What good is a leaf after it falls off a tree? Meet the forest recyclers who help turn old things into new life.

Here’s our trail map:

What Is A Duff?
How Is A Forest Recycled?
What Lives In A Pile Of Leaves?
Why Are Decomposers Important?
How Does God Restore And Make Things New?

Episode Links:

Get full lesson guides in the Nat Theo Club: https://erynlynum.com/club

Free Forest Recycling Coloring Sheet: https://erynlynum.com/why-fallen-leaves-are-important

Find great Christian books and resources at Christianbook.com: https://www.christianbook.com/

Explore Apologia’s curriculum and classes: https://www.apologia.com/

Apologia’s Botany Exploring Creation with Botany Curriculum: https://www.apologia.com/shop/apologia-advantage-set-botany-2nd-edition-with-regular-notebooking-journal

Roly-poly Episode: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/62dc056f-543f-49e1-8d71-c7056d13742a/

Bacteria Episode: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/1d403844-0e2d-494a-a113-5ed7e86c947b/

Mushrooms and fungus episode: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/b5b86cc0-358b-4136-bc79-643bd15aff9b/

Order Eryn's book, Rooted in Wonder: Nurturing Your Family's Faith Through God's Creation: https://www.amazon.com/Rooted-Wonder-Nurturing-Familys-Creation/dp/0825447615

Scriptures Referenced in This Episode:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared, and there was no sea anymore… The One who was sitting on the throne said, ‘Look! I am making everything new!’” Revelation 21:1, 5 (NCV)

“God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NIV)

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)

Terms Learned in This Episode:

Duff: A layer on the forest floor made up of dead leaves, sticks, grass, and other natural things.

Recycle: To make something old new. To turn something that would normally be thrown away into something useful.

Humus: Healthy soil that is packed full of good minerals and nutrients from decomposers.

Rhizosphere: The area beneath the soil or dirt surface that surrounds plant roots.

Decomposing: Something natural is breaking down by a chemical process. It is becoming rotten or decaying.

Enzymes: A type of protein, a very important building block in life, that speeds up chemical processes.

Reconcile: To restore or bring back into harmony.

Mentioned in this episode:

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