Make your own Wormery

We were kindly sent a kit to make a wormery a few weeks ago, which the children loved not only setting up, but observing the worms as well.

We missed it a bit when we put the worms back in the garden, so today we made our own.

What you need:

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• An old jar, plastic would be the best.

• Sand

• Soil

• Gravel

• Old leaves

• Water

• Grass clippings

• Leaves

• Worms

Instructions:

• Add a layer of gravel or small stone to the bottom of the jar, this should help with drainage.

• Add the soil and sand in layers

• Add a little water – not too much

• Find some worms and gently put them on top of the soil

• Add the leaves and grass clippings to the top

• Make some holes in the lids ( get an adult to help, and screw it on the jar )

Keep the wormery out of direct sunlight, we are keeping ours in a cupboard.

You should see the sand and the soil get mixed up as the worms burrow down. The leaves and grass should be pulled down into the soil so it all gets mixed together.

This is what worms do in the garden, they help carry decaying  material into the soil, where it is broken down by microorganisms, into nutrients that can be used by plants to grow.

How do earthworms move?

If you look at an earthworm you can see the body is made up of lots of segments, underneath the segments are muscles which contract and relax allowing the worm to move.

How do earthworms breathe?

Earhworms absorb oxgen through pores in their skin. This is why they come up to the surface when it rains, they need to come to the surface to breathe if their burrow becomes waterlogged.

Why do we need worms?

Worms are essential for the wellbeing of plants. The tunnels allow water to reach the roots and the process of the worm eating soil releases nutrients needed by the plants. Worms are also a source of food for other animals.

 Key stage 2 – Animals and Ecosystems