Did you know that we have many worms in our school? We grow them in a worm tower (5 layers of worm bin). Why? Because worm castings (worm poop) are perfect for plants. They have many beneficial microbes, provide essential nutrients, improve soil structure, and protect plants from diseases, which help plants grow healthy.
We have small worms called “Red Wigglers,” which are suitable for worm composting. They look cute, actually, and eat about half of their body weight of organic matter each day.
All the tower layers were filled with the worms and bedding from Ms. Jensen, the second grade teacher. She gave her entire worm bin to our STEAM project for the whole school to learn.
The bottom of each layer is mesh, so the worms migrate between the layers, seeking food. We stopped adding food on the bottom layer for about two weeks to move the worms to the above ones to make it easier to harvest vermicompost (worm castings and organic material in various stages of decomposition).
During STEAM on November 28th, G5 (5th graders) dumped the bottom layer into the container and filled it with new bedding. Then, they moved the remaining worms to the new layer to harvest vermicompost. B1(1st graders) added it to our garden.
As the worm tower is heavy, I made a board with casters to make it mobile. Then, I sometimes take it for a walk. The worms visited Active Learning, Practical Academics, B4A &B (4th graders). I hope to show them to your class. It is cool to know how worms help plants and eventually us!
