Teaching Kids about Worm Farms
The story of worms and worm farming is a enormously interesting if not a bit on the impressive side, so teaching kids about worm farms can be rather easy, if you use the facts.
Also, the likes of dirt and getting dirty does attract some kids easly, and you can always use that avenue when teaching children about earthworm farms.
Getting into all the technical stuff, well, as much technical stuff as their is in worm farms , would be boring for most kids. Try not to talk about the aspects of worm types, or the history of worm farms.
Gear the entire conversation toward the dirt, the worms, how they move and maybe how many hearts they have. Hands on is the best way to go when teaching kids about worm farms, and worms in general.
Ask questions like "do you want to cut this worm in half" , then when they say something like "yeeech!" you can say, it don't hurt them , they are still alive and kicking (well crawling). Of course at that point you can talk about the 5 hearts of a worm.
Using terms like species of worms , and how many species they have, will probably bore a kid to tears. But using terms like the worms house, or a worms world will probably make your job, and their learning, go allot easier.
You can tell them that some worms like to come to the top of the dirt to eat, and others rather stay underground. If asked, tell them red-wiggler worms like to come to the top of the dirt for a bite to eat, they won't eat if they are not on top of the bed of dirt.
You may want to tell them stories about what you did growing up as a kid with worms and if you had a worm farm, tell them some funny stories, or even if you didn't have a worm farm, you can tell them about your friends who did, if that is the case.
I know for a fact that cutting a worm in two fascinated me as a kid. I couldn't understand how they still crawled around, of course, putting me in their place, I know I could not. But nobody was around to tell me
the reason was they have 5 hears, and can easily move around when cut in half, or thirds...
Another question you can ask them is if they see the heart? If a worm is sort of transparent, you can take a hard looks and see five hearts. This would certainly keep and peak the interest of children.
Of course, once that interest is peaked, you can probably talk about the 4400 species of worms and how they help the eco-system we all live under. You can give them some stories that you find about how
long worms been around, and how famous ancient writings talk about worms.
There really is good information to teach chldren when it comes to worms and their farms, and when they get some "hands on" , they will not be in it just to make mud pies, and squish the worms, but they will have a healthy understanding of worms, worm farms and our overall goal, teaching them about the eco-system and how worms are natural recycling machines.
Also, the likes of dirt and getting dirty does attract some kids easly, and you can always use that avenue when teaching children about earthworm farms.
Getting into all the technical stuff, well, as much technical stuff as their is in worm farms , would be boring for most kids. Try not to talk about the aspects of worm types, or the history of worm farms.
Gear the entire conversation toward the dirt, the worms, how they move and maybe how many hearts they have. Hands on is the best way to go when teaching kids about worm farms, and worms in general.
Ask questions like "do you want to cut this worm in half" , then when they say something like "yeeech!" you can say, it don't hurt them , they are still alive and kicking (well crawling). Of course at that point you can talk about the 5 hearts of a worm.
Using terms like species of worms , and how many species they have, will probably bore a kid to tears. But using terms like the worms house, or a worms world will probably make your job, and their learning, go allot easier.
You can tell them that some worms like to come to the top of the dirt to eat, and others rather stay underground. If asked, tell them red-wiggler worms like to come to the top of the dirt for a bite to eat, they won't eat if they are not on top of the bed of dirt.
You may want to tell them stories about what you did growing up as a kid with worms and if you had a worm farm, tell them some funny stories, or even if you didn't have a worm farm, you can tell them about your friends who did, if that is the case.
I know for a fact that cutting a worm in two fascinated me as a kid. I couldn't understand how they still crawled around, of course, putting me in their place, I know I could not. But nobody was around to tell me
the reason was they have 5 hears, and can easily move around when cut in half, or thirds...
Another question you can ask them is if they see the heart? If a worm is sort of transparent, you can take a hard looks and see five hearts. This would certainly keep and peak the interest of children.
Of course, once that interest is peaked, you can probably talk about the 4400 species of worms and how they help the eco-system we all live under. You can give them some stories that you find about how
long worms been around, and how famous ancient writings talk about worms.
There really is good information to teach chldren when it comes to worms and their farms, and when they get some "hands on" , they will not be in it just to make mud pies, and squish the worms, but they will have a healthy understanding of worms, worm farms and our overall goal, teaching them about the eco-system and how worms are natural recycling machines.