Author

Sadık USLU

Abstract

By making compost, students ensure that the plants they grow are better nourished.

Activities:

The students are told how plants grow and the benefits of compost. Afterwards, compost is prepared with the students. The prepared compost is mixed into the soil of the plants in the school garden and the development of the plants is followed and the students are asked to discuss their ideas in the lesson.

One of the aims of environmental education is to gain individuals’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and values about the environment, the causes and consequences of environmental problems . Environmental education with individuals who may recognize the environment in which they lives, damage to the environment you can gain awareness of life before it and the environmental problems which give rise to the heat of the problems the three may have noticed to be done to solution.It is necessary to know, respect and protect nature in order to prevent environmental problems. In the activity, it was aimed to grow vegetables in the school garden so that the students touch the soil, observe and experience the conditions required for the growth of the plants, the conditions for germination and the growth of the plants. For this purpose, a suitable area in the school yard has been determined as a hobby garden. Students planted various vegetable seeds and seedlings brought from their homes in the hobby garden themselves. Germination of the seeds was observed in certain periods and the seedlings were irrigated. Meanwhile, students were made to realize that plants need water and sunlight to grow.

Students are expected to distinguish between recyclable and non-recyclable materials in household waste. Organic wastes such as vegetable and fruit waste, eggshell, cut grass, dried leaves are thrown into garbage and stored in landfills. Organic wastes can be recycled by making compost manure. Compost is a natural fertilizer that is formed by collecting organic wastes in one place and decaying them under suitable conditions. It does not contain chemicals since it consists of organic wastes that dissolve naturally. In this respect, it is more beneficial to the soil. On the other hand, it is a very environmentally friendly method as it prevents the storage of organic wastes as garbage or their incineration. It is aimed that students evaluate the organic wastes thrown from their homes with compost manure production, observe that organic wastes can dissolve very quickly in nature and thus realize that they participate in the material cycles in nature. For this purpose, the students collected organic wastes from their homes for 1 week in a separate container and brought them to the school. For compost, a suitable area was determined in the school yard and a compost bucket was acquired. With the students, a very thin layer of soil was thrown at the bottom of the compost bucket, and then a layer of green vegetable and fruit wastes was filled with mown grass and a layer of dried leaves on top of it, and a 6-layer mixture was obtained. The prepared mixture is moistened and its lid is closed. After 1 week, the lid was opened and the mixture was mixed and moistened again. The mixture will be mixed once a week for about 1 month and its humidity will be checked. Compost is expected to be formed at the end of 1 month. The resulting compost will be rested for 2 weeks and used for the development of vegetables planted by the students in the school garden . Thus, students will realize sustainable agriculture without using chemicals that harm nature , and will understand the importance of sustainable agriculture in terms of the sustainability of life in the world.

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