Nature Recycles

Students observe the decomposition process in the school’s urban orchard. This field trip can occur anywhere close to school’s vicinity: schoolyard, playground, vacant lot, nearby park, etc.

Materials: Paper, pencils, clipboards, hand held magnifying lenses

• Procedure: • Locate decaying wood or a small pile of leaves/debris. (If an outdoor jaunt is impossible, an indoor alternative is to bring two small sections of fresh and decaying wood into the classroom) Observe, record and sketch life forms. Look for animals, insects, mold, fungus and plants.
• Find a piece of fresh wood. Compare rotted and fresh samples for:
  • Types of populations - animals, insects, molds, fungus
  • Consistency - damp, dry, slimy
  • Color
  • Texture - soft, hard, crumbly
• Record comparisons. Save notes in computer journal.
• Discuss an interesting example of nature's cycle. In the forest, baby trees are often found growing out of the remains of a fallen and decaying tree, termed a "mother" or "nurse" tree.
• Using the above observations, class creates a wall chart or mural of the decomposition cycle.
• Incorporate the following stages into the cycle:
New Soil feeds on Live Plants -
Plant Material falls to the Ground -
Decaying Organisms enter dead Plant Material -
Decaying Organisms "eat" dead Plant Material -
New Soil - process continues -