Ms. Yoshida's Class Learns about the Ingredients in Compost

On November 7, Ms. Yoshida's 2nd graders learned about some of the ingredients in compost. Each of the two groups made a compost bag. They will observe which of the contents decomposes and will become compost.

We read the book "Compost Stew" as a prelude to the lesson. Then the students chose items to put in their compost bag from a selection of items on a display table. Thanks to Life Lab for the idea for this lesson! The children put cardboard, toilet paper, a screw, fruit, leaves, a small stick, coffee grounds, damp soil, an eggshell, a small piece of bread and some plastic in a quart size Ziplock bag. Before sealing the bag they blew air into it to keep it from smelling bad.

The students will observe the bags at weekly intervals.

After writing about "Our Compost Bag" in their garden journals and having a snack of persimmon, the students planted seeds, watered and shredded newspaper for our worm bin.

Thanks to Ms. Yoshida and Ms. Ashley for helping today!