ILSR developed these Composting Learning Activities under its Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders Composter Training Program to assist community composting sites in training their own community participants. These Learning Activities provide a hands-on complement to our Community Composting 101 Online Certificate Course, which prepares participants to establish and manage composting projects that both engage and serve their communities. These Learning Activities are available for free! Please take a moment to tell us about how you will use these resources, provide feedback, or give input on future resources.
All learning activities are also available in Spanish. Check out our complete list of Spanish Composting Resources.
Composting 101 Training Guide
This 6-page training guide covers the fundamentals of composting, including benefits of composting, building and managing a compost pile, and troubleshooting. Spanish: Compostaje nociones básicas
The following Learning Activities cover different aspects of the composting process. Each Learning Activity covers: duration, appropriate age group, learning objectives, materials needed, and instructions.
Identifying Compostable Materials
- Spanish: Identificación de materiales compostables
- Duration: 20-minute minimum
- Age Group: All ages
Building Piles and Measuring Bulk Density
- Spanish: Construcción de pilas y medición de la densidad de la pila
- Duration: 2 hours
- Age Group: High school age and older
Hand Squeeze Moisture Test
- Spanish: La Prueba de humedad del “apretón” para una pila de compost
- Duration: 15 to 30 minutes
- Age Group: All ages
Demonstrating the Water-holding Benefits of Compost
- Spanish: Demostración de los beneficios de retención del agua del compost
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Age Group: All ages
Seed Germination Test to Determine Maturity
- Spanish: Prueba de germinación de semillas para determinar la madurez del compost
- Duration: 5 days to 2 weeks (depending on seeds used)
- Age Group: All ages