Programmes

Science Garden Enrichment Programme 2022

Context

The Science Garden Enrichment Programme aims to bring about the joy of learning in Science beyond the curriculum through the use of the Science Garden to demonstrate application of Science.

The programme is made up of two sessions that provides experiential learning for the Secondary 2 students through different hands-on activities and a guided tour. The Science Garden has two curated sections, hydroponics which is housed in the greenhouse and the garden. Students are introduced to how a hydroponic system works and get to transplant seedlings to the system. In the garden, students are introduced to different types of plants and herbs.

Reflective questions in suitable IT platforms such as Padlet are used to guide the students to reflect and internalize the knowledge. Students would also go through a lesson package in Student Learning Space (SLS) to create awareness on our country’s dependency on external food sources and thus the issue on food security which then leads to the government’s effort to move into high technology farming in Singapore.

Purpose

From the programme, students will be able to:

experience the joy of learning in an outdoor environment beyond the classroom.
experience hydroponic framing, which is an example of high tech farming in Singapore.
compare high-tech farming and traditional farming with the variety of plants found in the different sections of the Science Garden.
identify the different plants in the Science Garden and appreciate how they can be grown for food in our daily lives.
be aware of the national issues such as the value of national food sources and food security in Singapore.

Here are some highlights of the Science Garden Enrichment Programme 2022:

Review

The inaugural Science Garden Enrichment Programme was implemented in 2022 and has received positive feedback from the staff and students. The outdoor learning experience was well received as the hands-on activities excited the students and enabled them to grow vegetables using hydroponics.

“I have learnt how the herbs and vegetables (that I usually eat) grow as well as their growing conditions. One interesting idea is that I can grow my vegetables at home to save money and use lavender essential oil for better sleep” - Aisha Farras Shifa 2H7

*“I have learnt about hydroponics and how it is useful to the evolving world. I have also learnt about the different types of flora and fauna. I can try growing some spices in the garden at home and use them in cooking.” *- S Reshma, 2H8

“I have learnt that Singapore imports 90% of food from overseas. Singapore is trying to grow our own food by 30%. I want to grow more plants outside my house and try out the easy-to-grow plants.” - Prytiqa Hafiza Binte Muhammad Nazri, 2I4

Click on the thumbnails below to see our StaRs in action!


Greenhouse in our Science Garden	Mr Jarrod Lim, our Education Officer, briefing the students for the Science Enrichment Programme	Ms Eleanor Cheong, our Education Officer, engaging the students in the Garden Tour

Ms Caelyn Lim, our Education Officer, sharing with the students the different herbs that can be found in the Science Garden	Students completing the Science Enrichment Worksheet in an outdoor setting	Mr Jarrod Lim, our Education Officer, showing the students how to setup the hydroponics

Mrs Guna, our Laboratory Technician, showing the students how to trXansplant the seeding in hydroponics	Student transplanting the spinach seedling in hydroponics	Spinach plant after 1 month of growing in hydroponics

Student learning from the SLS package on Food Security in Singapore	Student crystallizing what they have learnt in the Science Enrichment Programme using the guiding questions in Padlet