yes - we compost

We have been composting our scraps from snack and lunch time since school started in September. 

Spring time and Earth Day gives us the nudge we need to check out what has been happening to all those scraps.

We read about it.  This is my favourite what-is-composting-all-about book for kindergarten.
Compost! Growing Gardens from your Garbage
author: Linda Glaser
illlustrator: Anca Heriton
publisher: Millbrook Press (1996)
non-fiction
themes: environment, gardening
happily informative for children 4 - 7

Before the story starts, we are welcomed into the garden.  Where it all happens.


first lines
In my house, we grow
      sunflowers, sweet peas, strawberries,
      potatoes, petunias, pansies,
      corn, carrots, cucumbers

last lines
So that's how composting works.
It keeps on going around and
around from garbage to compost
to garden gain and again
and again.

summary
In this nonfiction picture book, a little girl explains how her family turns garbage and garden waste into soil using their compost bin. She throws in lima beans from dinner, a moldy jack-o'-lantern from Halloween, grass clippings, wilted flowers, her rabbit's droppings, and fallen leaves. Over the winter she helps water the pile, watches her mother turn it, feels the heat of the compost, smells its earthy smell, and helps spread it on the garden for spring planting.  - Booklist

why I love this book
The text is lyrical and gently inviting.  The bright pastel water colour illustrations are attractive, making the garden through the seasons, a living, changing place.  Most of all, I like the message:  composting is easy and benefits the earth.

resources
Compost your fruit and veggie food waste.   Greenlving says that 14.1% of household garbage could be composted.  That's a pretty big chunk of waste that could be kept out of the landfill.  Straightforward and easy tips here.

Read about creating a compost here.

Check out some worms.  This is my kids' favourite part.


I brought a bucket of soil from my home compost in to school.


The kidlets found worms, spiders, lots of woodbugs and a couple slugs.

We looked for the worms' hearts.  Made sure that the worms stayed damp; we know that they need to be damp to breathe.  Watched them use their body segments to move.  A lot of excellent scientific observation.

It was hard to believe that all that dirt used to be apple cores, egg shells, old leaves, orange peels...

Make a worm hotel.  Complete with 24 hour buffet.  Check out the instructions here.


Our worms got layers of sand, dirt, sand, chopped up compost from the kids' snacks and dry leaves.  They seem to be very happy in their 5 star accommodation.  



happy composting and happy Earth Day




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6 comments

  1. Call me crazy but making compost was my favorite part of student teaching in third grade! Worms in the classroom are so much fun! :)

    Casey
    Second Grade Math Maniac

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm always looking for new books for Earth Day and this looks like a perfect one, thanks for reviewing it!

    Love to Learn

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  3. THanks for sharing this great book. I just started an Earth Day board on pinterest and added this:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is an AWESOME choice!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. We compost too!!! I love the exploration of the dirt and worms- this might be my kids' favorite part:).

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