Composting: Worm Power!
Worms play a major role in decomposing plant matter and creating fertile soil. Earthworms consume millions of leaves and deposit droppings or “castings” that fertilize the soil. Their tunneling contributes to the aeration and turning over of the soil, allowing water to reach plant roots more easily. The average American family throws away 500 pounds of food scraps (i.e. plant matter) per year. Composting can help us all! In this activity students will learn about the benefits of composting and will help construct a worm bin so they can observe the power of worms up close. Each class will work together to build a worm bin to take back to class.
Composting: Worm Power!
Pre-Event Activities
Pre Field Trip Suggestions 1. Collect soil samples. Use a magnifying glass. What do you find? Draw pictures of your discoveries.
2. Observe worms! On a moist paper towel observe different kinds of worms: earthworms; red worms; mealworms. You may carefully use a toothpick to move and guide the worm. Try several activities:
Measure the length and width of the worms. Record results. Compare.
Draw pictures of your worms on index cards. Label each type.
Learn about the different parts of a worm: anterior (head end); posterior (tail end); dorsal side (top); ventral side (bottom); itellum (swollen band). Look in a science book to help label the parts.
Touch the worm very gently. How does its skin feel?
Expose the worm to a bright flashlight. Then cover the worm to create shade. Does the worm react differently?
3. Become a worm expert! There are about 10,000 species of segmented worms. These are some characteristics of segmented worms: No backbone — Eat organic material — Like moisture — Usually round bodies — No legs — Soft bodies — Prefer the dark — Cold-blooded — Hatch from eggs — Breathe through their skin Like to live in different places — Some live in leaf litter — Some live below the soil’s surface. 4. Discover where worms are in the “Food Chain”. Create a “food web.”
Decaying organic material.
First-level consumers: molds and bacteria; earthworms; flies; etc.
Second-level consumers: Eat first-level consumers. Example: mold mites.
Third-level consumers: Predators. Eat Level 1 & Level 2 Consumers.
5. Create a compost pile without worms, using the following items: One gallon container and lid — A layer of soil. Keep the soil moist. — A thin layer of pencil shavings. A layer of food scraps. Repeat the layers of soil, pencil shavings, and food scraps. Stir the mixture every few days. Keep the lid on between observation times. Observe each week how the compost “decomposes.” Record the results.
Activity Instructions
Composting: Worm Power!
Vocabulary: Decompose: To be digested and broken down into simpler substances, making nutrients more available to plants Percolate: To pass slowly through something that has many small spaces in it. Soil: A complex mixture of minerals, air, water, and microorganisms that supports life on Earth. Vermicompost: The process of using worms to turn kitchen waste into nutrient rich soil.
Worm Composting Topics Instructors will guide the students through a discussion to learn about worm composting and the “why” behind it. 1. Discussion of the Urban Waste Stream: What is the “why” behind composting? Students and instructors will discuss landfills, the waste generated from our lives, what the urban waste stream means and discuss ways to live that are more healthy for our environment. Topics such as recycling, composting and the concept of living more sustainably will be discussed. 2. What Is a Worm Bin? Instructors will talk about what worm bins are, how worms can help by composting organic material and reducing our household waste instead of putting it in a landfill, and the benefits of worm castings for your garden and other uses. 3. Worm Anatomy: Instructors will walk through the various parts of the worm and also describe the difference between worms that compost versus the worms that you typically find in the soil. 4. The “How” of Worm Composting: Instructors will give students and teachers the tools to create and maintain a successful worm bin. 5. Worm Bin Construction: Each class will take on their own worm bin to build. The bedding, food and worms will go in, and the class will have a chance to personalize the worm bin.
Post-Event Activities
Composting: Worm Power!
Post Field Trip Suggestions 1. Brainstorm and discuss what happens to trash — organic and non-organic materials. 2. List ways we can lessen the amount of trash. 3. Discuss the differences between “dumps,” “sanitary landfills,” and “composts.” What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? 4. Collect biodegradable items. Collect different types of recycled paper. Make a display. 5. Weigh the amount of trash the class throws away each day. Calculate the average weight of trash per student. What types of items are thrown away? Are there other alternatives? Use the motto, “Reduce, reuse, and recycle.” 6. If possible, participate in a telecommunications project, such as National Geographic Society Kids Network, “Too Much Trash?”, to compare your class’ results with others. (Or compare with the class next door!) 7. Conduct a home survey. What trash do you throw away at home? 8. Invite community speakers from city / county recycling and waste management programs to visit your classroom and school. Businesses may specialize in waste management, also. Make a list of resources in the local community. 9. Study sow bugs or pill bugs (scavengers). Compare them to what you know about worms. Suggested lesson activity: “Sow Bug Scavengers,” The California State Environmental Education Guide, 1988. 10. Save the trash from one lunch. Discuss how to dispose of each piece of trash in an environmentally friendly way. 11. Observe your worm bin over a period of days or weeks. What changes do you notice? 12. Take action! Start a recycling program and / or composting project at your school. If other classes brought back a worm bin, compare notes to see how your worms are doing. Record what foods you add to your worm bin and how it looks over time.
