• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Menu
  • Science Experiments For Kids
  • Science Fair Projects
  • Preschool Science
  • Science Facts
  • Printable Experiments
  • Science Sparks Books
  • Science Questions
  • Contact Me
Science Experiments for Kids
Menu
  • STEM Challenges
  • Early Years Science
    • Preschool Science
    • Sensory and Messy Play
    • Understanding of the World
    • Pirate Science Experiments
  • Primary Science
    • Baking Soda Experiments
    • Candy Experiments
    • Biology
    • Climate Change for Kids
    • Coding for Kids
    • Chemistry
    • Electricity for Kids
    • Magic Science Experiments
    • Harry Potter Experiments
    • Human Body Science
    • Air Pressure Experiments
    • Life Cycles
    • LEGO Science Experiments
    • Kitchen Science
    • Famous Scientists
    • Forces and Motion
    • Science Sparks Snippets
    • Key Stage 1 Science
      • Animals
      • Everyday Materials
      • Plants
      • Coding Activities
      • Humans and Health
      • Fine Motor skills
      • Science and Literacy
    • Key Stage 2 Science
      • Animals, Including Humans
      • Electricity
      • Light
      • Plants
      • Materials and their Properties
  • Key Stage 3
  • Holiday Science
    • Christmas Science
    • Halloween Science
    • Easter Science
  • Storybook Themed Science Experiments
  • Wonderful Women in STEM
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • FREE Experiments
  • Science for Kids
    • Kitchen Science
    • Climate Change
    • Egg Experiments
    • Fairy Tale Science
    • Edible Science
    • Human Health
    • Chemistry
    • Inspirational Women
    • Forces and Motion
  • Science Fair Projects
  • STEM Challenges
  • Science Sparks Books
  • Contact Science Sparks
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Science Experiments for Kids » Biology » Earthworm Facts for Kids

    Earthworm Facts for Kids

    April 22, 2013 By Emma Vanstone 8 Comments

    Earthworms are pretty amazing creatures. To celebrate all things earthworm I’ve put together a list of fun earthworm facts and earthworm activities for kids!

    Earthworm facts

    • There are over 3000 different kinds of earthworms
    • Annelids – the phylum of which Earthworms are part, are good swimmers.
    • Some in Australia can grow to over 3 meters long!
    • The scientific name for the common earthworm is Lumbricus terrestris.
    • Earthworms have no eyes or ears, but are very sensitive to vibrations.
    • Worms are often eaten by hedgehogs, birds, frogs and toads.
    • There are about 3 million worms per acre of grassland, that is a lot of worms.
    • Fossils are rare due to their soft body.
    • They tunnel underground by eating the soil.
    • Worms are invertebrates. They don’t have a backbone or internal skeleton.
    • Earthworms feed on leaves and the remains of dead plants. We saw with our wormery that the leaves got broken down and dragged down into the soil.

    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.

    Image of an earthworm to advertise a collection of earthworm facts and earthworm activities for kids
    Earthworm Facts for Kids

    How do earthworms breathe?

    They 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 nutirents needed by the plants. Worms are also a source of food for other animals.

    Did you know worms were such amazing creatures?For a light hearted look at the life of a worm, we loved this hilarious book, Diary of a Worm.

    Earthworm Activities for Kids

    We all learned a lot from making our own wormery.

    Homemade wormery

    If you don’t fancy making your own, this one from Interplay is great and very easy to use.

    We love this SUPERWORM themed sensory tray.

    Try this fun counting worms activity from Fantastic Fun and Learning.

    Images of earthworm activities for kids including a wormery.
    Earthworm Activities for Kids

    Last Updated on December 12, 2022 by Emma Vanstone

    « Challenge and Discover – Bridge Building
    What is the Bernoulli Principle? »

    Safety Notice

    Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

    These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emma (My Little 3 and Me)

      April 23, 2013 at 12:22 pm

      I love this so much, what an exciting set of activities. I defiitely need to look into building a wormery for my boys, they’d love it.

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        April 24, 2013 at 1:06 pm

        Thanks Emma. x

        Reply
    2. Mammasaurus

      April 24, 2013 at 12:57 pm

      My kids love digging in the garden and finding worms – we’ve been looking into getting a wormery for a while now – I’ll poke Papasaurus to get his bottom into gear!

      Reply
    3. Jennifer

      April 24, 2013 at 7:28 pm

      Great article, really interesting! I’d love to build a wormery, definitely something that I want to do with my little ones.

      Reply
    4. Wendy Wright (@ChoosingLoveAZ)

      April 26, 2013 at 4:36 am

      As a mom of boys this is something my boys would love to do. Thanks for the great information and welcome to Collective Bias!

      Reply
      • ScienceSparks

        April 26, 2013 at 4:28 pm

        Thats great to hear, thank you.

        Reply
    5. becky

      May 07, 2013 at 10:41 am

      Ick….but my kids would love it!

      Reply
    6. Pinkoddy

      May 08, 2013 at 12:12 pm

      I love my compost bin for worms (and other lovely insects). When I moved house the guy across the road was absolutely astounded by the worms I had in my compost bin (I took my bins with me).

      I hope your veggies grow well.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    What are you looking for?

    JOIN US!

    Get new experiments straight into your inbox every week!!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    .

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Science Sparks - FREE science experiments for kids

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Services
    • Media Kit
    • FAQ

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Science Sparks - Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd