For the Classroom
Classroom composting holds a wealth of learning opportunities. From this one activity, you can integrate lessons of environmental stewardship, Earth science, biology, nutrition, math, and language arts. This is the shortest list of ideas, but I hope it inspires many more from you and your students.
To Rot or Not to Rot
Some things rot and some things do not. You can only make compost from things that rot. Can your class come up with a list of items they think will rot and a list of things they think will not? Gather small, similar-sized samples of these items (which may include paper, cardboard, a leaf, a banana peel, an eggshell, a plastic wrapper, a piece of aluminum foil, a small glass trinket, etc.). If at all possible, find a space on school property where you can dig a small hole for these items and they will not be disturbed. If not, you can also do this in a plastic container or even a small aquarium in the classroom. To facilitate the process, you may want to make it a worm bin.
Place your samples in the hole or the container. Have students guess what will happen to the items. What will rot? How long will it take? What will happen to the items they think won't rot? An interesting material to add is plastic made of corn or soybeans. Find a synthetic plastic that looks and feels the same. Compare what happens to them.
Soil Sleuth
Examine the makeup of soil using wet and dry methods. The dry method is taking a couple of tablespoons of soil and spreading it out across a large white piece of paper. Use a magnifying glass to look closely, or even a microscope if you're working with older children. You can also fill a jar about one-third full of soil and then add water to explore it in a different way. Shake it up and wait a day. The sand and mineral matter will sink to the bottom in layers, leaving the organic material floating at the top. Compare soil samples from different locations like a fertile garden bed, exposed dirt on a play-ground, and the soil under grass. How are they different? What's in the dirt?
Planet Earth is teeming with life. For example, there are more living individual organisms in a tablespoon of soil than there are people on the Earth. Everyone, including the organisms in that tablespoon of dirt, does their part to keep the world healthy and promote life. What have you done today?
