Grades: primary
Before your visit:

Read several books about worms and discuss the information with the students.

Introduce and define vocabulary: invertebrate, decomposer, and cocoon.
Books about Worms:
An Earthworm’s Life (Nature Upclose) by John Himmelman, Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, The Life Cycle
of the Earthworm by Bobbie Kalman, Wiggling Worms at Work (Let’s Read and Find Out Science 2) by Wendy
Pfeffer, Wonderful Worms by Linda Glasser, Yucky Worms: Read and Wonder by Vivian French and Jessica
Ahlberg
Brainstorm facts about worms and make a circle map.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
A worm is an invertebrate. It does not have a backbone.
Worms cannot hear or see. They do not have arms, legs or eyes.
Worms have five hearts.
There are more than 3,000 different kinds of earthworms.
Worms usually live 3 – 4 years.
If a worm’s skin dries out, it will die.
Baby worms hatch from cocoons that are smaller than a grain of sand.
Worms are decomposers. They break down and help recycle plants, dead
animals and animal waste.
9. As worms tunnel through the soil, they mix it up. This brings air to the soil.
10. They secrete slime which contains nitrogen. This is an important nutrient for
plants.
11. Worms live wherever there is food, moisture, oxygen and favorable
temperatures.
12. In one acre of land, there can be more than one million worms.
13. The largest earthworm ever found was in South Africa. This worm was 22 feet
long.
The FairKids Field Trips are a program of The Learning Centers at Fairplex, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.
Grades: primary
Place the following traditional song in a pocket chart. Read it many times so that the
students can memorize it.
(If you don’t know the tune, simply look on YouTube for one of the many videos available.)
Nobody Likes Me
Nobody likes me,
Everybody hates me,
Guess I'll go eat worms,
Long, thin, slimy ones,
Short, fat, juicy ones,
Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy wuzzy worms.
Down goes the first one,
Down goes the second one,
Oh how they wiggle and squirm.
Up comes the first one,
Up comes the second one,
Oh how they wiggle and squirm.
The FairKids Field Trips are a program of The Learning Centers at Fairplex, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.
Grades: primary
During your visit:

Look at the earthworms. Can you see their tunnels? What kind of habitat are they
kept in? Do you think we could re-create it at school?
After your visit:

Discuss the worms that you saw in the “How Your Garden Grows” exhibit. Add
information to your circle map and tree map as needed. What kind of habitat were the
worms being kept in?

Make a worm habitat for the classroom.
1. Cut the top off of a clean, empty 2 liter soda bottle. Tape the top so that there are
no sharp edges. Keep the top of the bottle with the lid in place so that you can tape
it to the bottle when the worm habitat is complete. (If you choose, you can place an
empty paper towel roll in the middle of the bottle. This will take up some of the
space, and the worms will tunnel closer to the side of the bottle.)
2. Drill a few drainage holes in the bottom.
3. Place a layer of small rocks on the bottom of the bottle, add bedding. You can use
peat moss with dead leaves crumbled in, or soil from your garden.
4. Add water to make the mixture wet.
5. Layer with sand. Repeat with another layer of soil.
6. Add several large earthworms.
7. Put some small pieces of banana peel in the soil mixture to decompose for the
worm’s food.
8. Cover with a cylinder of rolled up black construction paper. This will keep the
worms in the dark, and be easy to slide off when you want to observe the worms.
9. Use duct tape to secure the top of the bottle back on the worm’s habitat. Leave the
cap off to allow for air flow.
10. Release the worms after a week.

Write a paragraph explaining how to make a worm habitat. A writing prompt is
available. Assign the number of sentences or paragraphs that is suitable to your grade
level.
The FairKids Field Trips are a program of The Learning Centers at Fairplex, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.
Grades: primary

Enjoy a jello worm snack
1. Get 100 flexible bendable straws. Extend the straws and rubber band them
together, place the straws in a large container with the bendy part pointing
down.
2. Mix one package of jello and three envelopes of unflavored gelatin in a bowl.
3. Mix with three cups of boiling water until jello/gelatin is fully dissolved.
4. Cool for about 15 minutes until mixture is slightly warm but not yet beginning to set.
5. Stir in ¾ cup of whipping cream.
6. Stir in green food coloring until you get the desired color.
7. Pour into straws.
8. Chill the jello straws for at least eight hours.
9. Remove the worms from the straws and place on a cookie sheet that is lined with
wax paper, refrigerate until ready to serve.
The FairKids Field Trips are a program of The Learning Centers at Fairplex, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.
Grades: primary
Name __________________________________________
Think about the worms you saw when you visited the fair. Worms are good for our
environment. We just made a worm habitat at school. Write a paragraph explaining how we
made this habitat. Remember to use transition words like first, next,
then, and finally. Include a topic sentence, three detail sentences and
a conclusion sentence. Draw a picture to match your sentences.
The FairKids Field Trips are a program of The Learning Centers at Fairplex, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.
Grades: primary
Worms Thinking Map/Tree Map
Name ____________________________________________
worms
can
have
are
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
The FairKids Field Trips are a program of The Learning Centers at Fairplex, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.
Grades: primary
Worms Thinking Map/Circle Map
Name _________________________________
worms
The FairKids Field Trips are a program of The Learning Centers at Fairplex, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.