Background- There are four main ingredients for composting. A compost pile needs nitrogen, water, carbon and air. Nitrogen sourced from healthy fresh food scraps creates a green layer. Carbon from paper and leaves makes up a brown layer. Water allows the beneficial bugs to convert waste into compost and air flow is also essential for a healthy mixture. Creating compost, feeds our garden soil with nutritious ingredients for better crop production and happy earthworms. Composting also teaches students about waste and healthy eating.
Kindergarten/1st grade: Read Compost Stew ( in the PTA shed)
2nd through 6th grade: Please look through Backyard Scientist: Exploring Earthworms With Me (in the PTA shed) for reference and more activities
Supplies-
Plastic bin, hand lenses (optional), Composting 101 Handout
If you would like to create a small compost pile please get the following: coffee grounds, banana peel, apple core, other fresh vegetable scraps
Lesson-
Go over the handout “Composting 101” with students. Have them suggest appropriate ingredients to add and exclude from a compost pile. Grab your plastic bin and take students on a walk around campus. Have them identify and collect brown layer materials that can be added to our compost bin. Lead students out to the garden with your collected items. Show them our composter and explain how it works. Empty items into the left side of the composter. The kids can take turns thoughtfully spinning the crank.
Our garden also contains worm composting bins (vermiculture). These compost bins are vital to the health and well being of our worms which naturally fertilize our garden beds year round. Just like our regular compost pile, these smaller bins require specific ingredients for happy bugs. Worms like a dark and moist environment. Worms are also vegetarians. Meat & dairy products are not appropriate for vermicomposting bins. Fruit and vegetable scraps should also be pesticide free. Lead students over to the first two wicking beds and show them what is inside our orange bins. They might see paper scraps, food scraps and possibly a few worms. The bins and their lids have holes drilled throughout to allow for air flow. These holes also make it possible for the worms to successfully travel throughout the garden beds and back to the bins for food. On average, every pound of worms should be fed 3 pounds of scraps per week. This amount is much less during colder months when the worms are not as active.
At the end of your lesson students can create posters, in groups, to illustrate what is and isn’t compostable in the large bin and/or in the worm bins. Signs will be laminated and hung in the garden to teach other students.
Questions to Ask- How does composting help the earth? Why do we only use healthy food scraps in our pile? How are we helping our bodies by eating foods that can be composted?
