Hanley Sustainability Institute

By Megan Stoneburner

Recently, my fellow Zero Waste Team member, Grace Smolak, and I had the wonderful opportunity to teach the preschoolers at the Bombeck Family Learning Center about composting. The Bombeck center recently started their own composting program, introducing kids to the importance of giving back to the earth. To help build on what they have already learned, the faculty at Bombeck invited us to create a fun, interactive lesson.

Grace and I were thrilled about this opportunity as we had never given a presentation about composting to such a young group of kids. We had to figure out what the best course of action would be to create a composting lesson using our knowledge to be able to help these young minds understand the process of composting. This was an exciting opportunity because it meant we were able to use our creativity to create something new and fun for the kids.

Grace came up with the idea to create a story to show these kids what the process of composting looks like. She came up with a story about Annie Apple and the amazing adventure she was about to go on. Grace showed the kids how Annie Apple will go through many different stages while composting: she is eaten, thrown into the compost bin where she slowly decomposes into soil. From that soil, a tiny apple tree sprouts, and slowly grows into a big tree, and eventually produces apples once more. This story captivated the kids, who eagerly followed Annie Apple’s transformation.

To build on the story, I created colorful posters illustrating what items can and cannot be composted, as well as a simple diagram of the composting cycle. Rather than just listing things, I used pictures to make it easier for the preschoolers to grasp. I also designed a compost-themed coloring sheet for them to complete, reinforcing what they had just learned in a fun, hands-on way.

One of the most exciting parts of the lesson was a compost sorting activity. We did this by passing out items that either were or were not compostable and having the kids add it to the jar if it was. This part certainly seemed to be the highlight for the kids as their hands eagerly shot into the air hoping that we would give them an item to sort. We would bring them the jar and ask them if their item was compostable and why they thought that way, and they were very eager to share their knowledge.

To wrap up, we showed them real soil that had been created from compost at the University of Dayton. Their reactions were priceless as some kids wrinkled their noses, expecting it to smell bad, while others were surprised to find that they thought it smelled good.

This hands-on experience gave them a tangible connection to the composting process, reinforcing that their efforts can turn food scraps into something valuable.

This was a wonderful experience and it was so cool to be able to pass on our composting knowledge onto the next generation. The fact that they were so excited to learn about composting and share their knowledge with us made me so excited to see what this next generation will do in the future. I can’t wait to see how these little green thumbs will grow and make a difference!