Do you know that people all over the world keep worms to change their garbage into rich soil called compost? Compost help plants grow better. Worms eat food scraps. Two pounds of worms can eat a pound of garbage every day. Worms also help clean our environment. How do you keep worms to work? Actually, it is quite easy.
You will need: red worms (also called red wigglers), a large plastic container, about 12 inches deep, plastic bag or loose cover for the container, newspaper, leaves, and soil to make the bedding, water and food scraps.
After you gather all supplies, follow the steps below:
1. Prepare the container: Poke small holes through the bottom of the container.
2. Prepare the bedding. Fill the container about three-quarters full with small pieces of torn newspaper. (Do not use any colored or shiny newspaper.) Add about a handful of soil. You can put in some dead leaves, too, if you like.
3. Pour water on the bedding. Make sure all the bedding is damp, but not soaking wet.
4. Add the worms. Gently move the worms into their new home.
5. Feed the worms. Bury the food scrapes in the bedding.
6. Cover the bin. Make sure air can still move in and around the bin.
7. Harvest the compost. Worms eat their bedding as well as their food. When the bedding is mostly gone, push what’s left to one side and add fresh, damp bedding to the other side. Bury the food scraps in the new bedding. The worms will move to the food so you can harvest the compost without taking all the worms with it.
8. Use the compost. Add it to potted houseplants or to your outdoor flower or vegetable garden.
Activities:
1. Illustrate how to use worms to make compost. Then describe your illustration to your learning partners in simple English.
2. To make five hundred grams of compost, find how many worms you need.
3. Are you interested in making compost for your garden? Watch the videos to learn more about making compost.
