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500 Harris St Ultimo

PO Box K346 Haymarket NSW 1238

 Australia

 Tel: 02 6217 0111

http://play.powerhousemuseum.com

 This work is licensed under the Creative

Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-

ShareAlike 2.5 License.

 THE KITCHEN & GARDEN

Make & Do Activity Kit 

Compost watch

In this experiment we observe what happens to organicmatter over time as bacterial organisms do their job to

break it down. We explore the concepts o recycling,

reusing and composting.

 Time: 30 minutes +

Difculty:Hints: This is a messy activity and a

good one to do outdoors in the garden.

 Take your materials to

a workbench or into the

garden. Adult step: Make

sure your ood scraps and

garden clippings are cut

into small peices.

1.

Rip your waste paper into

small peices and place a

thin layer into the bottom o 

the jar. Dampen it slightly.

2.

Place a thin layer o lea 

litter or grass clippings on

top and dampen.

3.

Place a layer o ood scraps

on top and dampen. Repeat

steps 2,3 and 4 until your jar 

is ull.

4.

Place the lid on to

discourage insects but

don’t screw it down as your 

compost needs air. Place

 your composter in a sunny

spot.

5.

Watch over the next 2-3

weeks as the ood scraps

break down. Some will

decompose aster than

others. Soon it will be

compose or your garden!

6.

• a large lidded glass

or clear plastic jar/

container 

• waste paper (chemical

ree and unprinted)

• ruit and vegetable

scraps

• dry lea litter or grass

clipping

• water (a spray bottle

can be used)

What you will need:

9

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500 Harris St Ultimo

PO Box K346 Haymarket NSW 1238

 Australia

 Tel: 02 6217 0111

http://play.powerhousemuseum.com

 This work is licensed under the Creative

Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-

ShareAlike 2.5 License.

 THE KITCHEN & GARDEN

Make & Do Activity Kit 

What’s going on? 

Bacteria is doing it’s job

 At the beginning o your 

composting process microbesstart consuming the materials you have added.

When they do this they produce heat which

encourages the arrival o heat loving bacteria and

other micro-organisms. Some compost piles that

are outside in the garden can reach 40-60 degrees

Celsius!

Bacteria decompose the things in your compost

by releasing chemicals, or enzymes, that break

down your ood scraps, so that they can absorb the

nutrients.

Well balanced and healthy compost

It is good to add lots o nitrogen-rich plant scraps

(called greens) and bits o paper (called browns).

 You can also add woodchips and coee grounds

as browns. It is important to balance these two

elements in your compost. I there is too little

nitrogen, the microbes may not be able to raise

the pile’s temperature enough to kill diseases and

dangerous bacteria, or to attract the heat lovingbacteria. However i there is too much nitrogen the

bacteria will produce odorous ammonia gas, and

not be able to survive.

Is your compost smelly? 

 A lack o oxygen is the likely culprit or bad smells.

Without air, the bacteria produce methane and

other gases that can give o the odour o rotten

eggs!

 

Compost watch

9

Hair - the slow decomposer 

Not everything decomposes at the same rate.

Hair is good in compost, because it contains lots

o nitrogen, but it is very protein rich and can

take a very long time to break down. Most hair 

takes about a year to decompose but with the

right conditions it can last or thousands o years.

Decomposition is aected by temperature, the

amount o oxygen, the amount o water and the

presence o microorganisms. Some mummies rom

ancient Egypt still have their hair because they have

been well preserved in air tight, dry caskets.

What else can I do? Make a worm arm or ood composer 

By setting up a worm arm or ood composer at your house, at or even at your school, you are helpingto:

1. reduce the amount o rubbish that is dumped intolandfll.

2. make rich soil that can be dug into the garden toertilise plants and grow more o your own ruit andvegetables.

3. reuse and recycle the waste rom your kitchen.