Tues. May 26

Literacy:

Want to learn a magic trick? You can make your very own soil in as little as 1 month, save the landfill from unnecessary waste, and save the planet all at the same time! We call this trick…. Composting!

All you need to do is find a container that you wish to fill with greens and browns to make into compost or if you happen to have a compost bin then of course use that. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to collect any food waste except cheese and meat. We’re talking about banana peels, eggshells, leftover rice/pasta, used tea bags/coffee grounds, and the green part of the watermelon or cantaloupe. Once you start saving these items you’ll be surprised how quickly you will have enough to fill your bin. You will also need browns, which is dry material such as ripped or shredded paper, leaves, ripped up cardboard, grass clippings etc. You can either use a container you won’t need anymore or if you wish to buy a large one they are available at most hardware stores. Composts love air to break down so cut or drill holes in the bottom and sides. 

The more processing you do to the materials the faster it will break down and turn into “black gold” as the gardening community calls it. You can either purée the greens (food waste) with adding a little water to the blender or put it in as is. Keep in mind that apple cores take a long time to break down if you don’t purée them or make them smaller. Once you have roughly 2 parts greens and 1 part browns then mix it all together in your container. Once mixed, it should feel like a wet sponge so if it’s too dry you can add water or just wait for the rain. The container needs some sort of lid so you may use a piece of plastic. Once it is mixed, you can turn it a couple times a week. Your compost should smell like soil so if it’s stinky then simply add and mix in more browns (your neighbours will thank you). It should be ready in 3 weeks to 12 months. The smaller the pieces you use (i.e. pureeing, using shredded paper/leaves) and the more oxygen you give it by turning it, the faster it will break down and you will be able to use it to make your flowers, fruits, and veggies very happy.

If you love worms… There is a way to speed up this process! On a rainy day you can put on your rain boots and raincoat and go on a worm hunt.  If you find any, you can add them to your compost and they will be happy to munch on your compost. If you do so, you will need to add some soil (not top soil but garden soil) from the ground.

Now you are going to make a list of items you wish to add to your compost. You can also add pictures beside each word if you would like. JKs can sound out and trace each item and SKs can sound out and write each item for their list.

I hope you enjoy making your compost as much as I do!

Math:

It is time for some fun family measurement! You are going to measure and compare a variety of things with at least one member in your family. The goal is to have fun while learning key terms, such as: longest, shortest, smallest, biggest, lightest, and heaviest. Maybe you will even think of other measurement terms to describe the things you measure!

With your family member(s), you are going to figure out the following:

1. Whose name is the longest?

2. Whose arm is the shortest?

3. Whose foot is the smallest?

4. Whose hand is the biggest?

5. Who can find the lightest object?

6. Who can find the heaviest, round object?

7. Who can find the longest piece of grass?

8. Who can find the shortest stick?

9. Who can find the smallest rock?

10. Who can find the biggest leaf?

Now you come up with 3 more things to measure and compare with your family members! ☺