Thursday, February 18, 2010

Wonderful Wiggly Worms!

We're back in garden class after an extended snowy break!

Our youngest students (kindergarten and pre-K) have been learning all about the creepy-crawly inhabitants of our gardens: bees, ants, grasshoppers, ladybugs, and now worms.

Worms are fascinating creatures. They aerate the soil and transform waste into fabulous fertilizer. In our lessons, we observed worms and learned about the parts of their bodies through an active dance. Many of the kids were brave enough to hold the worms in their hands! Each student had the opportunity to sculpt worms out of Play-Doh and examine a worm habitat. We also discussed what materials worms can and can't safely digest. We're going to be placing worm bins in each of our three preschools so that the kids can witness firsthand the miracle of worms. Most of the kids loved the worm unit, so the bins should be a very exciting addition to their learning environment as well as an eco-friendly way of recycling classroom food waste.


Pre-K kids observe worms and learn about the parts of a worm's body (anterior, posterior, mouth).










Students practice fine motor skills by sculpting worms out of Play-Doh.









It's a worm party!

















Observing our portable worm habitat (we can't wait until each school has its own real worm bin!).










Pre-K kids learn that apples, newspaper, and leaves make excellent worm food. (Please don't feed the worms ice cream or markers.)

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