Girl Scouts dig hands into composting project
The young women of Centennial Hills Junior Girl Scout Troop 414 are getting down to Earth with the organization's signature color as they go green for the highest achievement they can earn for their ages.
The 10 troop members have immersed themselves in composting, the decomposition of plant remains, food and other once-living materials to make an earthy substance ideal for enriched gardening and soils, as their Bronze Award project.
They learned how to form a healthy compost and care for worms during a field trip to the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. On May 17, the troop created its own bins during its meeting at Billbray Elementary School, 9370 Brent Lane.
The girls and their dirty work will be showcased at Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center's Summer Community Health Fair, planned for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 6900 N. Durango Drive.
Troop leader Janice D'Anduono said the Girl Scout organization has made a push for more environmentally conscious activities that also foster skill and character development. Composting reduces landfill waste and produces a nutrient-rich soil good for fertilizing.
"Now in Girl Scouts, they want them to do journeys," she said. "One thing they'll definitely learn is to be responsible, because they'll get their own batch of worms."
Le d by parent Gretchen Papez, the girls started their project in early May with a trip to the Springs Preserve. They toured the Sustainability Gallery with education assistant A.J. Crame and got to crawl inside displays to learn how worms experience the process.
"They had quite a bit of info about composting before coming," Crame said. "They were willing to ask a lot of questions."
They also got to bend the ear of a gardening expert who happened to be tending to the preserve's active composting piles.
Two weeks later came time to get their hands dirty.
Papez instructed the girls to first shred a base layer of newspaper for their 5-gallon bins .
"Remember, this is your worms' home, so we're making them a bed," she said.
Each girl got 500 red wiggler worms, starter soil and lettuce and celery for the worms to munch on.
The transfer of worms invited lots of playful opportunities for the boisterous crowd.
"Look at this worm. He's an acrobat," said Rebekah Pope, 10.
Her fellow Scout Perri McGillivray named the fattest worm in her pile. She said she knew about composting because her mom was interested in it.
She said she was excited to share tips with her family.
"It gets up to 140 and 160 degrees in the middle (of the pile)," she said.
The scouts completed a worksheet and received a wheel with reminders and tips for caring for the worms.
The girls will present their findings at the free health fair in June.
Once completed, the troop will submit its project for the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout Junior can earn. The award requires the girls to learn the leadership and planning skills necessary to follow through on a project that makes a positive impact on the community.
Contact Centennial and Paradise View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.
