What can I do with worms?

[StormySar]

My three year old LOVES worms. When we go outside she HAS to dig some up, then she'll grab some dirt and carry the worms around talking to them, petting them, showing them off....

What can I do to help her learn about worms? Can I (humanely) keep worms inside in a container of some sort? Are there any free resources online I can utilize for coloring pages, ideas for preschoolers, etc? Isuppose worms aren't that hard to draw and I can probably draw her som worms to color... LOL... We've been making worms with play-doh and she gets a kick out of that.

[AnnR33]

What a great way to start a kitchen compost bin! They don't smell and can teach her alot about recycling, etc.
I'll search for a link....
here's one:
http://fsc.fernbank.edu/Facilities/compost/worms.pdf

We used this site for some worm education too:
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/worms/

www.wormworld.com is another worm site

[MamaVolpe]

Worm Farms

Worm farms are great! A lot of gardeners grow worms for their garden beds and it is lots of fun. Its a bit like a glorified compost heap where she can keep her worms in. I think Mother Earth News (magazine) did an article or two on them. You might be able to find it on their web site www.motherearthnews.com or just google worm farms/ garden compost and I am sure you can find some easy to follow directions online some where.
Good luck I love to play with worms too.

[StormySar]

Wow those links hit the spot. I will see about putting together a garden compost bin, but I don't have access to anyone I know tha thas manure anymore... Would the typical earthworm found in my dirt be ok?

The link with worm facts, anatomy, history, etc. is AWESOME probably a bit too old for her now, but I'm using a lot of the info to school myself, so when we go pick up worms today I can tell her all about them. LOL. I also learned that drying out and exposure to the sun will hurt them - so we'll be very aware of that (I usually have her put the worms back and find new ones about every 15/20 minutes anway).

Thank you!!!

[mattemma04]

You could probably pick up some red wigglers at a local bait shop.I have had yard worms inside since we have been finding frogs/toads. I just kept them in a bucket with dirt,added moisture,and a wee bit of food. They were ok all winter long.

Gross,but grubs can be neat too since they change into beetles.My ds is very into catching things.Last year we caught a mantis that laid eggs.Waiting for those to hatch.

[Ngandee]

My dd3 loves worms too. Really I couldn't be prouder! I wrote about our earthworm afternoon here

http://preschoolathome.typepad.com/p...orm_delig.html

Also, we made this worm jar from the recommedations here.

http://myfunnybunch.blogspot.com/200...arthworms.html

BTW-glass jars work so much better and are much clearer than plastic. Also we rubber banded a piece of black construction paper over the top and poked in air holes. Cathy also suggested keeping it dark by covering it with a winter hat. It is working for us. I hope to post about it again.

We also read several good books

Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
Earthworm's Life (Nature Upclose) by John Himmelman
Wonderful Worms by Linda Glasser.

Nina
http://preschoolathome.typepad.com/

[Kleine Hexe]

We have a worm compost as well. The kids love feeding the worms.

[WuWei]

I love your post title!! The information is very helpful for our worm-loving household too.

I wanted to share another resource about usual and unusual interests is Unschooling Resources. It is a yahoogroup with hundreds of families who embrace hands-on learning also. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unscho...guid=287472904



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