For the month of July, we want to challenge youth gardeners to engineer an original solution to a problem in the garden. Send in your pictures or videos and a written description and we will choose a winner at the end of the month. The contest is open to students entering grades 2-5 and students entering grades 6-8. Winners will be featured on Gateway Greening’s social media pages and receive a Gateway Greening stuffed gardener bear or a Gateway Greening t-shirt! See below for contest details.
Grades 2-5
July: Engineering in the Garden
Plants need space in order to be happy and healthy, but you do not need a big yard or a garden bed to grow a plant! Many people use small containers to grow vegetables and herbs on their porch or in their windowsill.
Scientists use the word engineering to describe the process of creating a solution to a problem. For the month of July, we want to see what creative ways you can find to grow plants in a small space. Find a container to repurpose as a planter or build your own! Then fill it with soil and drop a few seeds of your choice in it. Be sure to give it lots of water and sunshine. Send in your pictures or videos of your new planter with a written description of how you created it, and we will choose a winner at the end of the month.
Rules
Who: Open to students entering grades 2-5
What: Engineer a solution to gardening in a small space by creating a planter or repurposing something you already have as a planter. Submit photos or videos of your new planter and a written paragraph explaining how you created it. Include your full name, contact information, school, and the grade you will be entering in fall 2020 in your email.
When: Entries must be submitted via email by July 31st. The winner will be contacted by August 7th.
Where: Submit entries to [email protected] with the subject line “July Youth Contest 2-5”
Winner will be determined based on creativity and resourcefulness. Upon receiving permission from your guardian to share your name and photos, winners will be featured on Gateway Greening’s social media account and receive their choice of either a Gateway Greening stuffed gardener bear or a Gateway Greening t-shirt.
Happy engineering!
For inspiration, see some of the containers Gateway Greening has turned into planters at our Demonstration Garden!
Grades 6-8
July: Engineering in the Garden
Watching the plants in your garden grow from tiny sprouts to towering fruit-bearing plants sure is fun! But even the strongest plants have competition from predators. Pests like beetles and caterpillars love to munch the leaves of plants, while birds, rabbits, and squirrels will sometimes eat the seeds, fruits, or other parts of the plant. This pesky problem leaves gardeners in need of solutions.
Scientists use the word engineering to describe the process of creating a solution to a problem. For the month of July, we want to challenge youth gardeners to engineer an original solution to a pest problem in the garden. Send in your pictures or videos and a written description and we will choose a winner at the end of the month.
Rules
Who: Open to students entering grades 6-8
What: Engineer a solution to a pest problem in the garden. Submit photos or videos of your solution and a written paragraph explaining your solution. Include your full name, contact information, school, and the grade you will be entering in fall 2020 in your email.
When: Entries must be submitted via email by July 31st. The winner will be contacted by August 7th.
Where: Submit entries to [email protected] with the subject line “July Youth Contest 6-8”
Winner will be determined based on creativity and resourcefulness. Upon receiving permission from your guardian to share your name and photos, winners will be featured on Gateway Greening’s social media account and receive a Gateway Greening stuffed gardener bear or a Gateway Greening t-shirt.
Happy engineering!
For inspiration, see some of the ways Gateway Greening keeps pests out of garden beds using fencing and onions along the perimeter of the beds.
