First graders at James Cowart Elementary grew and tasted hydroponic lettuce in a month-long classroom project led by SPARK Academy STEM specialist Jennifer Kennedy. Students planted black-seeded Simpson and Buttercrunch varieties and observed differences in color, size and growth rate. The hands-on unit taught the seed-to-harvest cycle and used plant variety to illustrate biological diversity. Four hydroponic towers, purchased with grants, supplied light and nutrient-rich water for the crop.
From Seed to Salad: First Graders Harvest and Taste Classroom-Grown Hydroponic Lettuce
First graders at James Cowart Elementary grew and tasted hydroponic lettuce in a month-long classroom project led by SPARK Academy STEM specialist Jennifer Kennedy. Students planted black-seeded Simpson and Buttercrunch varieties and observed differences in color, size and growth rate. The hands-on unit taught the seed-to-harvest cycle and used plant variety to illustrate biological diversity. Four hydroponic towers, purchased with grants, supplied light and nutrient-rich water for the crop.
15:13, 03.11.2025Science
First graders harvest and taste hydroponic lettuce they grew in class
Nov. 3 — First graders at James Cowart Elementary in Athens recently tasted lettuce they had grown in their own classrooms, celebrating a month-long hands-on science project that took their food from seed to salad.
Jonah Martin, 6, went back for seconds and even asked for extra ranch dressing. "It tastes good," he said. Classmates Everett Garner and Kaeden Cain — both 7 — said they enjoyed trying something new and watching the plants grow from tiny seeds.
Learning through doing
Jennifer Kennedy, STEM specialist at SPARK Academy who teaches science, engineering and robotics to pre-K through third grade, designed the unit so students could observe the full growth cycle. "Our first graders learn that different seeds produce different plants," Kennedy said. "We planted two kinds of lettuce, and they didn't even know it would be lettuce when we planted the seeds."
The children compared differences in leaf color, size and growth rate and connected those differences to human traits such as hair and eye color. "Everybody grows at a different rate," Kennedy explained. "In this case, it depends on the seed."
How the lettuce was grown
The students grew two varieties — black-seeded Simpson and Buttercrunch — in classroom hydroponic towers for about a month. Kennedy described the system: "A hydroponic tower grows plants without soil by circulating nutrient-rich water. Light tubes above the tower hang down and provide the light our lettuce needs."
Each first-grade classroom had its own tower; four towers were purchased using grant funding. Kennedy harvested some lettuce for the tasting but left plants in the towers so students could continue observing growth and maintenance.
"We told the students they didn't have to like it, but everyone had to try it," Kennedy said, emphasizing the tasting as both an experiment and a celebration of learning.
The project combined STEM instruction with nutrition and hands-on experience, giving young students a memorable lesson in plant biology and where food comes from.