Worms - Our Friends
What an exciting day in Science! The decibel level went up quite a bit. There was laughter, giggles, grosses, fear and screaming!
This year I used Red Worms because they are better for composting but Earthworms are really long and exciting to observe. Maybe next year I'll be daring and do both with a compare and contrast!!
Check out the video to see why she has this awesome expression on her face!!
I spoke with a retired science teacher and he thought maybe the temperature change had something to do with the dancing!
After things calmed down we measured the worm length in inches and centimeters. All but one student picked up the worms. Her partner helped her out!!
We discussed how worms are animals and they need to be treated respectfully! No dropping or throwing the worms and definitely not pulling them! In 23 years of doing this I never had a fatality until this year! I was so sad!
She's not so sure about this critter! She did touch it a little!
I use an old fish take to make a temporary worm habitat. We tore up newspaper into strips and dunked them in water and wiped off the excess water so it wasn't too wet. We don't want the worms to drown. After a few layers of paper I added a cup of soil. Make sure you don't get soil with fertilizer in it. Periodically, add some food. Banana peel or egg shells. Make sure that all food is covered so it doesn't mold.
During class I let the kids look at it and see the tunnels that they are making. I cover it with a brown paper bag because worms like it dark. If I add more food I carefully lift up a layer and cover it back down.
Keep the top moist with a spray bottle but not too wet!
Hope you're willing to show the kids that touching worms is ok! It's a bit gross but the kids absolutely love it!
Resources
Book - Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
Video - Worms are Wonderful
Video - In Our Garden - How to make a worm habitat
Click on this picture for a previous link where you can pick up my worm recording sheet for free! Also, check out this worm unit using The Diary of a Worm!
