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Goal(s)

Cartoonist Gary Larson once said this about worms:

“The message is not so much that the worms will inherit the Earth, but that all things play a role in nature, even the lowly worm.”
(Gary Larson Quotes. (n.d.). www.brainyquote.com/quotes/gary_larson_482170)

The Seacrest Country Day School Early Childhood Team was gifted a worm bin for their outdoor Garden Play Space. This worm bin needs to be filled with soil and worms so the Early Childhood students can become resident "worm farmers" and experience how the lowly worm serves an essential role in our ecosystem. This grant proposal is purposed to provide all the necessary supplies and book resources, along with 200 worms, to begin a Worm Farming 101 initiative for Seacrest's Early Childhood program. 

 

Category

Learning Aids - Sunshine state book sets, robotics kits, puzzle boards, science models, engineering supplies, etc. 

 

Project Description

The Seacrest Country Day School Worm Farming 101 program will be a hands-on activity where students in Early Childhood classrooms care for a worm bin as worm farmers. The Early Childhood team has an empty worm bin ready to fill with a worm mix to turn food scraps into nutrient-rich compost.

Using non-fiction book resources, along with fun fictional worm tales, children will gain background knowledge about how the lowly worm plays a key environmental role. Worm farming teaches children about composting, waste reduction, biology, responsibility, and the natural cycle of decomposition, making it an excellent STEM and environmental education tool.

This project involves setting up the gifted worm bin housed in the Kindergarten Garden Play Space with bedding and worms, feeding the worms organic food scraps like fruit and vegetable peels, and regularly harvesting the resulting worm castings to fertilize plants. Classroom countertop compost bins will be used to collect food scraps. Worm farmers will share the responsibility of transferring food scraps to the worm bins each day and ensuring the worms are kept moist and cool. Additionally, students will collect “worm tea” when watering the worm bin. This worm tea will be used to water the plants growing in the garden, providing additional fertilizer and extending the understanding of the many ways in which worms are environmental helpers.

Worm Farming 101 will be an ongoing, integrated, collaborative project shared by the Early Childhood Team. As worm farmers, students will gain new knowledge about worms, as well as develop the essential Seacrest Core Values of responsibility, cooperation, curiosity, and respect for each other and all living things.
 

 

Expected Outcomes

Through participation in this Worm Farming 101 project, Seacrest Kindergarten students will demonstrate increased environmental awareness, STEM knowledge, and practical life skills, such as personal responsibility and socio-emotional development. Kindergarten students will learn about waste reduction, soil health, ecosystems, and the responsibilities of caring for living creatures to supplement their awareness of scientific concepts and processes. Additionally, Kindergarten students will develop skills in collaboration, problem-solving, and scientific observation through hands-on activities like designing habitats, collecting data, and using the produced compost. 

 

Purpose of Funding

Using Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm (www.unclejimswormfarm.com) as a support resource, the initial worm kit will be purchased through this site, using the school’s tax-exempt credit card. Shipping is complimentary. The remaining books and supplemental items needed will be purchased via Amazon using the school's account. The purchases will be tax-exempt, and shipping fees will be waived.  

 

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