Let’s Make Organic Fertilizer

Objective

To recycle organic waste and observe fertilizer formation.

Time

For two class hours.

Preparation

·       Get natural and healthy soil from a garden.

·       Collect organic waste that you will use in the event for a week or ask the students. Be careful not to mix other materials with  compost in ‘’tools and equipment’’ section.You can see the materials that should not mix with compose in the information box at the end of the directive.To get avoid mold contamination do not forget to leave the container lid open.

·       Prepare the container you will use in the event by cutting it in advance.

Tools and Equipments

5 liter used bottle, sharp object to make holes on the bottle, carpet knife, Waste materials for compost (Green materials: Vegetable and fruit peels, tea and coffee wastes, eggshells, pruned grasses. Brown materials: dry leaves, papers, wood pieces, cardboard pieces), soil, water, spray bottle, notebook, pencil.

Learning and Teaching Priod

1.     Move the soil among the students which we put in a wide open container before, and support their observations by asking the children the following these questions.

·       What colour is the soil?

·       How does it smell?

·       Is it hot or cold?

·       Is it dry or mois?

2.     Then '' Well, do you think that a healthy soil? '' Children's attention by asking him to pull out of the soil and soil related to a different property after that make these following statement;

‘’Soil can also be healthy or unhealthy. Plants need healthy soil to grow better. If the soil is healthy, the plants grown in the soil will also be healthy. We will be healthy as we consume these plants. If the soil is hard, odorless, colorless, it is unhealthy. If the soil is dark brown, soft and aromatic and contains little creatures, it is healthy. Just like us, soil needs nutrition to stay healthy. Today we are going to make kind a fertilizer for feed that soil. The plants which we feed with fertilizer will be healthy and powerfull. We will maket hat fertilizer with our kitchens waste materials. Thats why we call it ‘’organic fertilizer’’.

3.     Remind children to use these materials in a balanced way to make compost. Do the following steps with the children.

·       Fill the bottom of the bottle, which we have previously cut and prepared with holes in it, and fill it with 4-5 cm of soil.

·       Cover the soil with fruit and vegetable waste (green materials). Cover it again with 4-5 cm of soil.

·       Put dry leaves and grasses (brown ingredients) on the second floor. Again, cover it with 4-5 cm of soil.

·       Put the craft papers and cardboard pieces (brown materials) that you have cut into pieces on the third floor. The smaller the pieces, the faster they break up in the soil. Cover this floor again with 4-5 cm of soil.

4.     When covering the separate layers with soil, do not forget to wet the soil using spray bottle at a time. The soil should be moist. Be careful not to make it mud.

5.     Then, if possible, put this mixture in a safe and sunny place in the garden of your school.

6.     Since it is in a transparent container, you can easily see the separate layers inside the compost you prepared. Ask students to draw this mixture into their notebooks. In the coming weeks, observe the changes in the composte with students every week. You can also take a picture to follow the change. Do not forget to wet it with the help of a spray as the top layer dries.

7.     It may take up to 3-4 months for the organic substances in the compost to dissolve. When all the substances dissolve and look like soil, compost is ready for use.

8.     You can sprinkle the fertilizer you prepared with the students at the bottom of the plants in your school or classroom.

You can use the following solutions for the questions you encounter while preparing compost.

·       If our compost has a very bad smell, you should add more brown material to the mixture. You can add dry leaves, dry grass, kraft paper or cardboard. It will also be useful to mix and air the compost.

·       If the compost does not begin to rot, the compost may have remained too dry. Try adding enough water to moisten the compost or increasing the green ingredients.

·       If the white spots are covered with your compost, the bacteria are settling in the compost. Indicates that it is very watery or stuffy. Do not water the compost for a while and mix it to air.

·       If the compost is covered with mold or if there is a bad smell, harmful substances may have formed inside the compost. Never use this compost as a fertilizer.

·       Also, be careful about the materials that should never enter the compost. For example, acidic fruit peels such as tangerines, oranges, lemons, meat and dairy products, oil varieties, fish scraps, meat and chicken bones, sauces such as mayonnaise, yogurt.

NOT: Adding a few worms from the garden inside the compost can make things even easier. As the worms move inside the compost, they ventilate the compost and prevent rotting. It also speeds up the compost formation by digesting the wastes in the compost. The feces that worms mix into the compost as a result of digestion will enrich the compost in terms of organic substances. If you leave your compost open-mouthed or use natural garden soil, you can see worms inside the compost even if you don't add it.