This might be our favorite module because it is both fascinating and fun.  When you combine the two, it hardly feels like you’re learning but that’s precisely what’s going on. Start this module out by hearing about the relationship of soil to human prosperity.  Next, flex your creativity muscle by writing some compost poetry. Yes, poetry- and snarky compost poetry is fine with us!  Finish off by watching some short, fun videos highlighting a couple neat efforts related to composting- and one video just for fun. 🙂

Lectures

• Dr. Doug Soldat, UW-Madison Dept. of Soil Science
• Soils and Prosperity lecture link
• Note: Video runs ~15 minutes long.

Activity: Compost Poetry

You may have been less than thrilled when you saw the word “poetry”, but this activity will require you to think about what you’ve learned about composting and present it in a unique way.  To get started and in the spirit, watch the video below of a dramatic reading of Walt Whitman’s “This Compost”.  (FYI, it’s a long poem- so be prepared!)

• Ty Christian, friend of the Master Gardener Program
• Compost Poetry
• Note: Video is ~6 minutes long.
• “This Compost” text

Next, compose your own poem about compost and post it to the Compost Poetry category of our Google+ Community.  The poem must be shorter than Walt Whitman’s and the minimum length is a haiku.  If you want to follow a particular form, here is a website that contains guidelines for several specific types of poems.  You can also feel free to create you own that doesn’t follow a particular form.  The content must include something new you learned about composting in the Advanced Composting module.

Bonus Video:  Fun and Cool Things Going on with Composting

This playlist contains two great examples of how composting is more than a just pile in your backyard. Learn about the composting aspect of the Oakhill Correctional Institution’s horticultural vocational training program.  Follow that up with a student-created, artistic video about the Full Cycle Freight Program, part of the F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture farm at UW-Madison.  To better understand the video, read a little about Full Cycle Freight and it’s role in the campus community.  Finally, have a little fun with Silly Compost.  🙂

• Jason Garlynd, Horticulture Instructor, Oakhill Correctional Institution; FCF video by Jackson Froiland, former outreach coordinator for the F.H. King student farm
• Fun Things Going on With Composting Playlist
• Note: Videos range from ~3-5 minutes.