Waste3
Lesson Overview
Goals
- Identify the critical parts of the Earth Cube
- Describe how the Earth Cube functions
Outcomes
Teaching Primer
There are very few shortcuts in life. That’s likely a message you try to convey to your Students daily. Success comes from hard work, persistence, and the right perspective on the job at hand. Sound familiar? I bet it does.
But sometimes we make a discovery along the way that gives us pause, one of those true ah-ha moments. Well, our team at Modern Steader feels like we found one of those moments when we discovered the Earth Cube. To put it simply, the Earth Cube not only holds the potential to be your Easy Button for composting but it could also be a wormhole that allows you to rapidly jump forward in time. Seriously!
Seasoned gardeners will tell you that making compost takes time, lots of time, to do it properly. And they will also tell you that most fail in their ability to control and regulate all the variables in the composting process. That’s where the Earth Cube has the potential, if managed properly, to give you an Easy Button and warp time in your favor. With this tool, you can monitor and more efficiently regulate the moisture level, the density, and the temperature of your composting process. And the bonus is a time warp that can reduce your time to completion from months to just weeks. Now that just might be a shortcut after all!
Teach the Teacher
- Earth Cube Compost System: Composting Operations Manual (included with your Earth Cube)
- Food Waste
Tools & Materials
- Earth Cube
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Bulking agent - leaves, wood chips, wood shavings, shredded paper
- Drill
Vocabulary
- Solar
- Convection
- Auger
- Aeration
- Anaerobic
Method
Introduction (10 minutes)
Begin the lesson by explaining the composting process in general. Then explain how the Earth Cube will allow the class to regulate many of the variables in the process to gain more control over it.
Activity (20 minutes)
With the Students help, install the solar powered aeration system and connect it to the solar panel. Load the biofiltration system per the installation instructions. Review the functions of each of the key parts of the system including the Wear Bar, auger, removable front wall, access port and latch, and the biofiltration system. Complete the setup by loading the initial 6”-12” of course bulking agent to accommodate the initial food scraps.
Discussion (10 minutes)
Review the process that will become a regular part of your class work each week. Checking moisture and temperature, adding scraps and covering with a bulking agent, and aerating the material in the Cube. Ask Students how each of those processes should be managed. What are the intervals for each of those processes?
Assessment (5 minutes)
Use the following questions to assess the Students before and after the lesson. Tally the responses of the group in the Assessment Tracking Log for comparison:
- By a show of hands, how many of you can explain how this Earth Cube composter works?
- Now that you’ve learned what each of the parts does, how many of you think you could explain the process to your parents?
Related Lessons
Give the Intermediate or Advanced lessons a try now that you’ve completed the Beginner Lesson!
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