Teaching about Composting

Compost and composting are frequently included as an important element when creating gardens with children. 

We are learning about how to construct compost piles from various materials, 

and how to assess the various manufactured compost bins and tumblers on the market. 

We have seen many different methods and some of the problems with multiple users and varying conditions.

We know the 3 to 1 ratio of brown to green materials. We are learning about all the important bacteria, fungi, and macroinvertebrates that are so important for successful composting!

Take a look at this Cornell site:  http://compost.css.cornell.edu/microorg.html

We collected ideas about how to help kids understand the processes going on inside the pile, like having the children do jumping jacks to experience how their own body temperatures increase as they are active to connect with the by-product of heat in the compost pile!

Today, in Day 3 of our Sharing Seminar, we made compost columns. These simple constructions are ideal ways for children to create their own mini-compost models!  All types of experiments can be created from this basic structure. The Bottle Biology Resources Network from the University of Wisconsin--Madison has lots of ideas for ways to use these columns.

Here is how we did it:

The columns are made from 2L plastic bottles with the labels removed, and bottles cut into two pieces. Each column requires one upper portion and two bottoms. Our bottles were already cleaned and cut for us (and probably should be cut for children as well.)  A filter paper, cheesecloth, or small square of netting is attached to the bottle opening with a rubber band so that when upended the composting material will not fall through.

We collected dried plant matter for our brown and weeded a bit around some of the plantings in the park to have our green stuff. The matter needs to be moist but not dripping wet. 

We placed layers of ripped up green plant matter, then shredded brown stuff, and a big spoonful of dirt in the upturned bottle with the covered opening, then repeated the layers again.




The second bottle bottom piece is then placed in the top of the column for a lid.

I hope these photos help to make the text clear....!

All photos except the first two are my own. The first two images came from a web article about composting on the web site:  "The Green Life"  http://www.thegreenlifeonline.org/garden_compost.html


Written by Fern