South Florida kids get hands-on lessons on preserving the planet
MIAMI -- Protecting the earth and learning about the earth starts early. CBS News Miami visited two schools where they have made it part of the curriculum.
At Collins Elementary in Dania Beach, it's all about plants, veggies, fruits and butterflies. In November, they turned a green open space into their very own sustainable garden. They're learning at a young age how to care for the earth and its plants.
"We plant stuff and we put water on it so it could grow," said one of the students.
Their STEM teacher Fred Ripper says they do so with much sense of pride.
"They enjoy looking at what they've done we're getting reactions now from the kids they're saying that's our garden. We did this. We did that with a sense of pride in what they're doing," said Fred Ripper STEM teacher.
At Riviera Middle School in southwest Miami-Dade, they feel the same. Here they built their very own hydroponics garden a learning experience for these students with intellectual disabilities.
"We always take care of the plants to be good and we eat it," said Keremy Disla student
Their teacher Ms. Janelle Corado says what they love most is seeing the fruit of their labor.
"They're really excited about it. They're the ones when the first strawberry popped out. The first tomato popped out. They were running telling everybody taking pictures and sharing," said teacher Janelle Corado.
At both schools, their goal is the grow enough fruits and veggies and provide them to the cafeteria so they could incorporate them into their lunch.