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Grades 3-6
Students will compost organic material and observe how materials decompose.
Science Learning Outcomes:
Grades 4 - #11
Grades 6 - #3, #8, #13
Materials:
Compost materials: leaves, vegetable, fruit, bread, plant clippings, hay, straw, strips of newspaper, sawdust, pine needles
Composting container: clear heavy large plastic bag, zip lock baggie, or clear plastic 2-Litter bottle or glass jar
5 gallon bucket
Natural activator: garden soil, compost, manure, alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal
Scoop: garden shovel, spoon
Vocabulary: compost, decomposition, organic matter
Procedures:
Students can compost as a class experiment or in teams.
- Student collect food waste from home. Have them bring vegetable, fruit and bread scraps without butter, oil, dairy, meat items or salad dressing.
- Create mixture by mixing all materials in a large bucket unless you plan to test materials separately. Add 2 parts brown (leaves, hay, straw, newspaper or sawdust), 1 parts green (vegetable, fruit, bread, plant clippings or pine needles), and 1 part activator. Fill container three-fourth full with compost mixture. Sprinkle water to make moist, if needed. Seal the container or bag and knead or shake. Keep container in a warm place. As an alternative experiment, added water to the compost, leave compost dry or aerate compost with holes or inserting a straw directly into compost material.
- Turn every few days.
- Students should record observations once a week for 8 to 10 weeks on changes in composition of the compost mixture and color of compost.
Conclusion: Review changes of the compost materials throughout the experiment.
Time: one class period for prep, long term observations for several months.
Follow up: Use a mixture of soil and compost to plant seeds.
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