A Worm's Home Sweet Home

What kind of home do worms need?
A plastic container with a fitted lid, either a bucket or a large piece of tupperware, makes a perfect home for worms. Be sure to poke some holes in the top of the container so the worms can breath! Worms like darkness, so if your container is transparent, be sure to store it in a dark closet or drape a light weight towel or clothe over it.

Let's make this home pretty!
With markers, stickers, or finger paint let your child decorate the outside of the container.

What kind of bed do worms like?
Explain that worms love a cozy bed, just like we do. Have fun shredding black and white newspaper and place it inside the container. Then have children dampen the newspaper with a spray bottle - they will enjoy watching how the paper changes after getting wet! Once the newspaper is damp, add the gardening soil and mix!

Where do worms live?
This is the fun part - go outside and search for worms! Look under mulch, or any other place that is damp and dark! This is a great time to to talk to children about how to handle worms - gently so that we don't accidentally hurt the worm because worms squish easily.

What do worms eat?
Explain that worms like to eat old food. Children can save their fruit (avoid citrus) and veggie peels and scraps to feed the worms. This is a fun way for children to care for the worms while also finding a use for scraps. Let children add their scraps daily, as a single worm can easily eat half its weight in a few days.

How do we clean the worms' home?
Explain that worms need their home "cleaned" like we do! We keep a worms' home clean by moving the soil around to help add some air and oxygen.