Everything Into the Compost Bin
Children turn into food and yard scraps that fall into the compost bin, get mixed up, break down with the worms' help, and become rich soil for the garden. They express different ways of moving: slipping, rolling, spinning, going soft.
How to play
- Explain what a compost bin is: peels and leaves go in and turn into good soil for the garden; mark its circle with the rope (1 min).
- The teacher names a scrap and kids move like it until they fall inside: a slippery banana peel, a dry leaf twirling down, a rolling apple, an eggshell that bounces and cracks (3 min).
- Inside, the compost gets stirred: we turn slowly in place and mix around without bumping (2 min).
- The worms arrive: with soft drumming, everything breaks down and we get softer and softer until we're on the floor (2 min).
- It's good soil now! Roll or crawl out of the circle and lie stretched out on the garden beds as fertilizer (2 min).
Rules
- Each scrap moves its own way: watch the teacher.
- In the compost, we mix without pushing.
- With the soft drum, we break down slowly.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, use just three scraps (banana, leaf, apple), modeled by the teacher.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, use four or five scraps and let kids suggest a new one.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, work in pairs: one is a scrap and the other is the worm who "breaks it down" by gently tapping arms and legs.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: express each scrap with arms, head, and upper body from the wheelchair, and the compost moves around them.
- Autism: preview the list of scraps in order with photos, and skip partner touch if it's bothersome.
- Hearing impairment: the teacher holds up a picture or the real item for each scrap.
Learning goals
- Express different ways of moving with the body.
- Move gradually from tension to relaxation.
- Understand that scraps turn into soil for the garden.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Long rope: 1
- Hand drum
Teacher tip
Bring a real banana peel, dry leaf, and apple to show before imitating them. If the school has a compost bin, go visit it after the game.
PatioLab has "Everything Into the Compost Bin" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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