Let’s Get Composting!
Autumn brings a variety of new, nature-based activity opportunities for children to enjoy outdoors. Along with an autumn scavenger hunt, there is another activity that is perfect for the season given the abundance of fallen leaves — composting. Composting is a simple activity that not only teaches children new skills and knowledge, but also benefits the natural world. Showing children and under-fives how easy it is to make compost will educate them about the circle of life, teach them the value of recycling, give a home to creatures like minibeasts, and give households a free resource that will nourish plants come springtime. It’s a win-win for children, families, and nature! With that in mind, welcome to today’s introductory guide to composting for kids — let’s get composting! And rest assured that, because this is for children and under-fives, we’ll keep things simple.
Activity Overview
Through this activity, children will learn how to make a compost heap, the simple measures needed to maintain it, the types of things that can be composted, and what the compost can be used for once ready. They’ll discover that things usually discarded can be repurposed, recycled, and given a second life that will benefit nature and the household.
What Will Children Need
Children will essentially need material to compost and somewhere to compost it. Also, depending on the scale of the compost heap, a spade or gardening trowel will be useful, along with access to water. During the compost preparation, gloves can be worn for protection if preferred, and/or supervising adults will need to ensure that children wash hands with soap and water after working on the task.
What Can Children Compost?
Children and their families can compost an array of things that would otherwise have gone to waste. Key ingredients can include:
Fresh grass cuttings;- Fallen/dead leaves and small twigs foraged from the garden or local open space;
- Crushed eggshells;
- Vegetable scraps and fruit peelings;
- Loose coffee grounds and loose tea leaves (empty the contents of any tea bags as the bags themselves often contain microplastics, which do not break down);
- It’s also possible to incorporate small pieces of unlaminated cardboard and shredded paper scattered into the overall organic mix, although see the next section for details to avoid.
Avoid…Avoid including scrap meat, fish, dairy products including cheese, oily foods, pet food, laminated or glossy paper/cardboard, string, tags containing metal rivets, anything containing plastic, and pet litter or waste. After all, you don’t want to attract pests and bad smells, and you only want to use ingredients that are biodegradable. |
How Children Can Get Started
The first task is to choose somewhere for your child’s compost heap. An unused corner of the garden would be perfect for a simple heap, although it’s also possible to make a child’s compost heap in a container like a large pot, a timber packing crate, or even a robust cardboard box if garden space and resources are limited. A parent may need to guide children in this regard.
At the other end of the scale, it’s also possible, of course, to build a larger compost area that has sturdier sides. With the help of an adult, such a construction can be made out of repurposed pallet wood, logs, wire mesh, a crate, or timber sleepers. However, as this particular composting task is a children’s activity, we’ll assume you’ll keep the scale fairly modest and the approach fairly simple. Even at a small scale, high-quality compost is possible with the right approach and ingredients.
What to Do
Whatever the location and style of the compost heap, the approach for making compost is the same.
Ideally, the compost heap should contain a layer of garden earth at the base to get things started.- Children should regularly collect the ‘ingredients’ for the compost heap that we outlined earlier. For example, crushed eggshells, vegetable scraps, fruit peelings, banana skins, foraged autumn leaves, grass cuttings, twigs, and so on. Including a wide mix is important. Once collected, these can be scattered in a layer onto the compost heap, which will build up over time.
- The child should keep it moist by regularly sprinkling water on the pile. This can be done with either a watering can or a wet sponge that can be wrung out over the compost pile.
- The pile should be stirred and mixed once a week, using a spade, gardening trowel, or stick, depending on the size and depth of the heap.
- Take care to avoid hurting any minibeasts that will inevitably move in once the compost heap is established.
First Steps to a Greener Life
One of the first lessons that children will learn during their composting journey is that what might have been considered rubbish can, in fact, be converted into a valuable resource. All those scraps hold nutrients and minerals that need not be wasted. Instead, they can be recycled and put to new use rather than being discarded and going into landfill.
Recycling is a concept that is becoming more and more important over the years, and composting is an easy and worthwhile way to introduce green values to little ones. Indeed, it may be the first step that sets them on a path towards a more ecologically friendly lifestyle.
What to Expect
As the compost heap builds up and is mixed over time, the ingredients will gradually biodegrade. Whilst doing so, the pile may appear to shrink and will also darken in colour. Biodegrading is a natural process that is helped by the bacteria, worms, and little bugs that inhabit the mixture.
Indeed, as the composting process unfolds, children will discover some of the little minibeasts that have made the compost heap their home. These are fascinating little creatures that help the compost heap break down. From worms and centipedes to woodlice and beetles, they come in a wide variety of different forms. Another important lesson for children to learn is that the creatures should be treated delicately, with empathy, so they are not unduly disturbed or harmed. Learn more about minibeasts and download a free minibeasts reference poster for your child here.
Eventually, the composting process will result in a rich, crumbly, earth-like compost that’s dark brown in colour. This is packed full of natural goodness that plants will love.
What to Do With the Compost
The resulting compost can be used as the soil for potted plants, for growing vegetables and fruits, or mixed around those already in the garden to give them a boost. Compost is rich in nutrients that will greatly enhance the health of growing plants and shrubs, to help them grow and reach their full potential. Plants and flowers will be stronger and will thrive. Fruit and vegetables grown at home will be more bountiful too. All in all, growing plants will become healthier.
Lessons From This Activity
This activity is not only fun, but will also feed children’s minds. It will teach children new skills, the value of preparation, the importance of patience, and the need to look after nature’s flora and fauna. It teaches children about the natural world, the circle of life, the seasons, how to care for other living things, and the importance of green values. Above all, the exercise demonstrates that if you look after nature, it will look after you. These are all wonderful concepts for children to understand, so it’s crucial to explain them as part of children’s learning journeys during the activity.
So, we encourage families to gather autumn leaves and save those kitchen scraps — they’re a valuable commodity and setting children on their composting path will open children’s eyes to new concepts while combining outdoor exploration, science, recycling, horticulture, and so much more.
Happy Composting, from Little Acorns Nursery
Weekday Childcare Services in Hindley Green, Near Wigan
At Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green, we know how important spending time outdoors, close to nature, is for children. Nature benefits children in so many ways, including physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually — and even academically (click the bold link to learn more). It’s one of the many reasons we recommend outdoor play and nature-based activities so often on our blog.
Children who attend Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green are fortunate to have access to the nursery’s unusually large garden and outdoor area. Various zones allow them to get involved in nature watching, gardening tasks, sensory play, construction, counting activities, creative play, and a wide variety of outdoor play activities. It’s easy to understand why it’s therefore so popular with the nursery children!
Get in touch to find out more about nursery places at Little Acorns or to arrange a visit. Choose a button below to get started — we’ll be delighted to hear from you:
Little Acorns Nursery provides childcare services in Hindley Green, Wigan. As such, we’re also a great match for families in nearby areas like Bolton, Ince-in-Makerfield, Platt Bridge, Westhoughton, Atherton, Leigh, Bickershaw, and Tyldesley.
Safety Note
Supervision from a responsible parent or adult will always be needed for little ones, especially when children are playing and exploring outdoors. Children will need guidance when it comes to outdoor safety, hazards, and hygiene and, indeed, all such guidance will help educate them about potential dangers and the assessment of risks.
Once summer has gone, observant children will begin to notice a change in the behaviour of wild birds. Many of our feathered friends will begin migrating to warmer locations, evidenced by often noisy flocks heading south overhead. Those that stay in the UK, like robins and blackbirds, will soon find that all the wild berries, seeds, and grubs have been eaten — food becomes scarce as remaining supplies disappear in the run-up to winter. In view of this, wild birds will become more reliant on good-natured humans to ensure they still have enough food to eat over the colder months.
This simple type of bird feeder is quick and easy to make. Simply thread string or gardening twine through the outer husks of unroasted monkey nuts to form a garland. Holes can be made in the monkey nut husks using a small matchstick. Alternatively, if using something sharp like a darning needle, an adult should make the holes so that little ones don’t hurt themselves. Once a whole chain of monkey nuts is in line along the string, the ends can be tied between twigs, branches, or bushes, so the nuts dangle in a stretched arc. Blue tits will love pecking at the husks to get to the nuts inside!
Apple bird feeders are by far the most simple to accomplish. In essence, they are simply an apple either dangling from a tree, bush, or fence, or are held high in the air from underneath by a vertical bamboo cane pushed into the ground. Whether the apple is dangled by string or held aloft by a cane, it’s best to expose some of the apple by removing some of the outer skin, so birds have a weak spot to begin feeding on. Check the apple daily to ensure it does not go mouldy; discard if so – mould can be dangerous to birds. (Adults should also supervise* children to keep them safe around hazards and other possible dangers, of course).
These bird feeders are extra fun because little ones can decorate them! You’ll first need an empty juice or milk carton. With help from an adult, rectangular or arc-shaped flaps should be cut on 3 or 4 sides of the carton, ensuring the bottom of the rectangle or arc is not cut. Crease and fold the flaps out at that lowest point, as shown in our example. The flaps provide a landing platform for birds, as well as access to the inside. That’s where the birdseed will go when the feeder is complete. After painting the exterior with a nice design and leaving it to dry, the carton bird feeder can be suspended by a string. This can be attached at the top, for example, by trapping it with the carton’s lid. Fill with birdseed to the level of the open flaps once suspended in place.
Pine cone bird feeders are great fun for children! You first need to forage outdoors for a large pine cone. Ideally, it needs to have its many splines open, although that’s not critical. Children should smear peanut† butter all over the pine cone, ensuring it gets pushed into the cone’s many crevices. The whole thing should then be rolled around in a bowl of bird seeds, which will then stick to the sticky covering that was just applied. The completed pine cone bird feeder can then be suspended by string outdoors, somewhere suitable for the birds (usually at least 1.5m off the ground but under the protection of a tree canopy or similar so that feeding birds avoid attack from predators like sparrowhawks).
Seed cake bird feeders are a firm favourite for children to make. They’ll need some small, empty pots — plastic flowerpots would be perfect. With adult help, attach a string or garden twine to the base of the pot(s), for example, by threading it through the flowerpot drainage holes, and secure with a knot. Ensure that most of the string is left on the outside of the pot. Next children will need to mix bird seed in a suitable bowl with something to bind it together. For this part, adults will need to help by melting some lard† or beef suet† on the stove for children. They will then need to supervise to ensure it’s cool enough before children have access to it. Once mixed with bird seeds into a thick, gloopy mixture, children should fill the pots. A wooden spoon is perfect for the purpose. Once the mixture has cooled and set, the filled pots can then be turned upside down and dangled somewhere suitable for birds outdoors, for example, suspended high above the ground from a tree branch or on the side of a bush.
There are lots of different seed mixes available and each will attract a different range of birds. Our personal favourites are sunflower hearts, which are available in most supermarkets, garden centres, and online, and robin peanut cakes, which are similarly available. We’ve found them both to be popular food sources, attracting birds like robins, blue tits, great tits, blackbirds, doves, pigeons, nuthatches, starlings, and more. A small amount of grated cheddar cheese is also very popular, especially amongst robins and blackbirds, but must not be allowed to go mouldy (mouldy cheeses are dangerous for birds). We suggest avoiding mealworms, as each represents a little life lost unnecessarily. In any case, we love 
