulary we’ve learned with the different components of the system.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll dig deeper into each part of the aquaponics system to see why every piece is crucial for maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

We just had our first Farm Day of the year, and it was amazing! Farm Days at DGS are on Fridays, and we’re probably going to add another day soon because of all the interest. On these days, students leave their classrooms to get involved in different activities around our campus. It’s a great chance for them to spend time with nature and try out things they might not do in their sustainability class. Students might end up watering plants, testing water in our aquaponics system, working in the garden, getting ready for farmers' markets or other events, hanging out with our animals and much more. The tasks change each week based on what’s needed, so every Farm Day is a new experience.

The goal is to give students hands-on learning opportunities, teach them practical skills, and get them outside more, all while helping them build independence and confidence.

Some of my favorite quotes from farm day include:

• "I wish farm day was everyday!"

• "I wish I lived underwater like a catfish."

• "OMG Ms. Emily! Look at this root!"

• "I'm really proud of myself."

  
  

We’ve also had some incredible visitors around campus recently (see the pictures above). It’s always exciting to spot beautiful creatures, especially when we’re not expecting them. Students have made wonderful observations and asked thoughtful questions.

Here's to another week of exploring!

-Ms. Emily