Relaunching our 'Compost in a Jar'

 

We are a step closer to turning our lunch scraps into Garden Gold! 

This week we turned our "eww" into a potential "wow"?  We re-launched our science experiment because we noticed things weren’t going so well.  We were missing some crucial layering. 

Yes - we are talking about our Compost in a Jar—We are learning so much about how Mother Nature recycles.  

This project is providing us with lots of food for thought and a front-row seat to the hidden world of decomposition. We are watching as our banana peels and apple cores transform into rich, dark soil right before our very eyes! 

This is how we made our ‘Compost in a Jar’.  

What You’ll Need:

• A large clear jar (glass or plastic)

• "Greens" (nitrogen): Fruit scraps, veggie peels, or grass clippings

• "Browns" (carbon): Shredded paper, dried leaves, or cardboard bits

• A scoop of dirt (to jumpstart the microbes!)

• A spray bottle with a little water

The Secret Recipe: Layering

We watched a video about how we can layer our compost just like a good lasagne.  

1. The Base: Start with a layer of soil at the bottom.  This has been kindly donated by our Tautoru whānau and our current compost pile. 

2. The Mix: Alternate layers of Browns and Greens. 

3. The Magic Touch: Give it a light mist of water (damp like a sponge, not a puddle).  This is sorting itself being in the sun.  This is creating some good condensation. 

4. The Wait: We lift  the lid for good airflow, set it in a sunny spot, and give it a gentle shake every few days.

We tipped out the contents this week so that we could layer our compost properly.  We only had a half and half scenario with a lack of ‘brown waste’.  This meant it was super wet, slimy and sloppy.  It was not rotten smelling so we knew it was still usable.  

This is us ripping our egg cartons small so that they are easily broken down and easier to layer.  We also used some saw dust in the second jar.  Thanks Darcy !! 

In just a few weeks we are hoping that the layers will start to blur and look less layered. 

We will be asking ourselves:

Which disappeared faster—the paper or the apple core?  Why do we think it’s getting warm? 

It’s been messy, it’s fascinating, and it’s a total win for the planet and our beautiful Whetukairangi. 

Growing Patterns vs Repeating Patterns

 

Check out our growing patterns.  We were able to unpack lots of different patterns today and we realised some were only repeating patterns.  We got out the cuisenaire rods today and boy that was a blast from the past for some of us.   We explored number patterns going up and down.   We are learning to translate this into a 'rule'. 

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We had lots of valuable discussions about these patterns below.  We came to the conclusion that they are patterns but a different type.  They do not grow but they do repeat the same elements over again. 

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From Mess to Magic !

Hands-on learning isn’t just a "nice to have" in a classroom, it’s a core pedagogical and best practise must ! In our classroom manipulatives often take centre stage allowing our students to explain their thinking or demonstrate their understanding of different mathematical concepts. 

The refreshed curriculum emphasises a Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) sequence. This is a research-based "Science of Learning" approach where students don’t start with symbols (like 5 + 3 = 8) on a whiteboard. Instead they start with: 

• Concrete: They move physical materials, manipulatives or Numicon shapes.

• Pictorial: They draw dots or use ten-frame diagrams.

• Abstract: They finally write and use the numbers.

Here you can see one group trying to represent their thinking using numbers and drawing on the whiteboard. Lots of discussion happened around checking our thinking and helping to develop our understanding. It told us a lot about what they know and understand and what they need next.

By using physical tools, we help students build an anchor for abstract concepts. It’s much easier to understand "regrouping" when you physically swap ten tiny ones-cubes for a single "long" ten-rod.  Many of us can remember these cuisenaire rods from our school days ! 

The new curriculum is built on a model of knowledge and practise. Manipulatives sit right at the intersection of these:

• Students grasp the "Big Ideas," like the fact that a number can be partitioned (broken apart) and still represent the same total.

• They develop fluency with basic facts by seeing the patterns in bead strings or counters.

• They use these tools to solve "rich tasks"—real-world problems that require logic, not just memorisation.

Our aim is to get much better at using a variety of manipulatives or resources to support students.  Not some students but all students.  We want to get to a place where our students are free to grab what they need to help them with their learning.  

One of the best things about manipulatives in Tautoru is how they differentiate learning naturally.  We are able to support bottom line big ideas whilst providing stretch at the end where needed.  We can ask the right questions for different groups of students.  

• A student struggling with one-to-one counting can use counters, bears or buttons to stay grounded.

• An extension student can use those same materials to explore early multiplication by arranging them into arrays -  these are rows and columns.

Sometimes its utilising the other resources around.  Lego lends itself to many different ways of working and exploring in maths.  Here are a few examples.  

The goal is to move from just the answer to "exploring the concept." In maths, the hands-on mess is where the magic happens.

Curious about Compost ?

Making compost with our kids is going to be such a rewarding and educational journey.   As a teaching team we decided that our gardens needed a revamp to liven things up and revitalise our special outdoor classroom.   There is so much we want to do and achieve but we know it requires some knowledge in and learning alongside our experts to get it right.   We have been thinking about simple ways to make a positive impact on the environment while teaching valuable life skills around science and sustainability.  In this years 'Wonderland' -  Our philosophy is 'learning from the ground up'.  

We have watched and learnt about soil and components of good compost.   This week, we started in our own lunchboxes with a lunchbox audit.  We noticed we all had fruit and/or vegetables which were going to make great scraps.  

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We learnt that some breads and dairy were not recommended.   We also learnt that meat was no good in our compost either. 

Why Compost with Kids?

• Hands-on Learning: Composting is a sensory experience.  Kids get to touch, smell (hopefully not too bad!), and see things change.  We have already had some experts dripping with worms explaining the quality of our current compost ! 

• Environmental Responsibility: It teaches them about reducing waste and the importance of recycling organic matter.

• Science in Action: We are all learning about decomposition, bacteria, fungi, and how things break down.  We now know the true FBI is fungi, bacteria and insects.  

• Gardening Connection: The finished compost will be amazing for our garden! They'll see the direct benefit of their hard work.   The feelings of Positive Accomplishment will be worth it. 

We have been exploring......  What Does Compost Need?

We have been learning alongside some experts.  Darcy was able to share some gems with us.  She has been knee high in our compost.  With hands full of worms she thinks we have great rich compost towards the middle.  It just needs a turn ! 

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She had compost from home that was 6 months into the process and another sample of 12 month old compost.  Darcy also told us about the super stinky Bokashi tea - Now this sounds like absolute gold for the garden but OUTSIDE due to its pungent aroma !!   We look forward to learning more as we go.  

Colourful Layers.

Just like we need food, water, and air to survive, composting microbes need specific ingredients to thrive. We have been thinking of this like a great recipe:

Green Waste (Nitrogen):

• Provides: Energy for the composting microbes to multiply and break things down quickly.

• Examples: Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, grass clippings, weeds.  

 Brown Waste (Carbon):

• Provides: A source of food for the microbes to build their bodies. They also provide structure and allow for airflow.

• Examples: Dry leaves, straw, shredded paper or cardboard, twigs.

Water (Moisture):

• Why it's needed: Microbes need moisture to survive and move around within the pile.  Think of it like: A wrung-out sponge. You want it damp, not soaking wet.

Air (Oxygen):

• Why it's needed: The microbes that do the most efficient composting need oxygen to breathe.

• How to get it: Turn or mix your compost pile regularly to add air.   This is how we also explored our current compost.  What we realised was that we had some rich compost underneath with all the ingredients needed.  It was dark in colour, moist with a healthy dose of bugs and worms. 

Speaking of dosing - What is the Magic Ratio !

We discovered a good rule is to have about 3 parts Browns to 1 part Greens by volume. This creates a balanced environment for composting microbes.   We have some experiments going at the moment.    We have made a Composting Jar so that we can observe what is happening.   

We are experimenting with compost in a jar so we can begin to notices the layers: We have a layer of browns, then a layer of greens, and we are going to continue alternating.

https://gardentotable.org.nz/resources/compost-in-a-jar

• We will add water:  Sprinkle some water over each layer to make sure it's damp.

• We will turn it over:   Every few weeks.   This adds oxygen and helps speed up the process.  We also know that we have to make sure our scraps are cut up small for our compost in a jar to work. 

We have a great spot with new compost bins on the way !

Our kids are curious and keen, getting involved by being: 

• Investigators:  We are discovering what is working and what is not in our current composting environment.   

• Scrap Collectors: They are becoming responsible for collecting fruit and veggie scraps in a container.

• Layer Makers: They will help layer the greens and browns in the compost pile.

• The "Waterer":   We will moisten the pile.

• The "Turner":  This is minimal with our experimental jar.  When we really get going we will be able to take turns being the 'turner'. 

We cant wait to see what we can achieve !  But we know we have to dial up our GRIT, Patience and Perseverance for this project to be successful !  Watch this space. 

Māui te Tinihanga

Writing is so much more than planning to put pencil to paper.  We have the challenge of creating engaging contexts, making links and connections to prior learning, connecting to the NZC and our Whetūkairangi Curriculum while teaching and maintaining the 'bread and butter' of a great writing programme - Teaching the basics brilliantly !  

With this in mind, Tautoru have been exploring Pūrākau that link to our local places and spaces through reading and writing. 

We tuned in to the captivating story of Māui te Tinihanga and how he fished up the North Island.  We could make connections and links to this pūrākau because our children can relate directly to places we are in and that we know.   This is going to be the building block of future Inquiry learning. 

It's been an active, vibrant exploration of places and spaces but we have also been exploring all the elements that make great stories.  We visited our story mountain to identify the beginning, middle and end.  This helped us make sure we had all the important details when we retold our story.   

We also focused on Action Words.  We were aiming to move beyond "he pulled"  encouraging interesting new words like "hauled", "tugged" and "heaved".   

Knowing that writing is really complex, with many things to think about during the writing process, we need to continue with our fundamental micro-goals daily.  These keep those capital letters, fullstops and finger spaces front of mind while extending our reach towards vocab and language features.  We still have access to our looking words.  These are on cards that we can refer to when ever we need.  These are essential with helping us spell those pesky non decodable words like 'was' or 'the' that don't look how they sound.  

Some examples of our micro-goals include:

• a transcription focus: This helps us develop the automaticity in handwriting and spelling. Research we refer back to often is the work of Dr. Helen Walls.  She argues that if a student has to think consciously about how to form a letter or spell a common word, their "brain space" (working memory) is used up, leaving less room for creative thinking.

• a sentence structure focus:  This is moving beyond simple sentences to focus on adding details in different ways.  This is when we can combine sentences using varied conjunctions like because, so, and but.  This is age and stage appropriate.

• dialling up our Self-Regulation: We refer to this a lot but you may not necessarily be linking this Character Strength to Writing.  In Writing, Self Regulation looks like encouraging students to "think, write, and check" for every single sentence.  Yes it's the old - editing that we all love and hate at the same time. This builds an internal "writing check" where our writers evaluate their work as they go. This is a really good but challenging habit to embrace at times. Students become critical thinkers and authors that are re-working and improving their writing each time.  Aiming for 10% better is always within reach.  

Here are some examples from our draft writing from this week.  You can see some simple editing and some examples of interesting words and phrases.  The students have not been afraid to try new and interesting words using the sounds they can hear and some known spelling patterns from phonics.