Why should composting be a fundamental part of our conversations with children?

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As an educator, I’ve lived though the joy of crafting a project curriculum around the interest of the children because that’s when they are the most invested in the project. Children are at an incredible life stage- once they see, understand and confirm it, they learn a lesson for a lifetime. For such a delicate task, it sure stems from such a raw desire to learn dependant heavily on children’s prior knowledge. Now that I’ve taken a step back I wonder why our conversations surrounding ‘knowing more about the world that I live in’ and 'food' would often gloss over the intricate pattern that food waste has.

It could be that we are selective in catching onto children’s interest; food consumption, purchase of food and growing bean sprouts only because we don’t know other areas.
It could be that we don’t have the resources to tackle tougher topics confidently.
It could be that children are unaware or uninterested in those topics.

But why? As educators, we are in a privilege position to lead, guide and educate the next generation.

Maybe the approach should just be to talk to children more about these issues- how is food produced around the world? What happens to food after it is produced? What do companies in Singapore do with food waste? How should food waste go back to profit the farms? What is my role in all of this? What can I do at home/ in school to close the loop?

One simple way to start the conversation on food waste with children is to talk about composting. We have found that talking and engaging children in different ways of composting is powerful. It is an action driven empowerment that children continue to carry with them as they grow older.

Here are some methods of composting that we have done with children:

1. Trench composting (we have 2 articles about HOW and WHY)
2. 7/ 5 pot system
3. Vermicomposting
4. DIY composting
5. Using a compost tube

And many more! 

Out of the list, I have found that the most fuss-free method is by using a humble compost tube. With it, we could have conversations driven by children about the mechanics behind composting, the kind of waste that goes in, creatures that help break down food waste, how composting heals the soil and even about microbes! Didn’t I say that children are amazing? They definitely surprised me and I know they will surprise you with their hunger to learn too.

Well, if you need some other reasons why you should try out composting with a compost tube, here’s why!

• The set up is so simple: fill a container with soil and put the compost tube in and you are ready to start redirecting your kitchen scraps, paper waste or garden waste into the tube.
• The compost tube doesn’t require much space to install and maintain. From our experience, the soil surrounding the compost tube and the lid keeps bad smells at bay when an equal amount of greens and browns are inserted into the tube.
• The genius microbial world living in the soil will break your organic waste down for you and turn it into compost. The Compost tube even allows you to leave the waste in there without having to flip the waste like other conventional composting methods.
• Children can easily be a part of the process and see first hand what happens to their waste over time.

We have a huge responsibility- let’s start by learning more to teach better.

To watch our sharing on how we compost with the compost tube, check out our IGTV video on Instagram. Click HERE