MANSFIELD — Second graders at Discovery School had a simple question.
“How do worms move through the Earth?”
When Harper, Belle, and Jane found worms on the playground and asked if they could keep them as class pets, the second grade students in Mrs. Lindsey’s class at Discovery School had some big wonderings to start thinking about.
After thinking about the ethics of moving the worms from their natural environment, they got to work researching worms’ needs to help them survive and thrive with care.
The class found books, reading together to learn more.
They created lists of materials for worm farms that others had successfully created in the past, and then priced out costs to create the best farm possible for the classroom within their budget.
Students have since started saving materials from their lunches to try composting by feeding the worms fruit and vegetable scraps.
Friday has marked the second full week of the worm farm, and a chance for these second graders to invite in school administrators and others around the school to get a lesson on all that they have learned.
“We got worms and found three different kinds of dirt: from the climbing tree which is mulch, outdoor playground which has pine needles, sand, leaves, and some muddy dirt that feels more like clay when it’s wet, and we put it in as the bottom of our farm,” explained Teddy Strang.
He punctuates his words by acting out just how they found the dirt and where during his presentation.
The students are taking a daily inventory, making sure that the material in the farm is moist, food is available but not just sitting on the surface to avoid attracting pests, and that all other conditions are right for their survival.
“So, worms eat scraps and it turns it into soil, and they’re called the ground fiddler of the Earth,” shared Jane McDevitt, one of the students who took the lead finding the worms to start. “When they’re red, that means they’re healthy so we check to make sure they’re still pink and red.
“It’s been a lot of fun, and the students have great ideas to get a bigger bin now to keep rotating it. We’re hoping to keep our farm going all year,” shared Mrs. Lindsey.
With such caring and knowledgeable students, these worms are in good hands.