Activity
Kitchen Compost Pail
Your child can repurpose and recycle a used can into a useful compost bucket! Composting is turning all your fruit and vegetable bits into healthy fertilizer for your garden or plants around the house! This Earth Day, your child will be able to create something beautiful to sit on the counter to remind the family to compost, which is great for Mother Earth!
Grade
Subject
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What You Need:
- 28-ounce tin can
- Acrylic paints
- 20-gauge craft wire
What You Do:
- Invite your child to help wash and dry a 28-ounce can.
- Assist your child in covering their workspace with scrap paper or a large plastic bag. And, it might be a good idea to get out the smocks, too!
- Offer your child a selection of acrylic paint to use for painting the outside of their compost bucket. Invite your child to decorate the outside however they'd like using bright colors or patterns.
- While painting discuss with your child which items are compostable and which are not. Organic matter, such as leftover bits of fruits, vegetables and beans are great to put in the compost bucket. You shouldn’t compost items such as milk products, bread, pasta or rice.
- Once your child has finished painting the outside of their compost bucket, let it dry overnight.
- Now give your child a three-foot length of 20-guage craft wire to use for creating a handle for the bucket.
- Support your child in wrapping the wire around the top of the can and then twist it up and around to create a handle! Offer help as needed!
- Invite your child to place their finished compost bucket on the side of the counter next to the sink to collect bits of food daily and then they can take them outdoors and create a compost pile, which will turn into healthy fertilizer for your plants!
Did you know: Composting dates back to Roman times! And, that two-thirds of our trash could be composted
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See this activity in a set:
Eco Art! 9 Projects That Use Recycled Materials