Go Green in Your Home & Classroom! Composting What is it? Composting in nature is decaying leaves on the forest floor. You can create your own compost with certain food scraps from your kitchen and then use the compost to improve the soil in your garden. Why compost? Makes a good soil conditioner: with compost, you are creating rich humus for lawn and garden this adds nutrients to your plants and helps retain moisture in the soil Recycles kitchen and yard waste: composting can divert as much as 30% of household waste away from the garbage can Introduces beneficial organisms to the soil: microscopic organisms in compost help aerate the soil, break down organic material for plant use and ward off plant disease Good for the environment: composting offers a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers Reduces landfill waste: most landfills in North America are quickly filling up one third of landfill waste is made up of compostable materials How do I compost? In vermicomposting, a specific type of worm called a red worm (NOT a nightcrawler or worms found in gardens) are placed in bins with things such as fruit peels, vegetable scraps, egg shells, and coffee grounds as well as shredded newspaper or cardboard (worm bedding!) so that they can break it down into compost called castings. After the castings are produced, separate the worms from the compost and add more bedding and organic material. Since the worms are sensitive to temperature, the bin should be kept between 55-77 degrees. If in a hot area, the bin should be placed under shade and if in a cold area and the bin is small enough, it should be placed inside yes, even your classroom! You can make your own worm composting bin or find it in your local hardware store to accommodate the amount of food scraps produced.
Compost Sorting Activity Objective: Students will successfully be able to identify what common household items can be composted and what cannot be composted. Materials: 10 pictures of compostable items 9 pictures of non-compostable items Instructions: The teacher will hold up each picture and as a class, students will decide what items can be composted and what items cannot be composted. Sort these into two separate piles and see if you got all the answer correct! Hints: Dairy and meat of any sort cannot be composted. Seafood cannot be composted in a traditional compost bin, but can be composted in a bin specifically for seafood items. Paper products soak up any excess moisture inside your compost bin and is very helpful if you find that your bin is too moist. Large items should be cut up into smaller pieces so the material breaks down faster. As a general rule of thumb, fruits can be composted. Some experts still think that some citrus fruits should not be put into a compost bin. Whole eggs, including the yolk and the whites, cannot be composted, but egg shells can be composted. Although cat poop and litter cannot be composted, you can still compost poop from an herbivorous animal, such as a hamster (no carnivore poop allowed!)
Compost Sorting Activity Answer Key Compostable Items Fruits Cardboard Rolls Coffee Grounds Wood Chips Vegetables Shredded Paper Straw or Hay Leaves Grass Clippings Dead House Plant Non-Compostable Items Milk Eggs Meat Olive Oil Yogurt French Fries Seafood Butter Cat Litter
Name: Date: Green Your Lunch Activity Food & Materials Log Describe Item Reuse Recycle Compost Landfill Replace with Banana Peel Whole Orange Juice Box X X X Reusable thermos or reusable bottle for juice. Composting is one of many ways to keep chemicals out of our bodies, homes and the environment! People grow food for us to eat, but are they all healthy? Buy organic and you are sure to be purchasing food that is cleaned with chemical-free cleaners. But organic or not, one thing we can do to ensure healthy veggies is to wash them! With this recipe, you can have your students create their own veggie wash in the classroom and then take the recipe home to share with their families.
Veggie Wash Activity Objective: Students will discover that common household items can be used to make their own cleaning agent that can be used to clean the pesticides off of non-organic fruits and vegetables. They may also notice that it sanitizes and cleans their desks and leaves a fresh smell! Materials: A re-usable bag containing the following: o Pitcher (to mix ingredients) o Mixing spoon o Baking Soda o Vinegar o Measuring cup and spoon o Lemons o Spray bottles for each student o Labels for spray bottles o Water (not included) o Paper towels (not included Recipe: 1 cup Vinegar 1 cup Water 1 tbs Baking Soda ½ of a Lemon *Makes enough for 6 spray bottles* Instructions: 1. Add the baking soda to the pitcher. 2. Slowly pour the vinegar and water into the pitcher. 3. Squirt half a lemon into the pitcher. 4. Stir gently then take turns pouring the mixture into each spray bottle. 5. Screw the lid onto your bottle and you re ready to wash your veggies!
Green Your Classroom & Your Home! A list of 10 chemical-free cleaning product recipes Essential green & thrifty cleaning products: 1. White vinegar 2. Baking soda 3. Lemons and/or lemon juice 4. Salt 5. Olive oil 6. Ivory bar soap 7. Liquid dishwashing soap 8. Washing soda 9. Borax 10. Essential oils (lemon, lemongrass, & eucalyptus) Bathroom Cleaner 3/4 c. baking soda juice from 1/2 a lemon (about 1/4 c) 3 tablespoons salt 3 tablespoons liquid dishwashing soap 1/2 cup vinegar 10 drops essential oil (optional) Instructions: Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl to make a paste; use scrub brush or sponge to apply to tub, shower walls, & sinks. (Be sure to test a small area to make sure paste does not scuff tub surface; if so, eliminate the salt from the mixture! Rinse well with water and a wet rag, then dry with a clean rag or old towel. Toilet Bowl Cleaner 1 cup baking soda 1 cup vinegar 10 drops essential oil (optional) Instructions: Turn off flow valve to toilet & flush 1 or 2 times until water is drained. Pour in baking soda, then slowly pour in vinegar, being sure to get vinegar to cover as much of the bowl surface as possible, then add essential oil. The baking soda will react with the vinegar this is normal! Use your toilet brush to scrub surface & remove any rings or stains. Turn water back on and flush. Furniture Polish 3/4 cup olive oil juice from 1/4 lemon 1 tablespoon vinegar 3-4 drops lemon essential oil (optional) Instructions: Dampen rag & squeeze out excess water. Dip damp rag into furniture polish, the wipe on surface of furniture. Buff off with an old dry towel. Can also be used to polish stainless steel! Glass Cleaner 1 1/2 cups vinegar 1 1/2 cups water 5-10 drops essential oil (optional) Instructions: Mix vinegar, water, & essential oil together in spray bottle. Spray on glass & use squeegee, crumpled newspaper (Tip: use newspapers that are at least 2 weeks old to avoid black fingers!), or a lint-free rag to get a streak-free shine. Also works well to shine chrome and countertops after you ve disinfected them.
All Purpose Cleaning Spray 1 tablespoon borax 1 tablespoon washing soda 1 teaspoon dishwashing soap 1 cup vinegar 4 cups hot water 25-30 drops essential oil (optional) Instructions: Whisk all ingredients together well in large bowl, then pour into spray bottle. Spray on, then wipe surface clean with a damp cloth. Can be used to clean and disinfect almost any surface! Stainless Steel Cleaner 2 tablespoons baking soda 1/2 cup vinegar 2 cups warm water Instructions: Mix ingredients in spray bottle. Mixture will foam up; when it stops bubbling, put on cap and spray stainless steel surface, then wipe clean & dry with lint-free rag. To add extra shine, use furniture polish above. Homemade Dishwasher Detergent 1 cup baking soda 1 cups borax 1/2 cup salt Vinegar (add to rinse compartment!) Instructions: Mix first three ingredients well & store in airtight container. To use, add 1 tablespoon to each of the 2 compartments in your dishwasher and 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your rinse compartment. Floor Cleaner 1 cup vinegar 1/2 cup baking soda 8-10 cups hot water 1 tablespoon borax 1 tablespoon washing soda 30 drops essential oil (optional) Instructions: Mix vinegar & baking soda together in bucket; add hot water, Borax, washing soda, & essential oil and mix until all powder is dissolved. Use mop or sponge to wipe down floor; wipe dry with clean dry towel. Homemade Laundry Detergent 1 bar Ivory soap 1 cup borax 1 cup washing powder Instructions: This homemade laundry detergent is so cheap and easy to make that you will kick yourself for not trying it until now. Place Ivory soap in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes, until soap turns to foam. Quickly stir foam until it becomes small soap chips, then mix well with borax and washing powder. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight container. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load. (Tip: This detergent works best in warm or hot water; for cold water washing you may want to first dissolve in 1/4 c. of hot water.) Fabric Softener ¼ - ½ cup vinegar essential oil (optional) Instructions: Add 1/4-1/2 cup vinegar with several drops of your favorite essential oil to the rinse cycle (or simply place in fabric softener compartment of your front load washer.)