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5 Cool Garden Projects to Make Composting Fun for Kids

Posted by Chris Sabbarese on Thu, May, 22, 2014 @ 16:05 PM

Corona Tools Kids Garden AdventuresHow many of us grew up being told by our parents, not to play in the dirt or get dirty when we went out to play? I’ve found out, it’s great to get your hands a little dirty making fresh and organic compost. Composting is very simple, costs virtually nothing and is one of the best outdoor family activities you can do. Here is some quick information to share with kids about the benefits and how-to’s. I’ve also included a list of things we do with our kids to help make it fun and educational for them.

The Dirt on Compost

The “behind the scenes” science is what makes composting pretty cool. All organic scraps or wastes break down over time. When nitrogen and carbon wastes are combined, tiny microbes, insects and worms, help them to decompose. What’s left is organic matter, or “humus”, that is very nutrient-rich, medium which plants grow and thrive in. It all comes from things you throw away everyday and it costs nothing. When you compost you are also reducing your carbon footprint on the Earth and helping our fragile environment. To learn more about your family’s footprint, visit the Nature Conservancy for this easy to use interactive calculator.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: Composting creates a medium for plants that is filled with the nutrients they need to flourish, made up from things you already have in your home, helps the environment and reduces the trash we send to the landfills...A major win/win/win!

Making Compost – What You Need

There are many great reasons to compost. It’s easy and the materials are readily available in everyone’s home. Here are some examples of what you need;
Corona Tools Kids CompostNitrogen or “greens” - Produce scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, aquarium water (freshwater), and weeds that have not seeded.
Carbon or “browns” - dried leaves, paper towel/ toilet paper rolls, newspaper, cardboard, paper egg cartons, and sawdust. TIP: The smaller the pieces, the faster they break down.
General rule of thumb: a 50/50 balance of each in your compost and you will be well on your way to achieving compost! There is plenty of research and information on ratio balance. Compost will happen regardless so there is no need to do the math.
Water - without moisture your compost pile will become too dry for the microbes and insects to their thing. There should be a source of water nearby to help keep the compost moist.
Air – proper air flow will aid in the composting process. For larger compost piles it’s best to turn it occasionally, exposing the inner layers to the outside air.

Making Compost a Family Affair

Now we get down to the dirty fun part and how my family shares in the joys of composting. Besides teaching my kids about reusing and recycling much of the waste we produce, we make sure to involve them in every step of the process. They are thrilled to head out in our garden to do projects. We’ve even made a game which they enjoy too. Here’s a list of 5 cool composting projects you can all do together.

#1 – Make a Compost Bin

There are many solutions available for making a compost bin; discarded wooden pallets, cinder blocks, trash cans or even a plain old pile. All these will work but I tend to use whatever I have on hand. For this project I used wire garden fencing material left over from last year’s garden. It’s an easy weekend project that’s fun for you and the kids, inexpensive (under $20 to buy), and makes a great compost bin! For other great ideas, check out the Organic Gardening website and search for “compost”.

Step 1: Tools needed – wire garden fencing (36”x36”) available in most retail hardware stores and garden centers, wire cutters, gloves, safety glasses.
Step 2: Wearing safety glasses and gloves, unroll the fencing having your kids help by holding it in place. Cut a section 36” leaving enough wire to secure the bin together.

Corona Tools Compost Bin
Step 3: Roll the section into a cylinder (cut edge to uncut edge) bending the wires on the end you cut around the edges of the uncut side.

Corona Tools Compost
Step 4: Put into place and start adding waste to your compost pile.

Corona Tools Compost


#2 – “Seek and Find” Compost Game

A great way to make composting fun for kids is to make it a game. We play this at home and the kids love it!
Step 1: Review the list of compostable materials, the browns and the greens they need to find. If you need a quick reference on materials to use and what not to use, check out this handy guide published by the EPA.

FUN TIP: Create flash cards with pictures of what to look for! I’ve found this to be a very helpful visual!

Corona Tools Kids Compost

Step 2: Create a chart with each family member’s name, with check boxes for finding browns and greens.
Step 3: Give each kid an empty pale or sealable plastic baggie (it can get messy!). Spend 20 minutes walking around the house and outside for materials to compost.
Step 4: Each item they find is worth 1 minute of “screen time” or time with their electronic devices.

Corona Tools Kids CompostThere are so many cool things about this game. Kids go looking for materials everywhere…even outside! Like raking up leaves or grabbing the junk mail and newspapers to shed. To keep track of points and a log of what goes into your compost pile, we made simple spreadsheet to track it.  The kids know how many points they have and it helps maintain that 50/50 balance. If you see they are collecting more greens, ask them to look for more browns to even out your compost.

#3: Compost Bug ID

Corona Tools CompostOnce you get your compost started you’ll want to turn it occasional to speed the process. A garden fork works well for this and helps get air to the materials on the inside. As it begins to break down, you will find all sorts of bugs and crawly things in the pile. Take a camera so kids can take pictures of the bugs they find and look them up online. It’s a great way to get them outside and learn about nature. They also love that they get to use the electronic devices to look them up. Okay, so it’s still techy but we get to spend time together, learn about bugs, and the kids think they are playing on the tablet.

#4: Give Your Compost Bin a Makeover

Decomposing waste may not be a focal point in yard but it doesn’t have to stick out like a sore thumb. Here are a couple of great ideas that you and your kids can do to help dress it up.
Corona Tools Kids Compost• Plant seasonal flowers and vines that can grow along the outsides of wire bins and add some visual color to your yard. Trim stray vines to keep it looking tidy and toss them right in the compost.
• If you are using wood to support your compost pile, give it a coat of paint and let kids add their touches. Putting their hands in paint and leaving their mark all over the outside is just plain fun for them. It’s also like having kids’ artwork out in the yard too!

#5: Take a Compost Coffee Break

It may sound hard to believe, but composting is a little addicting. Once you have seen the fruits of your labor you may just become compost crazy. I’m always on the lookout for more waste wherever I go. A good source is your local barista. Many coffee shops will bag up coffee grounds for you for free! Take your kids with you later in the morning and have them ask the barista for any left over coffee grounds. 9 times out of 10, it works if someone doesn’t beat you to it! It’s also a great time out with the kids, you get your morning latte and your compost gets a mega-shot of nitrogen.

There you have it, 5 great ways to get kids interested in compost while having fun and learning in the process! Do you teach your kids about composting? Share what works in your family in the comments!

Topics: home gardeners, gardening, recycling, Kids

Corona Tools GroBot Giveaway

Posted by Chris Sabbarese on Tue, Jul, 17, 2012 @ 17:07 PM
Corona Tools GroBotLast month I did a post about a fun project I did with my daughter during her last week of 2nd grade.  It was so much fun (and educational) that Corona decided it might make for a fun giveaway to our friends and followers throughout our social networks.  It’s a great project that anyone can do, costs you virtually nothing, helps the environment and it might just win you a $200 personalized shopping spree on coronatoolsusa.com!

What is a GroBot

A GroBot, is made up of at least 90% recycled materials; bottles, cans, wood, paper, plastic…you name it.  If it can be recycled, you can use it to build your GroBot.  When completed they should be 24” or less, have at least one container to support a plant, and able to stand on its own.  And most importantly, a GroBot requires some creativity so let you imagination run wild on this one.  

Rules for Building Your GroBot

Begin by raiding your recycle bin and cranking up your imagination.  You’ll be surprised how even the simplest recyclables can make a cool GroBot.  Use things like nuts and bolts, hot melt glue, string, etc. to hold everything together.  As long as it meets the definition of a GroBot mentioned above, you are good to go to enter it in the GroBot giveaway.

Entering Your GroBot in the Giveaway on Pinterest

Once you have your GroBot put together, it’s time to share your inner-creativeness and share it with the world.  Just click the button below for the details whether you are on Pinterest or not.

Enter the Giveaway

GroBot Giveaway Details
  • You can enter one or more GroBot on the Pinterest board between 7/17 through 8/15/12.
  • The entry with the most repins and comments on 8/16 will win the $200 personalized shopping spree on coronatoolsusa.com.
  • The $200 includes shipping costs to any continental US address, AK & HI
But don’t put off building your GroBot!  The sooner you post your entry, the more likely you are to get more people to pin or comment on your post and the more likely you are to win!  Feel free to enjoy the project with your kids and teach them a little about recycling along the way (they won’t know they are learning…) or do it yourself just to test your creativity and ingenuity.

Most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to think about how many items we use and recycle each day and our impact on the Earth’s environment. Let’s all find a way to reuse some of the trash we produce and together we can all make a difference, one small GroBot at a time.

Topics: Corona Tools, gardening, sustainability, planting, recycling

What a 2nd Grader Can Teach Us About Sustainable Gardening

Posted by Chris Sabbarese on Wed, Jun, 27, 2012 @ 11:06 AM
Just before the school year ended, my daughter received a fun project from her 2nd Grade teacher.  The assignment was aimed at teaching kids about recycling and how they can be stewards of the environment.  Each student was asked to build a robot made of recycled materials and write a story about their “recyclobot”.Corona Tools Growbot

Meet Tom the Grobot

We stated putting aside all of our bottles, cans and anything else that could have been used to make a recyclobot.  Once we had plenty of items to choose from, I helped my daughter put some of the items together as outlined in the assignment.  It was at that point, my daughter’s 8 year old imagination kicked into overdrive.  She decided she wanted her recyclobot to be a “grobot”.  Okay to be fair, she had just watched the movie Wall-e, but she decided she wanted her recyclobot to be able to grow something inside of it and further challenge her dad! But I liked that she was giving 200% to her assignment so I went with it.

She developed and wrote her story about Tom the Grobot, and I helped put him together.  I thought why not push the envelope and teach her a little bit about sustainability in the garden while I was at it? I thought I would utilize some of the knowledge I impart from our weekly #landscapechat and introduce her to the concept of collecting rain water and proper irrigation techniques.  Tom was not only made of 95% recycled materials (the other 5% were some HotWheels borrowed from my son) but he was designed to harvest rain water and to water the tomato plants he was nurturing.

Corona Tools Growbot Story 2Corona Tools Growbot Story1

The Grobot Story

My daughter came up with an amazing story about Tom the Grobot and Doug the Dumpster.  And when she presented it to her class, both her story and Tom got the biggest round of applause from the classroom.  What impressed me the most was at 8 years old she understands the importance of; recycling, its impact to our landfills, a broad concept of sustainability and turning trash into something that gives back fresh grown food.

I loved what she came up with so much that I decided it would make a great blog post and awesome project to work on with kids this summer.  So start saving those bottles and cans share your creativity with us on Corona Tools Facebook!


Topics: Corona Tools, gardening, sustainability, Summer, tools, recycling, Kids

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