Tiny Creatures - Worms
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worms in soilIntroduction

Find out how worms are being used as composters for everything from old supermarket produce to cow manure to school cafeteria food waste.

Students are introduced to red wigglers. These worms convert decomposing produce into plant fertilizer.

Length: 9:46 Grade Level: 4-7


Teaching Objectives

The "Tiny Creatures: Worms" video program and curriculum guide provide opportunities for students to learn:

  1. How red wigglers can be used to convert a waste product into a resource.
  2. How worm castings can be produced for personal or commercial use.

Web Resources


Print Resources

About Worms:

Appelhof, Mary. Worms Eat My Garbage. Flowerfield Press, 1982.

Appelhof, Mary. Worms Eat My Garbage, How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System. Flowerfield Press, 1982.

Appelhof, Mary. Worms Eat Our Garbage: Classroom Activities for a Better Environment. Flowerfield Press, 1993.

Christopher, Thomas and Marty Asher. Compost This Book! The Art of Composting for Your Yard, Your Community, and the Planet. Sierra Club Books, 1994.

Cobb, Vicki. Lots of Rot. J.B. Lippincott, 1981.

Coldrey, Jennifer. Discovering Worms. Bookwright Press, 1986.

Glaser, Linda. Compost: Growing Gardens From Your Garbage. Millbrook Press, 1996.

Hansen, Nancy. Let's Compost. Alberta Ecotrust, 1994. To order, call 403-282-6956.

Kalman, Bobby and Janine Shaub. Squirmy Wormy Composters. Crabtree Publishing Company, 1992.

Lavies, Bianca. Compost Critters. Dutton Children's Books, 1993.

Payne, Binet. The Worm Café: Mid-Scale Vermicomposting of Lunchroom Wastes. Flower Press, 1999.

Trautmann, Nancy M. and Marianne E. Krasny. Composting in the Classroom: Scientific Inquiry for High School Students. Kendall/Hunt Publishers, 1998.


Glossary

composterbacteria: tiny, one-celled organisms; some bacteria cause disease; some bacteria are used to create cheese

casting: worm excrement that is cast off or out

compost: a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing land

Activities

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