NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
Lesson Plan 1: Composting
NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
Table of Contents
1.0
MATERIALS .................................................................................................................................................1
2.0
ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY ..........................................................................................................................1
3.0
ATTENTION GRABBER ............................................................................................................................1
4.0
LESSON GOALS AND CONTENT ............................................................................................................2
5.0
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES ...........................................................................................................................3
6.0
POST-TEST ...................................................................................................................................................4
7.0
PRESENT TAKE-HOME REFERENCE MATERIALS & ACTIVITY FOR KIDS.............................4
8.0
SUPPORT MATERIALS .............................................................................................................................4
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REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................ 12
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
1.0
Materials
1. Notebook containing the following:
 Lesson plan
 Assessment activity and post-test
 Reference materials (fact sheet, stickers, and magnets)
 Take-home hand-out for kids
 CD ROM of lesson plans, post-test, and reference materials
2. Plastic bin (available for check-out from NEAT personnel) containing 3 waste
baskets, 1 marked “compost,” 1 marked “recycling,” and 1 marked “trash.”
3. You will need to provide examples of compostable and non-compostable material in
plastic bags (for example, grass, leaves, food scraps, twigs, and newspaper)
2.0
Assessment Activity
Refer to the assessment activity in section 8.0, “Support Material.”
3.0
Attention Grabber
Ask the class the following questions:
Question: “What are 3 ways that composting lawn and kitchen waste can improve water
quality?”
Answers:
1. Compost replaces synthetic fertilizers in people’s lawns that pollute stormwater
run-off with nitrogen and phosphorus.
2. Compost improves soil so that water penetrates more easily and stays in the soil
longer. This reduces the watering needs of your lawn and garden.
3. Compost helps protect soil from erosion, which means less sediment in run-off
waters.
Question: “What are some other benefits of composting?”
Answers:
1. Composting keeps lawn and kitchen waste from filling landfills.
2. If your lawn waste is collected by your city, you are preventing nitrogen-rich runoff from leaves and grass left sitting on the curb. You also prevent the leaves and
clippings from clogging storm drains. You also conserve energy by decreasing the
stops that city vehicles must make to collect the waste.
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
4.0
Lesson Goals and Content
Today we are going to learn the following:
1. How to make a compost bin using cheap materials
2. What you can compost and what you cannot
3. How to maintain your compost bin so that you can use the compost for your lawn and
garden
1. Making a Compost Bin:
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Compost bins can be assembled using chicken wire (just make a cylinder and secure the
edges), stacked bricks or concrete blocks (without mortar), 4 used wooden pallets tied
together, or planks of wood nailed to 4 posts.
All compost bins must:
- be open on the bottom to allow the composting materials to contact soil
- allow plenty of airflow
Compost bins should be no smaller than 3 feet by 3 feet and no larger than 5 feet by 5
feet. It should be around 3 feet tall; you must be able to reach inside it to access its
contents.
2. What to compost:
To promote the break down of organic materials, you need 3 things:
1. A good carbon/nitrogen ratio (4 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen)
- Sources of carbon (“browns” or dry, hard materials) are dry leaves, sawdust,
shredded newspaper, hay, straw, and eggshells.
- Sources of nitrogen (“greens” or wet, soft materials) are manure, green plants,
grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, and tea bags.
2. Water, which you add whenever you add new dry materials to the pile
3. Microorganisms, which are introduced by adding a few shovelfuls of dirt to the pile
What not to compost:
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Leftover cooked food (it attracts animals, contains fats and oils that are slow to break
down, and contains salt that is harmful to plants)
Meats (raw or cooked) and cheeses (they attract animals, contain fats and oils that are
slow to break down, and contain salt that is harmful to plants)
Inorganic material like plastic or metal (it won’t break down)
Cloth and glossy paper (they take too long to break down and contain chemicals that are
harmful to plants )
Pet waste (it makes it smell bad and can introduce disease)
Living weeds with roots (they may grow in your bin)
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
3. How to maintain your bin:
1) Turn the whole pile inside out with a hayfork or shovel every month to aerate, adding
water as needed to make the whole pile moist like a wrung-out sponge.
2) The plant materials should decompose into compost within 4 months in warm weather,
longer under cool or dry conditions. The smaller the pieces of material, the faster they
will compost. Shred newspaper, crumble eggshells and dry leaves, etc.
3) Warning signs:
a. If the pile is not hot, it lacks either nitrogen or moisture.
b. If the pile smells like ammonia, it is too wet or too tightly packed for oxygen
circulation.
c. If the compost is slow to break down, the pieces you added may be too large, or it’s
too cold outside.
4) When the compost looks like dirt, remove it from the pile and distribute to lawn and
plants in your yard. Distribute evenly on top of dirt; don’t let the compost touch the stems
of plants (unless they have bark) because the compost will weaken the structure of the
stems.
GREEN TIP: Avoid printing information for students.
Instead, ask students questions to determine whether
they remember the lesson material.
5.0
Hands-on Activities
1. Contact 1 of our local partners and set up a demonstration on composting. Alternatively,
contact NEAT personnel about discounts (available through Lowe’s) on composting bin
construction materials and build a bin with your group.
Christopher Todd Glenn
JC Raulston Arboretum
NC State University
Box 7522
Raleigh, NC 27695-7522
Phone: (919) 513-7005
chris_glenn@ncsu.edu
Sandra Weitzel
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Soil and Water Conservation
Raleigh Regional Office
1628 MSC, Raleigh NC 27699-1628
Phone: (919) 791-4200
sandra.weitzel@ncmail.net
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
2. After you have presented the lesson goals and information, ask students to come 1 at a
time. Each student must choose an item from the bag and decide whether the item should
be placed in the trash bin, recycle bin, or compost bin. As each student chooses, ask the
class for input.
To prepare for this activity, make sure that items are in a brown paper bag before the
class begins and that the bins are placed in a visible location at the front of the classroom.
When the activity is complete and all items have been put in a bin, move on to the review
activity.
6.0
Post-test
Pass out the post-test and have students complete it individually or in groups. Refer to the
post-test in section 8.0, “Support Material.”
GREEN TIP: Instead of passing out paper for each
student, you can have students share a test or you can
read the questions aloud and have students answer
verbally.
Close the lesson by saying:
Composting is a cheap and fun way to improve water quality and care for your lawn and
garden without costly fertilizers.
Composting will save you money on fertilizers, lawn waste collection (if you pay for it in
your city), and potting soil.
7.0
Present Take-Home Reference Materials & Activity for Kids
1) Pass out reference materials and take-home hand-out for kids.
2) Ask for questions from the participants.
8.0
Support Materials
1. Assessment Activity
2. Post-Test
3. Take-Home Reference Materials (available on CD-ROM)
- Compost Magnet
- Easy Compost Bin Construction Plans
4. Take-Home Activity for Kids
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
Assessment Activity
1. Before class, draw a T-chart on a large piece of paper and hang it on a wall. Label 1 side
of the chart “advantages” and the other side “disadvantages.” If you have a black board or
a whiteboard, save paper and use that instead.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
2. Ask NEAT members to offer either advantages or disadvantages to composting.
3. Record each answer in the appropriate column.
4. Encourage members to talk about why they haven’t tried compost bins in the past. What
are the hassles?
5. Once all members have offered additions to the T-chart, discuss the results.
a. Say each advantage and disadvantage out loud, asking students for extra input.
b. Promote discussion about the topics
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
Post-Test
1. Compost bins can be assembled using
a. chicken wire.
b. stacked bricks or concrete blocks.
c. 4 used wooden pallets tied together.
d. planks of wood, nailed to 4 posts.
e. all of the above.
2. There should be absolutely no air flow inside a compost bin.
a. True
b. False
3. The largest a compost bin should be is
a. 5 feet by 5 feet.
b. 10 feet by 10 feet.
c. 15 feet by 15 feet.
d. about the size of a school bus.
4. Which of the following is not a compostable item?
a. Eggshells
b. Cheese
c. Vegetable and fruit scraps
d. Coffee grounds
5.
If your compost pile is cold then it has the perfect amount nitrogen and moisture.
a. True
b. False
6. Distribute compost on top of dirt, making sure it does not touch the stems of plants.
a. True
b. False
7. To promote the break down of organic materials in your compost bin, you need
a. water and carbon dioxide.
b. dirt, formaldehyde, and raw meet.
c. a good carbon/nitrogen ratio, water, and microorganisms.
d. pet waste, living weeds, and cheese.
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
Post-Test Answers
1. Compost bins can be assembled using
a. chicken wire.
b. stacked bricks or concrete blocks.
c. 4 used wooden pallets tied together.
d. planks of wood nailed to 4 posts.
e. all of the above.
2. There should be absolutely no air flow inside a compost bin.
a. True
b. False
3. The largest a compost bin should be is
a. 5 feet by 5 feet.
b. 10 feet by 10 feet.
c. 15 feet by 15 feet.
d. About the size of a school bus.
4. Which of the following is not a compostable item?
a. Eggshells
b. Cheese
c. Vegetable and fruit scraps
d. Coffee grounds
5.
If your compost pile is cold then it has the perfect amount nitrogen and moisture.
a. True
b. False
6. Distribute compost on top of dirt, making sure it does not touch the stems of plants.
a. True
b. False
7. To promote the break down of organic materials in your compost bin, you need
a. water and carbon dioxide.
b. dirt, formaldehyde, and raw meet.
c. a good carbon/nitrogen ratio, water, and microorganisms.
d. pet waste, living weeds, and cheese.
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
Compost Magnet
Turn the Heap Stickers
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
Easy Compost Bin Construction Plans
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
Take-Home Activity for Kids
Materials
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Either suggested reading
Paper cup
Scissors
Toothpick
Fork
Assortment of candy to represent composting materials:
- Oreos (for dirt)
- Pudding (for mud)
- Runts (fruit)
- Gummy worms (earth worms)
- Swedish Fish (fish)
- Cadbury Cream Egg (egg shells)
Suggested Reading
Compost, By Gosh! by Michelle Eva Portman
Wiggling worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
Activity
1. Crush up the Oreos on a plate and create a thin layer over the surface of the plate. Explain
that the Oreos represent dirt.
2. Cut out the bottom of the paper cup. Explain that in order to make a compost pile, the
composting materials must have contact with the soil.
3. Use the toothpick to poke holes is the cup. Explain that a compost bin needs plenty of
airflow.
4. Put the paper cup on top of the Oreo layer. Explain that now that we have created our
compost bin we need to fill it with composting materials.
5. Give each child pudding, runts, gummy worms, and Swedish fish.
6. Explain what each represents. Ask children if they think it should go in the composting
bin.
7. Put composting materials in the cup and non-composting materials to the side.
Composting Materials
Non-Composting Materials
Oreos (for dirt)
Pudding (for mud)
Runts (fruit)
gummy worms (earth worms)
Cadbury Cream Egg (egg shells)
Swedish Fish (fish)
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
8. Once you have placed all composting materials in the paper cup, tell children to turn the
candy over with their fork. Explain that a compost pile must be turned once a month so
that air can get in and break down the materials.
9. Encourage kids to keep turning the materials with their fork. When the candy looks well
mixed in the pudding, explain that the compost becomes dirt for the garden!
10. Now kids can eat the candy mixture!
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NEAT LESSON PLANS
LESSON #1: COMPOSTING
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References
The Virginia Cooperative Extension: Making Compost from Yard Waste
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-703/426-703.html#L2
City of Arlington: Backyard Composting
http://www.ci.arlington.tx.us/earthday/earthday_compost.html
VegWeb: Compost Guide
http://vegweb.com/composting/
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