It’s fun to start off the week getting your hands dirty doing hands-on learning!

On Monday, first-graders in Linda Serapilio’s class at Thomas O’Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST) made their own mini-greenhouses out of plastic jugs with guidance from our terrific partners at the Vegetable Project.

Students mixed water with potting soil and used an electric drill to put drainage holes in their milk jugs. They then filled the jugs with soil and planted seeds of cold-tolerant salad greens, cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and kohlrabi. They also planted seeds of non-edible plants that are native to the Northeast and Albany County.

The young growers brought their greenhouses out to the garden on the side of the school. Watch how both students and plants grow during the coming months!

The Vegetable Project will be guiding hundreds of young hands in greenhouse projects at several City School District of Albany schools.

Check out a Facebook photo album from the fun. (You don't need a Facebook account to see the photos linked in the highlighted text. A window may appear that says, "To see more from Albany City Schools on Facebook, log on or create an account,” but you can dismiss it by clicking “not now.”)