“Dirt Eats Too” Waste Management and Soil Conservation Program
“Dirt Eats Too” Waste Management and Soil Conservation Program
Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc delivered the region’s first “Dirt Eats Too” Program to St Mary’s Parish School, curtesy of a Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant.
Capacity building -
LEP23_036_LLC6_2
The issue
Cultivating a strong sense of environmental responsibility, experiencing a connection to nature and instilling values of stewardship early in children’s lives is as important for people’s wellbeing as it is for healthy ecosystems. Murrumbidgee Landcare Inc is committed to inspiring the next generation and through a successful Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant Application, have been able to teach the students at St Mary’s Parish School, Hay, the fundamentals of composting and how and what to feed the soil to make it healthy.
The solution
Bidgee West Local Landcare Coordinator Jenny Dwyer developed the Dirt Eats Too Program, combining building a composting station with an experiment of including materials and items to later review to see what the soil ‘eats’ to improve its quality. During the initial Composting Station Workshop, the children learnt about, and layered, organic composting materials before including several experimental organic and inorganic items. The children recorded these items and hypothesised if they would decompose. Later, at the Compost Review Workshop, the items were unearthed and the children could determine what was best to ‘feed’ and enrich the soil.
The impact
The children learnt what materials and items the soil will 'eat' to create compost. They had the opportunity to communicate their learnings through a persuasive writing exercise and the hands-on activity promoted physical activity, outdoor play, sensory development and fine motor skills, contributing to their overall health and well-being. Understanding the decomposition of different items and materials, and how best to nourish our soil, has fostered curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the lifecycle of organic matter. The composting station has also provided infrastructure to reduce the amount of organic waste ending up in landfill, and the compost will enrich the soil within the garden, into the future.
Key facts
- Through their experiment, the children concluded that natural, organic materials and items are best to 'feed' and enrich soil