Learning about “Wiggly Workers”
Our friends at TLC Family have come up with this interactive children’s activity to teach children about the benefit of worms. Try this out in your classroom!
In this “Wiggly Workers” activity, you’ll discover why earthworms are “a gardener’s best friend.” What You’ll Need:
- Wide-mouth glass jar
- Garden soil
- Peat
- Sand
- Water
- Earthworms
- Dead leaves
- Paper bag
To make a wormery, first get a large jar that has a wide opening. Put in a layer of soil, a layer of peat, and a layer of sand. Water the soil well. Now dig some worms from a garden and put them in your wormery. Don’t bury the worms!
They’ll take care of that themselves. But do cover the worms with some dead leaves. Set a paper bag over the top of the jar. This will keep out light, but let in the oxygen that worms need. Now put the jar in a cool place out of direct sunlight. Keep your wormery damp and keep an eye on the earthworms. Can you guess why gardeners like earthworms? It’s because they digest and pass soil through their bodies, loosening the soil and mixing nutrients. Plants grow better in looser soil with plenty of oxygen. Once you’ve seen the worms work, put them back where you got them.
For more ways to get children interested in worms and nature, visit http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family.
