March 16-20, 2015
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| Photo by Ms. Chantal |
Worm Composting Bin!
It was quite a wormy week in Nutrition Expedition! We made our very own worm composting bin! All the children from each classroom gathered in the Recreation Room on Tuesday morning to assist me in the construction of our bin. We will be using the worm castings (worm poop :D) as a fertilizer for a future garden that I am hoping to put together for our Dome playground this spring/summer. I'll be keeping the bin at home, and bringing it in periodically for the children to help me maintain it, and to observe how the worms are doing!
First, we read the book Wonderful Worms, by Linda Glaser. We then discussed what worms eat (dirt, coffee grounds, egg shells, decomposing fruit, green leafy veggies, etc.), what they won't like in their bin (meat, citrus fruit, oily foods, salt, sugars, etc.) and how they help the soil (churning it up to make it light and airy for plants, eating it and "relieving" themselves, which leaves behind good nutrients for plants and animals, etc.). A good rule of thumb is that worms don't like junk food! Here is a chart that we will be using to help us remember what we can and cannot put in our compost bin:
After our story and discussion, we were ready to begin construction! For a worm compost bin, you will need: approximately a pound of Red Worms (or Red Wigglers; I purchased ours from "Fish On" in Spring Lake), two 5-10 gallon Rubbermaid tubs, a few large rocks or wood scraps to prop up the top bin once they are stacked together, a drill, dirt, cardboard scraps, shredded newspaper, and food scraps. I started by drilling large holes (for oxygen) all along the top section of the first bin (I used a 1/4 drill bit for this). I then drilled small holes (for drainage) in the bottom of the bin (I used a 1/8 drill bit for this). This first bin will be used to house the worms and compost ingredients. The second bin will be used as a drainage bin to hold excess moisture from the top bin, as you don't want your compost to become too moist. This will cause it to smell and attract gnats and other critters.
After the drilling was complete, I set a few large rocks in the bottom of the second bin, so that the first bin will rest slightly above to allow for drainage to occur. I let the children help me fill the bottom of our composting bin with shredded newspaper and dirt. I saved a few egg shells, banana peels and spinach from home, and we placed those on top of the dirt. Then came the fun part: adding the worms! So exciting :) Another layer of shredded newspaper and a large piece of wet cardboard and our worms were happy! Here is the blog from which I gathered tips and instructions, if you're interested in making your own compost bin at home with your child:
Later in the week, I brought a few of our worm friends around for a science experiment! We wanted to know if worms prefer light or dark, so I found this experiment to see if we could find out the answer. I started by placing wet paper towel over a cookie sheet. I covered one end of the tray with a lid from a container (must be a dark color in order to create a shaded area), and placed the worms on the other end. We then took a flashlight and shone it on the worms. They scattered when the light touched them, and went directly for the shaded area of the tray! Some even tried to escape the tray all together! The children determined that worms prefer the dark :) It was very neat to see how they avoided the bright light!
