Until I started working with children
I didn’t realise that compost, especially in the form of a worm farm or a
bokashi bin, is an amazing piece of technology. I must admit that I don’t have
any experience with bokashi bins but worm farm is very popular with the
children at the centre. When I think of a worm farm now, I see a food disposal
with all the metal knives being replaced by worms. They both are pieces of
technological equipment and work in a similar way. You put food in them, the
worms or knives shred it and from the bottom comes the juice. The major difference
is that the worm juice is wonderful for the garden and the disposal juice is
wasted down the drain. This is the way I always explain the process to children
who seem to grasp the concept really fast. Thanks to this they have learnt to
understand what wasting is and why we don’t want to do it. On the example of
worms versus food disposal they have become aware of the fact that some
technology can affect the environment in a positive and some in a negative way
(Ministry of Education, 2007).
From my observations of children I
know how remarkable they are with composting. It didn’t take them long to learn
what the worms like and what would hurt them. They engage in the process of
sorting the food into proper containers conscientiously. As sorting is a basic
mathematical concept, the worm farm is also helping children with their
beginning math skills (Ministry of Education, 1996). There are even children
who bring their dinner leftovers from home. It is lovely to see the involvement
that reaches out into the community. The children have learnt the technological
process of food decay, what the worms’ roles in it are, how to get the juice
out and what the reason behind composting is. They are enticed by the whole
process of transformation of their leftovers and have started to consider their
little worms as their pets.
Children are not put off by the smell,
instead they want to know and see exactly what happens inside. One child said
that we needed a glass barrel so that we could see better. He was given the
opportunity to draw a plan for this glass barrel and show everyone what he
thought happened inside. He was certainly capable to problem-solve and
represent his thoughts in reality (Ministry of Education, 1996). What a great
showcase of creativity in trying to find a solution to the limited visibility
issue. Maybe one day this child will make a barrel like that and validate the
aspiration of the Ministry of Education for the technology learning area that “students learn to be innovative
developers of products” (Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 17). Wouldn’t it be
great if an experience from early childhood led to a new innovation some twenty
years later?
Thinking about the processes involved in
composting and the behaviour of children during their worm farm explorations
only affirmed my belief that composting is technology indeed – technology made
by nature. Smorti (1999) says that “technology is about helping people” (p. 5)
and that it must have purpose and produce something. Worm farms together with
the children’s involvement and the teachers’ support certainly fulfil all of
these criteria (Hatherly, 2009).
References:
Hatherly, A. (2009). ICT and the greatest
technology: A teacher’s mind. Early
Childhood Folio, 13, 7-11.
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whāriki mātauranga mō ngā
mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand:
Learning Media.
Ministry of Education, (2007). The New Zealand curriculum: For
English-medium teaching and learning in years 1-13. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents
Smorti, S. (1999). Technology
in early childhood. Early Education, 19, 3-10.
YouTube. (2010). Building a worm farm on the cheap [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUGWMPAxxBc
Until reading your blog on the worm farm, I have never really thought too much about those little creatures at our centre. Sure, I do my bit and give them my fruit scraps and tea bags, but it was not until I did some reading to respond to your blog that I actually started to reflect on the whole process of recycling and sustainability.
ReplyDeleteI came across this quote by Moore (1990, as cited in Greenman, 2005) and it struck a chord with me. He said “children live on the earth – more precisely, they live in the biosphere. They also live in an era, where for the first time in history, the healthy future of the biosphere has become a serious political issue” (p. 291).
While it is good that the children are into recycling the food scraps, perhaps our centres could teach the children about sustainability as well. Instead of just selling the worm juice to parents, perhaps centres should have vegetable gardens that the children can work in on a regular basis. They could even take their produce home, or eat it in the centres. Teach a child to plant a vegetable garden and they will have food for life. Then the children would understand the principle of ‘kaitiaki’, that they are being guardians/caretakers of the environment and all living things in that environment (Barker, 2010).
References:
Barker, G. (2010). Building sustainable communities: ‘Manaaki Whenua. Manaaki Tangata. Haere Whakamua’. Early Education, 47(Autumn/Winter), 15-18.
Greenman, J. (2005). Caring spaces, learning places: Children’s environments that work. Redmond, W.A.: Exchange Press Inc.
Iveta, worm farms have brought composting back into fashion by being easier to deal with as well as being less smelly. Worm farms are a good method for showing children how food scraps can be utilised in a positive manner. Children learn that food breaks down into nutrients which are used to improve the soil helping other plants to grow. It is all about the cycle of life, new growth, maturity, decomposition. Composting food scraps is a way of developing children’s understanding of their natural environment as well as how technology, such as worm farms, can sustain the natural environment (Ministry of Education, 1996). Worm farms also help children develop respect as well as a sense of duty for the welfare of the living world (Ministry of Education, 1996). The worm farm also gives children the beginnings of an understanding of economic and environmental conditions through recycling “waste” product (Ministry of Education, 2007). Do the children collect and pour the worm liquid over the garden? If not, would they be able to do so? If they already do this, do they have an understanding of how the liquid helps the plants grow?
ReplyDeleteThe focus of technology within your blog was most enlightening. I applaud you for the steps you took in the process of compost benefitting our environment. You empowered yourself to bridge your own experiences with acquired information and extending this knowledge together with the children. You have facilitated in children’s understanding of sustainability and green living. As cited by Greenfield (2010) “we learn from what you share with us ….., in listening to others you benefit, what you hear – becomes a resource for how you think, brings a wider perspective”. I see this great opportunity where, exploration, continuous shared thinking, and problem-solving is highlighted, as a bridge to help the children to contribute actively to what they want to do to enhance their learning (Smorti, 1999). I believe that you weave your understanding of technology, ako (learning and teaching) and practice of inclusion together skilfully.
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