A presentation for little kids that explains the role of decomposers and the need to produce compost to keep plan health and soil fertility

1. WHY COMPOST
By
Alethia Bogoya
based on the document
Ezrahti, T. (1993). Composting Across the Curriculum. Marin
County Office of Waste Management, U.S.

2. What’s the soil made up of?
Soil is made up of five components: sand, silt, clay, organic
material, and soil organisms. Those soils that have large quantities
of organic material also have large numbers of soil organisms and
are very fertile.
Organic material is anything derived from living organisms such as
food scraps and wood waste.

3. Soil Organisms_1
Soil organisms are known as decomposers because they eat dead
organic material.
We can see some of these soil organisms such as worms, beetles;
but others like bacteria and fungi are too small for our eyes.

4. Soil Organisms_2
Decomposers eat dead organic material which is digested and
converted into humus.
The humus contains the nutrients and minerals plants need to live.
Besides providing nutrients and minerals, humus helps soil breathe,
hold water, aggregate so plants can root more easily.

5. Compost
The humus formed when people bring the right combination of
organic materials together in large quantities is called compost.
Compost can be added to the soil, increasing the amount of humus
and therefore the fertility of the soil. When organic material is not
returned to soil, decomposers starve as they do not have what to
eat, nutrients are not released, and plant health decreases.

6. Compost brings large benefits to the soil, the soil
organisms, the plants, and therefore to human
themselves.