I love visiting with schools to talk gardening. And when it comes to the garden, there’s nothing more fun than gardening with kids. It’s a natural fit! Kinda like worms and dirt, bees and flowers, these kids get it and love the experience. As do I. It’s heartening to see the kids take an active hands-on role in growing their food, recycling waste, and generally taking care of the environment. My latest adventure was with the students from Celebration K-8 in Kissimmee, FL. In honor of Earth Day, they were beginning their first compost bins, learning the difference between “greens” and “browns” and how the process of decomposition works.
The results will be amazing and the perfect solution to amending their garden soil and feeding their plants. It begins with some pretty yucky stuff, like leftover food.
After a while, the scraps begin to stink–perfect additions for our compost bin! These are considered our “greens” and when combined with “browns” such as leaves, cardboard and paper, will break down with the help of moisture and heat.
Several months later, the resulting soil will be rich in organic matter. To facilitate this process, the kids added compost starter to their bins.
Basically, this helps to stimulate the decomposition process. Spin, water, repeat!
Next thing you know, black inky compost. That’s what their compost will eventually look like. It’s what I call “black gold” for the garden–excellent for tilling into the ground around their plants.
Celebration K-8 also has hydroponic towers, thanks to a grant from Whole Kids Foundation, a charitable branch of Whole Foods Market. If your school would like to start a garden, but doesn’t have the funding, Whole Kids Foundation can help!
If you’d like to host Author D.S. Venetta for a visit to your school, contact her via her website! School gardens are a great way to get kids excited about healthy living.
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