Improving the environment
QCA Unit 8

Activities for Home - A Compost Cake

Do you have a school garden, packed lunches, and pets at your school? Recycle the plant waste this way.

You will need:

1. Stalky material (for drainage)

2. Straw or dried plants (carbon)

3. Manure, weeds, kitchen scraps (nitrogen) and

4. Soil or old compost

Key

Try this:

1. Find a square metre of ground for your heap.

2. Build your heap as shown in the diagram.

3. Lightly water each layer.

4. Use the key above to colour the layers in the heap from the bottom.

5. Keep repeating layers 2, 3 and 4.

6. Cut waste up small, it will rot more quickly.

7. Keep the heap moist, but not soggy.

8. Find a safe way to record temperatures in the heap.

9. See how the temperature changes over the weeks.

Now try this...

Make a notice to encourage local families to compost their waste plant material.

Think of a way your local council could do this on a larger scale and turn it into a moneymaker.

Write a letter to them explaining your idea. List the main points for the letter in your workbook.