On January 14, 2013, two Hiawatha students and two teachers went to Isaac Newton Christian School to see their 4th graders’ composting bins. They have three composting bins outside their school. We got to go outside and see their composting work. It is really beautiful. They have been doing composting for two years. Inside, they have this really awesome poster of composting. A book they recommended is called “Let It Rot” By Stu Campbell. Their composting logo is “If it grows it goes”.
Here’s how they do their composting: Students take the food they didn’t eat and put it in their composting bucket in the cafeteria. They only put in fruit or vegetables – not dairy or meat! Then 4th graders take that food from the cafeteria and put it in the composting bin outside. They empty the bin whenever it’s full. Their last bin from last year is just full of compost - you can’t see the original fruit or vegetables. They also have a storage bin outside with things they need, such as shovels, buckets, and a long thermometer to see the temperature of the composting bin. If they need leaves they go outside for leaves in the back. We all really enjoyed our trip to Isaac Newton School!
Article and photos by Estefani & Jonathan
Hiawatha’s new compost bins
Hiawatha’s compost system
Fruits & veggies go to the compost pile: “If it grows, it goes!”
Compost system at Isaac Newton Christian Academy
I am very excited to read about the composting going on at Hiawatha and Isaac Newton schools. Kudos to staff and students for taking food that would go to waste and turning it into a valuable resource. I really like the composting loga, “if it grows, it goes!”