Disclosure: This post was sponsored by BLOOM! to spread the word about its Educational Resource Toolkit. All opinions and stories are my own.
I’m so happy I partnered with BLOOM! because I’m getting ready to plant my vegetable garden and it’s a great learning opportunity for my kids. Something as simple as planting a garden can make a big difference. It’s a way to teach kids to appreciate the plant world, perhaps igniting a lifelong passion that could turn into a career.
A garden opens the world to so many avenues. Did you know that horticulturists impact everything from the air we breathe, to the fruits and vegetables we eat, to the beautiful landscapes and floral arrangements we enjoy?
Horticulturists are the people that we rely on to use their plant knowledge to solve some of our planet’s biggest challenges, like feeding a growing world, climate change, and clean water. With more than 100 different careers in the industry, horticulture — the art, science, technology, and business of plants — has something to offer everyone. Jobs include plant scientists, landscape architects, local tree experts such as arborists, urban farmers, and drone engineers, just to name a few.
With many of my graduating high school senior’s friends interested in studying Environmental Science in college to address their concerns about the health of our planet, they might also be interested to know that horticulturists will play a pivotal role in this quest.
Garden-to-table also gets kids eating veggies pulled straight from the ground. When my kids are part of the growing process, they appreciate the final product which always tastes better than store-bought. Who knows? Maybe a chef will emerge from this experience!
So how does BLOOM! come in? BLOOM! operates on one simple premise: the more we know about plants, the more we can make a difference today.
In partnership with Scholastic, they developed BLOOM! Educational Resource Toolkit which includes sample lesson plans, student magazines, games, videos, and an online module that encourage students to explore the world of plants.
These resources are easy to use and can be used at schools or at home. There’s even a fun quiz at WeAreBLOOM.org that can start the conversation about plants and #PlantPower. Perhaps this can spark ideas for a science fair project?
How about you? What kind of STEM/STEAM activities are you doing at home with your kids? Thanks for sharing.
p.s. I do easy science projects with my son that don’t require special purchases. Our latest science exposure is watching fun STEM videos. We also built a DIY Bee House (and I found a kit for that), played with candy, made bath bombs, skipped rocks on ice, soccer physics, drank Japanese Ramune soda, building a protective egg device, ice cracking in a water glass, and baked a cake representing a cell.
More complicated STEM stuff included watching a total solar eclipse, building a toothbrush robot, 3D printing camp, DIY Pop Up Light Up Circuit Card, DIY iPhone Microscope, Scratch Programming, 3D Hologram Projector, and building a homopolar motor.
We tried out STEM toys as well: Science Apps, Cubetto, Ozobot, DIY Electro Dough Kit, DIY Gamer Control Kit, and ArcKit.
My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award longlist
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
This looks great!! Thank you for sharing, Mia!
Thanks Maria!
I this is great! I love the little enclosure for around the plants!
Thanks Xyra! My husband built it. It’s like Fort Knox for my garden plot! 🙂