MAKE a compost jar

Related to the Nature Time episodes “Garbanzo Learns About Composting” and “Nature Station: How to Make a Compost Jar”

Season: All

Time: 30 minutes

Children love figuring out how things work. Help your child learn how compost works and build observation skills with this hands-on activity. 

Making a compost jar can help children:

• Build observation skills

• Learn about the compost cycle

• Practice patience

A Song to Sing: Compost the most and reuse the rest. Together we can care for Earth the best.

Another Song to Sing: Hello little Wormy I see you. I’d like to say thank you for all you do. You make the plants grow big and strong. With your help, it doesn’t take long.

You Will Need:

• Large jar, such as a pickle jar or a mason jar

• Piece of paper cut into a square big enough to cover the mouth of your jar

• Rubber band 

• Permanent marker

• 1 cup of organic yard debris, such as fallen leaves, grass or plant clippings 

• ½ cup of soil

• 1 cup of newspaper scraps 

• 1 cup of fruit and vegetable peels, cores, and scraps 

• ½ cup of water

What To Do:

1. Start by pouring the soil into the jar. Then sprinkle in the newspaper and toss in the food scraps. Next, add the dead leaves or plant clippings. Finally, pour in the water. 

2. Place a square piece of paper on the mouth of the jar and use the rubber band to tighten it down. Use a toothpick to poke three air holes into the paper lid. 

3. Get ready to shake it up! Shake the jar to mix up the contents. Sing while you shake: “Compost the most and reuse the rest. Together we can care for Earth the best.”

4. Almost done! Draw a line on your jar to mark the top of your mixture.

5. Set your jar on a sunny windowsill, and check on the nutrients every few days. Mark a new line to see how fast it breaks down. 

Reflection: In the episode “Garbanzo Learns about Composting”, Garbanzo thanks Wormy for making the nutrient-rich compost that helps plants grow big and strong. Who is someone in your life that you are thankful for?

We hope you had fun together! Want to share? Snap a photo and share it with us on Instagram.