A Plant That Tells You What It Needs
Imagine a plant that could tell you, "I'm thirsty," or "It's too hot in here." Sounds like science fiction, right? But with the CyberPi and a little bit of coding, I got pretty close.
I took on the challenge of building an automated plant monitoring and watering system. Not just watering but monitoring air moisture, temperature, soil moisture, soil temperature, and even adding a misting feature using actuators. The goal was simple: help my Grade 9/10 students see how coding, robotics, and science can work together in real life.
The Build: More Than Just Water
The system I built does a few key things:
- Monitors air moisture, temperature, soil moisture, and soil temperature
- Waters the plant automatically using a pump
- Mists the plant using a separate actuator (on/off control)
- Displays real-time data so you can see what the plant is experiencing
My students were very new to coding, so this project became a hands-on way to teach them what code actually does. We connected each line of code to a real action reading a sensor, turning on a pump, activating a mist and tied it all back to science: What do plants actually need to grow? When should you water versus mist?
Photo by Dennis Lauron, Dennis Lauron and his students
The Challenge: No Instructions, Just Discovery
I'm not going to pretend this was easy. There were no detailed step-by-step instructions. A lot of it was discovery and honestly, a lot of trial and error.
One of the biggest hurdles was figuring out the hardware side: voltage mismatch, wiring sensors, getting the pump to run. I wrote code just for testing, then rewrote it, then tested again. Good thing there's a ton of information online, because without it, I would have been stuck more than once.
The Scientist Kit is well-named. You really do end up solving problems that you created yourself and that's actually where the learning happens.
The Best Moment: When It All Worked
My favorite moment? When everything finally worked as planned. Sensors reading correctly. Pump turning on when the soil was dry. Mist activating when needed. Seeing it all come together after all the trial and error that feeling never gets old.
For my students, seeing their code make something happen in the real world was the real win. They weren't just typing commands anymore. They were controlling a system.
Photo by Dennis Lauron, The Scientist Kit
What Other Educators Should Know
If you're thinking about trying something like this, here's my honest advice:
- It takes time. Learning this stuff doesn't happen overnight, especially if you're new to coding and hardware.
- Patience is required. You will fail. Things won't work. That's normal.
- Trial and error is the process. There's no shortcut around it.
- The Scientist Kit is great but don't expect a manual. Be ready to explore, search online, and figure things out as you go.
But when it finally works? Totally worth it.
Final Thoughts: What's Next?
Now that the system is running, I'm already thinking about next steps. Maybe adding IoT features controlling the system remotely, logging data to the cloud, or getting alerts when something goes wrong. There's always another layer to explore.
This idea isn't new. Automated plant watering systems have been done before. But building one from step one figuring out the sensors, writing the code, troubleshooting the hardware, and finally watching it work that satisfaction is hard to beat. There's a big difference between copying someone else's project and building your own from the ground up.
If you're an educator on the fence about trying a project like this: jump in. Your students will learn more from the struggles than from a perfect step-by-step guide.
Brief Author Bio:
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Dennis Lauron Grade 9/10 Teacher - Lawrence Sinclair Memorial School Dennis is a Grade 9/10 teacher at Lawrence Sinclair Memorial School (LSMS), part of the Manitoba First Nation School System (MFNSS) in Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation. He believes students learn best when they're solving real problems, tinkering with hardware, and watching their code come to life right in front of them. His goal is to help students become critical thinkers and problem solvers not just for the classroom, but for life. When he's not teaching, you'll find him playing musical instruments such as guitar, bass, and drums. |
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