Since a well managed pile using only yard wastes does not smell and does not attract rodents, it can be built close to the school and occupy a very small space. The Program Decomposition is the portion of the food cycle which most middle school children have the hardest time understanding. Link this with the recent changes in the law concerning the disposal of yard wastes for a unique learning opportunity. This project helps students gain a better understanding of decomposition and become more aware of the waste management problem confronting everyone. The objective is to design a compost pile which will hold 75 cubic feet of material.
Students vote on the best design based on practicality and cost.
Then they help in construction of the design. Once the pile has been built, material is placed into the container and the investigations begin. Science students are given several experiments to conduct and are asked to develop their own investigations to submit to the class for consideration. One experiment finds if any relationship exists between the outside air temperature and the temperature of the composting material. Students gather, organize, graph and analyze their data to find the answer.