Fun Ways to Get Kids Excited about Composting

Kids love dirt (ask any parent who does laundry). And they will love composting too if you spark their interest.

Here are some fun ways to pull your kiddos away from the electronic and into the organic…

Explore a Miniature Food Web

Everything from predators to fungi can be found in the compost bin. Open your bin and dig around. What kinds of wildlife can you find?

If you keep your cool with all the creepy crawlies, youngsters will too. Use this entertaining food web sheet to identify composting creatures and determine who eats who!

Start a Worm Bin

Reluctant to take on pets?

This is a great way to give into their pleas without adopting a 50 pound fur ball. And the poop from these pets is actually valuable!

Little ones can monitor the composting process and they’ll never run out of new worms to name.

Read this post for tips on setting up a bin or attend an upcoming vermicomposting workshop.

Use the Finished Product

Finished compost makes a great potting mix if you add one part compost to two parts potting soil. Potting flowers or herbs with your kids is a fun way to get dirty and be productive. Mini-horticulturalists can then watch their potted plants grow.

It’s never too early to start nurturing a love of composting.

Here’s my one-year-old helper with our kitchen bucket.