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| MDFT kidlets tossing collected garden refuse into the compost pit. |
Composting and Me
Teach Young Children How to Value Themselves
Composting is the oldest form of recycling. It provides an opportunity for our little ones to observe the
decomposition process and energy cycle at work. It will also produce a valuable soil supplement for our garden and it reduces the amount of organic trash in our neighborhood
The students will learn how the many soil organisms recycle organic wastes through composting. They will also have a chance to observe first hand how the soil organisms in small compost samples decompose into a very valuable resource by the end of the school year.
Children in our neighborhood are not often taught to value themselves. As they grow older, they soon learn to value the plastic western cultural stereotypes that they see on television, music videos and hear over the radio air waves. This is a twisted view of life that currently allows for the cultural acceptance of very strange cultural norms. For example, foreigners working in Tanzania often earn substantially more income than the locals doing the same job.
It is a matter of self value!
Through a lesson in Composting, our young students can learn about the important academic concepts regarding the optional disposal of organic refuse. But most importantly, they can also learn a very important social lesson about themselves as individuals and their role in their own community. The take away life skill that we want to teach here is that young children like themselves, no matter how poor, how invisible, how small or how weak, can work to play a major part in a community. We want to emphasize that they all have an important role to play and only through playing their part will they see results in the long run.
This is also a wonderful lesson for the teachers at MDFT. By deconstructing the traditional way of teaching children, we are able to observe the preschoolers learning cycles at work.
There is a process and a cycle at work in their young lives too. This is a fundamental lesson that we hope to build on as we teach academics and social skills through gardening, community service and tons, and tons of fun!!!
Please feel free to comment and leave us ideas for cool and fun things we can learn in the Flood Garden!
