Environmental Science: Composting and the Decomposition Cycle
Learning how nature recycles food scraps and plant matter
Environmental Science: Composting and the Decomposition Cycle
Learning how nature recycles food scraps and plant matter
Environmental Science - Grade 2-3
- 1
A banana peel, a dry leaf, and a plastic spoon are on a table. Which items can go in a compost bin?
Compost is for things that were once living, like parts of plants.
The banana peel and dry leaf can go in a compost bin because they came from plants and can break down. The plastic spoon should not go in the compost bin. - 2
What does it mean when something decomposes?
When something decomposes, it breaks down into smaller pieces and becomes part of the soil over time. - 3
Circle the best choice: Earthworms help compost by eating and mixing old food scraps and leaves, or by turning plastic into food.
Earthworms help move and break up natural materials in the soil.
Earthworms help compost by eating and mixing old food scraps and leaves. They do not turn plastic into food. - 4
Put these steps in order by writing 1, 2, and 3: Food scraps go into the compost bin. Compost is added to a garden. Scraps break down into dark soil-like compost.
The correct order is 1: Food scraps go into the compost bin. 2: Scraps break down into dark soil-like compost. 3: Compost is added to a garden. - 5
Name one living thing that helps break down materials in a compost pile.
Think about small animals or very tiny living things in soil.
One living thing that helps break down materials in a compost pile is an earthworm. Other correct answers include beetles, fungi, and tiny microbes. - 6
Mia wants to compost after lunch. She has apple cores, carrot peels, a juice box, and a paper napkin. Which two items are the best choices for composting?
The apple cores and carrot peels are the best choices for composting because they are food scraps from plants. - 7
Why is compost good for a garden?
Plants need healthy soil to grow well.
Compost is good for a garden because it adds nutrients to the soil. It can help plants grow stronger and healthier. - 8
Look at this list: grass clippings, dry leaves, orange peels, toy car. Which item does not belong in compost? Explain why.
The toy car does not belong in compost because it is not from a plant or animal and will not break down like food scraps or leaves. - 9
A compost pile needs some air and water. What might happen if a compost pile is very dry for a long time?
Living things in compost need water, just like plants and animals do.
If a compost pile is very dry for a long time, the materials may break down more slowly because decomposers need some water to live and work. - 10
Draw or describe the decomposition cycle using these words: scraps, decomposers, compost, soil, plants.
Food scraps are broken down by decomposers into compost. The compost mixes with soil, and the healthy soil helps plants grow.