For Everyone
For Everyone
2 h.
Serbian

Mini STEM Garden 2/2: Smart Garden in Action – Automated Watering

March 5, 2026 — 18:00–20:00
ARC, Ložionica, Ulica ideja 2, Beograd

The second of two workshops combining ecology, technology, and hands-on work. The workshops can be attended as a series or individually.

In this workshop, you’ll connect everything you’ve learned and build a functional smart gardening system. Using Arduino, you’ll control both lighting and automated watering of microgreens, relying on real-time data from soil moisture sensors. Through teamwork, you’ll understand how technology directly contributes to sustainable and efficient plant cultivation.

Note for participants: Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops with Arduino IDE installed if possible. We will try to provide computers for those who cannot bring their own.

Download link (for Windows users): arduino-ide_2.3.7_Windows_64bit.exe
Installation guide: Download and install Arduino IDE

About This Workshop

Science Through Practice

You'll work in pairs or small teams to build a complete smart gardening system. You'll connect Arduino, breadboard, soil moisture sensors, relay, water pump, and LED lighting, program the system and test its operation — with support from the workshop instructor and collaborative problem-solving.

What Will You Learn?

How Arduino is used to control plant lighting and watering
The role of soil moisture sensors in automated systems
Why relays and external power sources are necessary for operating higher-power devices
How to connect hardware and software into a functional system
Teamwork, communication, and technical thinking through a hands-on project

Why Sign Up?

Because you'll independently build a system with real-world application and see how knowledge transforms into concrete solutions. The workshop introduces you to engineering thinking and shows how STEM skills can contribute to sustainable development and smart technologies.

About the Instructors

Tamara Đorić Šparović is a geography teacher with 25 years of experience in education. She works at Matematička gimnazija in Belgrade, where she actively participates in developing domestic and international projects connecting science, technology, and sustainable development. She is the author and coordinator of the Erasmus+ K2 project "Smart School Garden" and founder of the Sustainable Development Section, focused on connecting STEM fields, ecology, and innovative teaching methods. Jovica Milisavljević is a physics teacher and head of the Applied Physics and Electronics section, with extensive experience in developing experimentally oriented teaching. He is the author of professional papers on the use of computers and IT in school laboratories. He advocates for the concept of "learning by doing," in which students actively participate in experiments, measure, analyze results, and connect theory with real physical phenomena.