Worm Hotel

What you need:

• Six to eight earthworms
• Terrarium with screen lid or large jar, such as a mayonnaise jar, with holes punched in the lid
• Mixture of rich garden soil (dampened but not soggy)
• Sand if available
• Decaying leaves, coffee grounds, bits of vegetables and\or fruit, but not citrus fruits
• Dark colored construction paper and tape

Fill the container halfway with the damp soil and sand mixture. Add the earthworms, leaves, coffee grounds, and bits of vegetables and cover the container with a lid or screen top. Tape the construction paper around the container to block out light.

Now leave the worms on their own to do their decomposing. After several days, take the paper off the sides of the container to see what your worms have been up to.  

What to Look for…

An earthworm looks the same at each end, but they do have a front and a rear end. Do you know which end is which? How did you figure it out?

Do the worms have a preference for any one of the food sources you put in your terrarium?

Do you see any tunnels along the sides of the terrarium?

Can you find any casts created by the worms?

Once you are finished with your worm hotel, spread the contents, including the worms, into a garden to enrich the soil.


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