Composting

Respecting the Earth is important and encompasses a wide variety of responsibilities. Composting will teach your kids how to respect the earth and recycle.

Activity Instructions

Star by watching this educational video on composting.  It helps to see the process before embarking on your activity.
The ideal composting bin is 3 feet high, 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep and has lots of air circulation. The simplest way to do this, besides buying a fancy composting bin, is to just buy some chicken wire and make a circle in the 3 foot dimension.

Set up a bin in the house to place compostable materials.  Vegetable trimmings, egg shells, coffee grounds, and fruit peels are all ideal "green" compostable materials.

Create a compost "lasagna" of sorts by layering green and brown material.  The ratio should be 3 parts "brown" material to 1 part "green" material.   First add the brown material to the bottom of the compost pile.  Then a layer of green, then brown, etc.

Keep the pile moist (not soaked) and turn it with your garden fork once a week. 

After 3-6 months, your compost project will be complete and ready to add to the garden!

Materials

• Chicken Wire
• Brown Compostible Items (staw, shredded leaves)
• "Green" Compostible Items (grass clipping, vegetable trimmings, fruit peels, egg shells, coffee grounds)
• Garden Fork
• Bins to Collect Compostible Waste

Outcome

Learning how to compost materials will teach your kids responsibility, the importance of recycling, and about nourishing the soil and taking care of the earth.  Wait until you see how amazing the compost is for the garden!