You read that right. November 19th of each year is World Toilet Day. And no, this is not one of those silly social media “Days of the Year” inventions that provide content creators with an excuse to post something amusing on Instagram and TikTok. World Toilet Day is an actual United Nations day of recognition that draws attention to the importance of sustainable sanitation. As such, it’s important for your kids to know about it. And from this, you can actually draw inspiration for outdoor learning activities that can benefit your garden. How is this possible (without reference to fertilize, please)? Let’s find out!
3 Ways Your Kids/Students Can Recognize World Toilet Day to the Benefit of Your Garden
Repurpose an Old Toilet for a Playful Planting Bed
Gardening kids absolutely love coming up with inventive ways to repurpose old items and appliances as planting beds for home, school, and community gardens. And we do too! We have put together guides that reference using old toys along with abandoned bikes and wheelbarrows to create playful planting beds. An old toilet bowl and/or tank is a perfect fit that will make onlookers chuckle.
There are even Pinterest boards dedicated to this theme.
If you know a general contractor or someone who is undergoing a bathroom renovation, you may be able to score an old toilet or tank for free. You may also get in touch with your local municipality as they direct households to landfills that accept old toilets. You may intercept one before it adds to the junk pile. In addition, it is surprisingly common to find one on a walk through the back alley of residential neighborhoods in the days preceding garbage pick up. Someone is always doing a renovation, and they just toss their appliances (etc.) in the alley. Just be sure to bring along some gloves and sanitizing solution!
A Bath to Attract Feathered Pollinators
Birds not only provide a sweet soundtrack for your garden, they are magnificent pollinators that will help your crops and plants thrive. Installing a bird bath is a great way to attract them into your garden. However, they can be quite costly and perhaps trite for your playful household or class. Once again we find a marvelous application for a old toilet bowl. Position it into the ground and seal the overflow tube (the open pipe near the center of the tank) so that water cannot escape. Have your kids adorn the throne with waterproof outdoor paint and any other ornamentations that they can glue to it. Painted seashells, sea glass, and colorful tiles which will help attract feathered friends to take a dip, none the wiser of what the vessel was once for.
Garden Seating
Do you want your kids to spend more time hanging out in the garden? We guarantee that repurposing an old toilet (closed and secured lid) as garden seating will do the trick! You can still grow plants out of the tank, while the seat stays, as a seat. For an added laugh that actually promotes learning, install a Little Library exchange beside the porcelain perch for some contemplative reading.
Have you seen other fun yet useful ways this particular household fixture can be repurposed in a garden or urban farming environment? We’d love to hear about them – leave a comment below when you find this article post on our Facebook Page.
