|
|
Action
Projects ~ Composting
SUMMARY: Students
create and maintain a class compost pile using the organic
waste from their school lunches. DURATION: 1 month-year GRADES: 2nd-5th
ACTION
COMPONENT |
| Composting
is an easy way to drastically reduce the amount of waste
we send to the landfill. In the classroom, students can
learn to compost the organic waste of their lunches,
thus reducing the amount of waste the class produces.
This learning activity can also inspire students
to try composting at home. After learning to compost at school, one student in my mother's 3rd grade class even asked for a compost pile for Christmas! The soil
from your class compost pile can be used to fertilize
your school garden or classroom potted plants, reducing
the need for artificial fertilizers. |
STANDARDS |
This
project gives students hands-on experience with the
processes at the end of the food chain. Although the
compost pile
can be relatively left alone, it can also become the
center of many interesting lessons. For example: students
can write scientific observations of the compost pile
and the decomposers within; students
can learn to use thermometers as they monitor and
graph the compost's temperature; students can practice
weighing the organic waste they put into the compost
pile; and second
graders can monitor the life cycle of interesting decomposers.
|
SUGGESTIONS |
|
There
are many intricate ways of designing and maintaining
a compost pile. However,
as your class probably has no urgency to use the fertile
soil produced from the compost pile, I recommend
you approach the project in a more relaxed fashion.
Worm bins, which can be purchased from local gardening
stores,
can be left inside the classroom to monitor worm behavior.
However, worm bins are generally not used for large
production of compost. If your class has access to
space outdoors, I recommend constructing one
or two simple wooden boxes with mesh ventilation
or drilled holes and secure lids. This
makes a good project for a parent who has skills
in construction
building. You could also use large plastic
bins with holes drilled or cut for ventilation. |
|
Begin by reviewing what the class learned at Hidden Villa about what can be put into a compost pile. Have your students save the organic waste from their lunches. (Before putting hte waste in the compost pile, put it all into a bucket and have students weigh it.) Spread a thin layer of soil on the bottom of your compost pile, then add the students' lunch waste. Cover with a top layer of soil. (To speed things along, I recommend using soil that already contains decomposers such as worms and polly-pollies, or buy a starter container of earthworms at a gardening store. Have your students make scientific observations and sketches of these helpful decomposers.)
|
|
After
your compost pile is created, how much energy you
put into maintaining it is entirely up to you and
your students. At a minimum, you need to keep the
compost pile decently moist (but not soaking) and
turn it with a shovel from time to time. To be slightly
more ambitious, have your students consistently
compost their organic waste. This is an incredible
opportunity to develop life-long environmental habits.
When your compost pile fills up, cover it up with
some dry weed cuttings and let it sit for several
weeks to let it decompose. Meanwhile, your class
can use another compost bin. As mentioned above,
there are many different projects you can do with
your class to integrate the powerful hands-on experience
of composting with other standard-based learning.
As an experiment, you could add a few items that do not decompose well (plastic snack wrapper, glass bottle) and let your students make direct observations about what happens. |
|
|
