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’s 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.
How do earthworms breathe?
They absorb oxygen through pores in their skin. This is why they come up to the surface when it rains. Earthworms need to come to the surface to breathe if their burrow becomes waterlogged.
Why do we need worms?
Worms are essential for the well-being of plants. Their 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.
Did you know worms were such amazing creatures? For a light-hearted look at the life of a worm, we love the book, Diary of a Worm.
Earthworm Activities for Kids
We all learned a lot from making our own wormery.
If you don’t fancy making your own wormery, Interplay has a great wormery kit.
For young children, make a SUPERWORM themed sensory tray.
Try this fun counting worms activity from Fantastic Fun and Learning.
Last Updated on June 20, 2023 by Emma Vanstone
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.
Thanks Emma. x
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!
Great article, really interesting! I’d love to build a wormery, definitely something that I want to do with my little ones.
As a mom of boys this is something my boys would love to do. Thanks for the great information and welcome to Collective Bias!
Thats great to hear, thank you.
Ick….but my kids would love it!
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.