How do compost bins work for kids

In some parts of Canada, residents can take proof of residence to their local municipal office or waste disposal area and get a free or discounted outdoor composter. These easy-to-use big bins let you add your kitchen compost and yard waste to the top. As the compost "cooks" inside, it eventually turns into dark, soil-like material you can access through a little door at the bottom.

When you're teaching your kids to compost, schedule weekly composting activities as a regular family chore you can all work on together. Depending on the state of your compost, this could be turning hot compost with a shovel , adding worms, or spreading it in the garden. In addition to hands-on learning and lessons, composting also gives you an opportunity for many academic lessons.

Depending on the age of your children, you could read picture books on composting, watch videos, complete unit studies, or do a science experiment. Scroll down the page for a list of free online resources to help kids learn about composting. Adding red wiggler worms helped keep the odor down in our indoor compost bin. Once your compost is ready to use, it's time to put it to use. Gather it in a pail, bin, or basket, and spread it in the garden with a small trowel.

Work it into the soil. If you don't have space for garden beds, start a container garden. This is a good way to introduce gardening to your children. Great article. Hi there, love the poster for kids to se what to and not to compost. Is it broken or removed? Hi Mary Leigh! Thanks for your comment. So we don't compost vegetables that have been cooked with dairy products because it seems to make the compost slimy. And we don't mind if the veggies or fruits sprout - they just get turned over in our garden anyways!

Thanks so much for this! What about seeds? How to keep them from sprouting? Good to know Thanks so much for linking up with me at the Unlimited Monthly Link Party Thanks for the comment Alli - and I love this! Good for you!

Our compost has been instrumental in growing a bumper crop of potatoes this year so we're continuing on - and now we have chicken manure to add to it as well. One other option for a container to compost in, that I discovered by accident, is to use a livestock water trough. We did add kitchen scrap's, but when the kids did it, they just put it on top, so the chicken's usually ate it. But even after it's been mainly ignored, it's produced some great soil.

Hi Kris - thanks for the comment! It was buried right in the middle of our list but I moved it up because we're getting a lot of requests for it these days.

So now it is the fourth link from the top of the list. I cannot find the pack to print. I understand it was part of the resourse library, but I couldn't seem to find just that pack. Hi Laura! I'll email you directly as well, and I'm changing the wording to make it more clear. The pack is part of our resource library, which you can sign up for in the green box at the bottom of the post.

I'm also having trouble finding the link. Some of the top reasons are:. So, how do you do it? How do you and your kids build a compost pile in your yard? About Colleen. Colleen is a former teacher of gifted children who prayed for nice, average children.

Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 4 children living on a farm in New England. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids! Your email address will not be published. Skip to content Skip to primary sidebar. What is Composting? Your plants will be healthier and hardier if you grow them from soil rich in composted nutrients.

When you add moisture to compost-rich soil, it is retained better, again making plants healthier. I wonder if you could put how each type of compost break down to make soil. But I would give this a? I compost all the time and use it for my mums garden. Thanks sooooo much! I have a project with other kids were we have to learn about different types of recycling and I got compost! Thanks for the advice. I put food scraps in my mums garden cause it helps her garden grow very nice and beautiful.

I love this Website thanks for the Information. The whole thing has been so beautifully explained that it has made things a lot easier for me to be done with the little ones.

Hope you and the little ones enjoy your composting. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Previous Next. About the Author: EcoFriendlyKids. Related Posts. April 2, 0 Comments. Celebrating Earth Day. June 30, 0 Comments. Planting a Tree. May 31, 5 Comments. Growing Your Own Fruit and Vegetables. March 9, 1 Comment. Mitzi April 27, at am - Reply. You put a lower case e insteed of a captil e for Earth and seeing as it is a name of a place it should have a captil not a lower case, earth is another word for soil where as Earth is the planet.

Dena February 4, at am - Reply. Great site — thanks for the information on composting for my kids school project. Thank you, this is an awesome website, its really helped me! Melly November 18, at am - Reply.