Term 3 Science Week Ideas for Teachers: Hands-On STEM Activities with Aquaponics, Hydroponics and Sustainable Growing
- Anastasia
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Term 3 Science Week Ideas for Teachers: Bring STEM to Life with Living Growing Systems
Term 3 is one of the best opportunities of the school year to bring practical STEM, sustainability and food production into the classroom.
With Science Week approaching, teachers are often looking for activities that are
easy to run, curriculum-relevant and engaging enough to hold student attention. The challenge is that many classroom science activities are short-lived. Students complete the worksheet, finish the experiment, and move on.
Aquaponics and hydroponics are different.
They give students a living system they can observe, test, manage and learn from over time. Instead of teaching science as isolated theory, teachers can use real plants, fish, water, nutrients, microbes, light and data to show how systems work in the real world.
Urban Green Farms supports schools with aquaponics, hydroponics and sustainable growing systems, along with teacher resources, lessons, activities and support through our Teachers Portal.
If your school is looking for a practical Term 3 project or a strong Science Week activity, this is the right time to get started.
Why Aquaponics and Hydroponics Work So Well for Science Week
Science Week is not just about doing something “science themed.” The best school activities help students ask questions, test ideas, collect evidence and connect learning to the real world.
Aquaponics and hydroponics are ideal because they combine multiple learning areas in one system. Students can explore:
Plant biology
Water quality
Nutrient cycling
Ecosystems
Microbiology
Food production
Sustainability
Engineering design
Data collection
Environmental science
Problem solving
Climate and water efficiency
A hydroponic or aquaponic system turns the classroom into a working laboratory.
Students are not just watching a demonstration. They are observing living changes across days and weeks.
That gives teachers a stronger foundation for Science Week, Term 3 projects, school garden programs and STEM learning.
Activity Idea 1: Test pH and Track Water Quality
One of the easiest ways to turn aquaponics into a science lesson is through water testing.
Students can test pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels, then record changes over time. This helps students understand that water is not just “clean” or “dirty.” It has measurable properties that affect the health of plants, fish and microbes.
This activity can support lessons in:
Chemistry
Biology
Data recording
Graphing
Scientific observation
Cause and effect
Classroom activity: Ask students to test the water, record the results, and discuss what the readings mean. Over several weeks, students can build a simple water quality chart and identify patterns.
Teacher Portal connection: Teachers can use aquaponics lessons and water testing resources in the Urban Green Farms Teachers Portal to support classroom explanation and student activities.
Get Acces to the Teachers Portal and Free Lesson Guides, Courses, and Activities here.
Activity Idea 2: Compare Soil Growing vs Hydroponic Growing
A simple but powerful Science Week activity is to compare plant growth in soil against plant growth in a hydroponic system.
Students can plant the same crop in both environments and measure differences in germination, root development, leaf growth, water use and plant health.
This activity gives students a clear way to explore the difference between traditional growing and soilless growing.
Students can investigate:
What plants need to grow
Why roots need oxygen and nutrients
How water delivers nutrients
Why light affects growth
How controlled growing environments work
Classroom activity: Set up two groups of seedlings. One group grows in soil, the other in a hydroponic system. Students measure plant height, leaf count and root development each week.
Discussion question: Do plants need soil, or do they need the nutrients, water, oxygen and support that soil usually provides?
Activity Idea 3: Build a Living Food Cycle with Aquaponics
Aquaponics is one of the strongest ways to teach circular systems because
students can see the connection between fish, microbes, plants and water.
Fish produce waste. Beneficial bacteria convert that waste into plant-available nutrients. Plants absorb the nutrients and help clean the water. The water returns to the fish.
This is a complete ecosystem lesson in one system.
Teachers can use this to explain:
Food webs
Nutrient cycling
Symbiotic relationships
Aquatic ecosystems
Sustainable agriculture
Waste as a resource
Systems thinking
Classroom activity: Ask students to draw the aquaponics cycle and label each stage: fish, waste, bacteria, nutrients, plants and clean water. Older students can add pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to the diagram.
Science Week display idea: Create a “Living Food System” display where students explain how the aquaponics system works to other classes, parents or school visitors.
Activity Idea 4: Run a Plant Growth Experiment with Light
Grow lights are a strong way to teach students how light affects plant growth.
This is especially useful for classrooms, indoor growing areas and schools that do not have ideal outdoor conditions.
Students can compare plants grown under different light exposure and track growth over time.
Students can investigate:
Photosynthesis
Light intensity
Plant growth rates
Leaf colour
Seedling development
Controlled environments
Indoor food production
Classroom activity: Grow seedlings in different light conditions and compare the results. Students can record plant height, leaf colour, leaf count and overall plant health.
Extension activity: Ask students to design the “ideal indoor growing setup” for a classroom, apartment, space station or future city.
Activity Idea 5: Create a Science Week Student Research Project
Instead of running one short activity, teachers can turn aquaponics or hydroponics into a student-led research project.
Students can choose a question, form a hypothesis, collect data and present their findings.
Research questions could include:
Which grows faster: lettuce in soil or lettuce in hydroponics?
How does pH affect plant health?
What happens when plants receive more or less light?
Which herbs grow best in a hydroponic system?
How does water quality change in an aquaponic system over time?
How does aquaponics reduce waste?
Can food be grown efficiently in small spaces?
This turns Science Week into something deeper than a display. It becomes a proper inquiry-based learning project.
Teacher Portal connection: Teachers can use Urban Green Farms resources, lessons and guides to help structure these activities and reduce planning time.
Activity Idea 6: Design a Future Food System
This is a strong activity for upper primary and secondary students.
Ask students to design a food production system for a future school, city, apartment building, remote community or low-water environment.
They can choose from:
Aquaponics
Hydroponics
Vertical farming
Indoor growing
Greenhouses
Raised beds
Worm farms
Composting systems
Water recycling systems
Students can then present their design and explain how it saves water, grows food, reduces waste and supports sustainability.
This activity supports:
Design thinking
Engineering
Sustainability
Food security
Environmental science
Problem solving
Presentation skills
Science Week display idea:Students create posters or models showing their future food system design.
Activity Idea 7: Use Aquaponics to Teach Responsibility and Routine
One of the overlooked benefits of school growing systems is that they teach responsibility.
Students can be assigned jobs such as:
Checking plant growth
Testing water
Recording data
Feeding fish
Observing leaf health
Checking pumps
Monitoring light
Reporting changes
This creates ownership. Students are more likely to care about science when they are responsible for a living system.
For teachers, this also means the aquaponics or hydroponics system can become part of weekly classroom rhythm, not just a one-off Science Week activity.
How the Urban Green Farms Teachers Portal Helps
Teachers are already under pressure. Planning a new STEM or sustainability project can feel like one more job on an already overloaded list.
That is why Urban Green Farms created resources to help schools plan, teach and manage their growing projects more easily.
Through the Urban Green Farms Teachers Portal, schools can access resources to support:
Aquaponics lessons
Hydroponics learning
Sustainability education
Teacher guides
Classroom activities
School catalogue access
Grant writing support
Proposal templates
Installation guidance
Maintenance resources
Food production learning
STEM project planning
The goal is simple: make it easier for teachers to bring real food production into the classroom without having to build everything from scratch.
Best Urban Green Farms Systems for Science Week and Term 3
Different schools need different pathways.
Some schools want a small classroom system. Others want a larger outdoor aquaponics setup. Some are planning a grant-funded sustainability project. Others want teacher resources first before choosing equipment.
Here is a simple guide.
School Goal | Recommended Pathway |
Quick classroom STEM activity | Start with teacher resources and a small indoor growing system |
Science Week display | Use an aquaponics or hydroponics system students can explain |
Long-term sustainability program | Consider a school aquaponics bundle or hydroponic growing system |
Grant-funded project | Use the school catalogue, grant guides and proposal templates |
Food technology learning | Use hydroponics or aquaponics to grow herbs, leafy greens and vegetables |
Outdoor learning area | Choose a larger school garden or aquaponics setup |
Teacher support | Access the Teachers Portal and speak with Urban Green Farms |
Why Schools Should Start Before Science Week
The schools that get the most value from Science Week are the ones that prepare early.
Aquaponics and hydroponics systems are living systems. They are best introduced before the event so students have time to observe changes, ask questions and collect data.
Starting early gives your school time to:
Choose the right system
Plan the activity
Prepare the classroom or garden space
Access teacher resources
Set up lessons
Assign student roles
Connect the project to curriculum outcomes
Build a stronger Science Week display
If your school waits until the week itself, the activity becomes rushed. If you start now, Science Week becomes the showcase.
Science Week is a strong opportunity to make STEM practical, visible and memorable.
Aquaponics and hydroponics help students understand that science is not just something that happens in a textbook. It happens in the water, roots, leaves, fish, microbes, nutrients and systems that produce food.
For teachers, the benefit is clear. A school growing system can support lessons across science, sustainability, food technology, geography, environmental studies and design.
For students, it turns learning into something they can see, touch, test and take responsibility for.
Urban Green Farms can help your school get ready for Term 3, Science Week and beyond with school growing systems, teacher resources, lessons, activities and support through our Teachers Portal.
Ready to bring Science Week to life at your school?
Get in touch with us at info@urbangreenfarms.com.au