Composting with Kids- A Fun Way to Learn About the Nutrient Cycle

We did a fun unit about the nutrient cycle last year and our big culminating project was setting up our own backyard compost bin. It ended up being a pretty simple process, in fact, it's so simple, everyone should consider starting one! It's a great way to reduce your household waste, teach your kids decomposition, and you end up with some excellent compost for your garden out of the process.

Setting Up a Compost Bin:

The first thing you need to do is pick a place for your bin. The best location will get a few hours of sun a day (the heat will help speed up the composting process) but not too much sun because you want your compost to stay moist. You also want to pick a spot somewhat close to the house so adding kitchen scraps is easy.

Once you've chosen a location, it's time to actually set up your bin. Your compost bin can be as simple as just a pile in your yard (I personally don't use this method because we have too many critters around here that would get into it) or as fancy as a store bought tumbling bin. For our bin I just used some chicken wire and made a cylinder with it. Your bin should be at least 3x3x3 foot but no bigger than 5x5x5 foot. If you make it too small or too large, composting will still happen, just slower. It's really hard to mess composting up!

Now it's time to start adding compostable material!

Material To Compost:

If your using a simple bin like ours, it's best to start heaping material straight on the ground inside your bin. There's no need to construct any type of floor for your bin.

In order for your bin to have the proper bacteria and nutrients needed to produce good compost, you need to use a variety of green and brown compostable material in your bin. Green materials include: fresh vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, grass clippings, fresh plant trimmings, and seaweed. Brown materials include: dry leaves and pine needles, egg shells, sawdust, straw, and wood ashes.

Taking Care of Your Compost Bin:

Taking care of your compost bin so that it turns your brown and green material into compost is fairly simple. The most important thing is just to add green and brown compostable material to it regularly. This provides the beneficial bacteria and fungi in your bin with the food they need to stay happy and fed.

Every few weeks you should mix the material in your bin up a bit with a pitchfork or small shovel. You should also check to see that it's moist. Too little or too much moisture will slow down the composting process. If it's too dry it's fine to add a little water.

You may also want to construct some sort of simple lid to cover your bin on very hot sunny days and during rainstorms. I just use a cheap plastic tablecloth.

And that's it! In a few months you should start to see fully composted material that is dark and crumbly and you can start using it in your garden.

What's Happening in Your Compost Bin?

When you throw food and yard scraps in your compost bin it is consumed by tiny organisms known as decomposers. Decomposers include fungi, certain types of bacteria, earthworms, and some types of small insects. The decomposers breakdown the decaying food and yard scraps and turn them into nutrient dense organic matter that can be added to soil.

The Nutrient Cycle

When organisms die, they are consumed by decomposers. The decomposers breakdown the decaying plant and animal matter and return the nutrients contained in it to the soil. These nutrients are then used by plants to grow and are then transferred to animals and other organisms who eat the plants. Those plants and animals eventually die and the cycle begins again.