Design Challenge: Levels of Reality
This design challenge will ask teams to explore the nature of matter and energy. We do this by disassembling matter into energy from the ecology to energy and every step in between. This is important because to reframe what we are exploring here at Mezzacello Urban Farm, It’s good to know what size or scale you are at!
Design Challenge: Build a Bridge
This design challenge will ask teams to Build a Bridge for a specific animal with the fewst parts and the maximum amount of strength. The design challenge will allow each team materials and fasteners to build a prototype bridge and test a specific weight that is a proxy for an animal at Mezzacello Urban Farm. The final test will include a test involving a live animal.
Design Challenge: Build a Biodome
This design challenge will explore the way DNA and RNA code for the building of complex proteins and elegant structures witha minimum of information. The result will be a biodome that will allow animals and plants to live safe from predators and prey.
Design Challenge: Simple Machines and You
This design challenge will explore the way we use simple machines on an urban farm. The students will each begiven a simple device that is a closed box. Each team will get a different box and they will be given 10 minutes to assemble the device. The fastest team wins.
Design Challenge: Fun With Food
This design challenge will explore the way we use the natural resources at Mezzacello to feed and care for our livestock when we can. We will be cexploring metabolic loads and nutrition profiles for four different species of animal and creating appropriate feed.
Design Challenge: Fertilizer
This design challenge will explore the physical aspects of NHCOPS. Nitrogen is key here, as is Phosphus and sulphur. We will be building the main fertilizer used at Mezzacello. Eden's Ghost.
Design Challenge: Water Sterilization
This design challenges explores how we steralize purified water to ensure safety. This design challenge is intended to extend the water purification design challenge.
Lesson: Using a Rabbit Sling
In this lesson we learn about animal physiology and psychology and how to properly care for a rabbit when trimming its nails.
Lesson: Animal Health And Safety
A fun and safe way to introduce students to the realities of handling live animals and their pathogens, like a real vet.
Lesson: Animal Evolution Body Puzzle
Lesson identifying different parts of three distinct species of animal and finding commonalities and needs among them.
Lesson: Basic Sanitation 101
Sanitation is a critical skillset on an urban farm. This lesson introduces students to the basics of sanitation and pathology.
The Perfect Cover Crop for Unsightly Chain Link Fence
The original fenceline of Mezzacello and how we disguised the chain link fence we had to create.