data: Once you’ve decided how to fill your column, carefully
observe what you put inside. In a notebook, describe the color,
texture, smell and shape of everything you put in the bottle.
Weigh everything before it goes into the column. Schedule column
checks for at least once a week to record changes. Note changes
in the column contents' height, color, shape, texture and odor.
Hold a ruler next to the column to record changes in the height
of the contents. Insert a thermometer from the top of the column
to determine temperature changes. Can you figure out the rate of
change? You can also test the pH of the leachate (the solution
that drips through the column) or use it in a bioassay for more
on pH. anything moving?: Look for the appearance of any
"critters," such as flies, beetles, slugs, millipedes, or
snails. Decomposition Columns offer good opportunities for
observation and description. Try using photographs or drawings
to record changes. Write a story about what is going on in your
column. What do you pre