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Explore · Wild and Tumble activity

Compost in a jar

What happens to apple cores? Watch food scraps turn back into soil.

  • 15 min + a few weeks
  • Some mess
  • Ages 3–5*
  • Indoors
  • Any season
Let's do this

*Illustrative age guidance. Your child's development and circumstances matter more than a number.

A tiny plan for your day

Estimated time: 3 min to prepare · 10 min to layer · 2 min to tidy. Then check weekly. Plus waiting time: a few weeks. It's fine to stop early.

Before you start

What you’ll need

  • A clear plastic jar or bottle with holes poked in the lid
  • Soil, dry leaves and small fruit and veg scraps
  • A little water

Let's begin

Five simple steps

That's the whole activity. Tick each step off as you go, and stop whenever you like.

  1. Little one leads

    Your child layers soil, then leaves, then scraps, then soil again.

  2. Add a splash of water to keep it damp.

  3. Pop the lid on and put it on a windowsill.

  4. Check each week. Draw what you see.

  5. After a few weeks, can you still see the scraps?

All done!

That's every step. However it went, you made a little moment together.

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