During InnovatEd in Semester 1, I was in an Aquaponics Class.
Aquaponics is a gardening system, but instead of normal soil and watering it every couple of days, we use fish and different beds to grow and harvest better quality, better tasting and more sustainable food.
Over the 2 periods of this unique class each week, it has grown to be one of my Favourite subjects, because i can learn proper life skills such as sustainable food growth and harvesting, social skills through talking to classes, teachers and guests when handing out produce, and completing showcases and I also have learned through this project so much about animals, plants and the way they shape our eco-system and how they are vital for oursworld. We have worked so hard during these lessons and despite being very different to other classes, its still one of the most informational and interesting ones i have ever done.
Our gardening – cleaning up the food tech Garden 
Some of Our Produce 
Re-planting produce in the food tech garden 
Our Produce to hand out to teachers 
The fish within our fish tanks
Term 1 – Our First Lessons
During our first couple of weeks in term 1, as a group we decided that the aquaponics area was such a mess and we should clean it up. We had some of us (me included) clean up the garden beds, making sure no bugs were in the plants, de-heading dead plants, getting rid of dead plants and all your normal gardening stuff. We had some of us cleaning up the area, such as the steps being dirty and tree leaves were dropped on the floor. We finally had the rest of the Class picking up lemons and oranges that had dropped from the nearby trees and composting them. This really helped us clean up the area. This was our first task all together, and we used teamwork to get this done in minimal time.
The next lesson we spent making ideas on what we had to do. we created a mind map on the board to see all of our ideas, because we had a lot we wanted to do. We also watched the previous years’ videos on the Aquaponics, and some of us decided we wanted to re-make some videos after the group provided feedback on them.
During our First Lessons, we planned our ideas on everything we wanted to complete 
Our Routine
After establishing everything we wanted to achieve in our short time, we got to work. After many weeks we realized we formed a routine. After a quick discussion at the beginning of class, some of us moved over to the Aquaponics Centre, and others stayed behind to peruse other projects within the Subject, such as designing artwork and decorations for the area, QR codes that could explain different things around the area and so much more. I was one of the people who would move over to the Aquaponics centre. With guidance from Ms Bassett, we learned how to properly harvest produce, and managed to achieve so many more of our goals within a few short lessons. Eliza and I worked together on all smaller projects within this subject, we started growing everyone’s knowledge of All Saints’ Aquaponics through handing out our produce. After less than a term in this subject, I had started to learn about different herbs and plants and how they could be used. In our Classes, we grew and learned about Parsley, Basil, Oregano, Cherry Tomatoes, Lettuce, Broccoli, Lemons, and what we have tested and now call “Hybrid Orange Mandarins” (we really believe them to be oranges but call them this because we called them this when we didn’t know what they were due to not being properly ripe when we tasted them).
Our Projects
Once we had gotten used to how to work the aquaponics, Eliza and I started to try to achieve some goals. We tried to forfil our education goals in making videos to educate others on how the Aquaponics Worked. Our first video was on how to properly harvest produce. We planned this for a week, filmed for a week, then edited for a week. this took us 6 periods and 3 weeks, but the final product was worth it.
Then during term 2, we filmed a types of grow bed video, following the same structure, but only taking us 2 weeks, 1 to plan and 1 to film and edit. We became very fast at this process.
Eliza and I also Created a powerpoint showing everything we have done in aquaponics. We showed this at the showcase, along with some produce and infomation. We also lead tours to the aquaponics area so parents and students can see what we had worked on. You can see our powerpoint below.
The Aquaponics
Through my time in Aquaponics I learned lot about how it works, especially about the fish. The fish are a crucial part in aquaponics as they keep the system running. They bring nutrients and good bacteria to the plants. here you can see our fish
Aquaponics has been the best class i have done this semester, though i may not do it next term, it is something i would consider as a useful subject, as i have learned useful life skills i can actually use in the future.
I would like to thank Ms Bassett on behalf of all of us in the class because she has been a great mentor whilst i did this subject.