Project: Feed the School One Meal

The driving question

Can we grow enough to feed this many people one real meal, and what would it actually cost.

Why this one works

The constraint does the teaching. A number of people, a date, and a meal that has to actually happen. Every decision after that is forced by arithmetic rather than by the teacher.

It also ends in something undeniable. Either people ate or they did not.

How it runs

Weeks one and two: decide the meal, the number of people and the date. Work backwards to a planting date, which is the moment the maths gets real.

Weeks three to ten: grow, with a watering rota and a named owner for each crop.

Alongside: cost everything. Seeds, soil, water, labour at some notional rate. Compare against buying it.

Final week: harvest, prepare, serve, and present the true cost.

What gets produced

A meal, served to real people, with a costing document handed over at the same time.

Where it goes wrong

Growing too little and having to buy the difference, which feels like failure. Say at the start that a shortfall is a finding, and record what was grown against what was needed as a percentage.

Also, the timeline is unforgiving. Start counting backwards from the date in week one or you will miss it.

Related

Project Tracker is the one page planning sheet for any of these.