How can composting be made accessible to children and their communities?

I love watching children learn. I love how they will unravel new discoveries from a small nudge, if we give them time. I love seeing how infectious the buzz to share it with others is with children. I love how learning grows for me in as much as it does for them in each new experience. Contrary to what us adults think, ‘new experiences’ for children doesn’t have to look like a broadway production- bigger and wilder than anything experienced before. I’ve learnt that even the simplest question, change in perspective, an interesting tool or a new system is great exposure to the world out there. 

We love composting. If you read the earlier post, composting is a good way to get children thinking about kitchen waste and soil. Why not try composting with children as you ‘new experience’? The question is, which method of composting allows children to come near to the process? How can we ensure that parents and teachers are also able to learn from the same method? There are so many methods out there but not all are suitable for small spaces, busy adults and children. When looking for a new system, do look out for one that is…

Suitable- Does the system fit in the space that I have?

Available- Are the materials, tools etcetera easy to get my hands on? 

Sustainable- Can I continue it beyond the first week? 

Child focused- Does it encourage children to be a part of the process? 

Here are four methods of composting that are tried, tested and loved by the different communities the we have reached together with a breakdown of the space and materials needed for you to see which fits best into the composting experience that you want to provide. 

Give it a go and share with us your experience! 

If you stumbled upon this article and you are wondering why we should talk about composting with children- you can take a look at another article that I wrote HERE.  

Nova Nelson

I’m a Social Entrepreneur, Permaculture Designer, a gardening coach, content creator and educator. I started Cultivate Central as a solo enterprise. It started as a blog about my journey in Permaculture Design. It then evolved and grew into a small social enterprise. Today, I focus on creating regenerative food gardens, developing and delivering educational experiences, championing vermicomposting and building collaborative community programmes with organisations, corporates, developers and schools, with a small but talented team. I’m passionate about helping them embark on a journey of earth care centred on building regenerative food systems and cultures.

How did I find myself doing what I do? Read my story here.