- Easier - A worm is an
long, thin animal that lives in the soil. They have a
soft, long, rounded body and no legs or backbone.
- Harder - There are
thousands of different kinds of worms. The largest
species measure many feet or meters long, while the
smallest worm cannot be seen without a microscope.
Worms usually live in soil; some live in water. Many
worms eat small plants and animals, others feed on
decaying matter. Still other types of worms live as
parasites in various animals and plants causing a
number of diseases. Most types of worms have a
well-developed sense of touch. They also have
specialized organs that respond to chemicals in their
surroundings. Many species have a sense of sight, with
eyes or eyespots on the head.
- People mistakenly believe that caterpillars and
grubs are worms. These animals are insects in their
larval (juvenile) stage and do not resemble worms
after they mature.
- There are four main groups of worms: (1)
flatworms, or Platyhelminthes; (2) ribbon worms, or
Nemertea; (3) roundworms, or Nematoda; and (4)
segmented worms, or Annelida. The study of worms is
- Squirmin' Herman the earthworm is here to teach
you about the history of worms, their anatomy, and
other fun facts.
- Another Worm Learn Site:
- 2) Worms (Grade 1, Museum Magnet School)
- Worm Digest is published is a project of The
Edible City Resource Center, a nonprofit
educational organization in Eugene, Oregon,
involved in the promotion of sustainable organic
agriculture. Lots of good worm information,
especially for worm composting and farming.
World at the Yuckiest Site on the Internet
- At this site you meet 'Mary the Worm Woman',
investigate worms as recyclers, and learn all about
earthworms and their cousins with your host,
and Leeches at Alien Explorers
- Learn about bloodworms, bristleworms, horsehair
worms, round worms, tubiflex worms, maggots and
more at this worm-filled site.
- After visiting several of the worm
websites, complete one or more of these
- Have Some Worm Fun. Go to
the Worm Puzzles and Games. Print out the
activity page there and find the hidden words
and complete the worm maze.
- Complete a Worm WebQuest. Follow
or adapt the procedures found at Wonderful
Worms (Grades K-2) by Kittiya
Banks-Johnson and Elizabeth Langer.
- Observe and Learn About Worms.
Find directions for collecting and housing
worms in plastic see-through containers at
a Worm Condo at the Environmental Health
- Start a Vermicomposting Project.
Help out the environment by starting your own
worm composting project. To get started and
get some ideas, visit sites like Composting
with Redworms, It's
For The Worms, Worm
Composting Bin, Worm
Composting System, and Worm
Workz. Then put together a worm compost
of your own. If you would like to start on a
much smaller level, follow the plan found at
Jar Worm Farm (Missouri Department of
- Put Together a Worm Day
Celebration. Select a date. Make worm
posters and worm drawings to display. Write a
worm skit. Celebrate your success by serving
Cakes or making and eating chocolate
covered worms - find out how at Worms
Can Get a Little Weird.
- Would You Ever Eat A Worm? Birds
and fish like to eat mealworms (You can learn
how to make a mealworm feeder for birds at
to Make a Mealworm Feeder). Then read the
To Eat Fried Worms.' Ask yourself if you
ever have eaten or would you ever eat a worm?
Some cultures, some people do eat worms - -
gummy worms don't count! Visit Sauteed
Mealworms at NatureNode, Mealworm
Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Mealworm
Spaghetti or if insect larva is not your
choice, take a look at Natural
Treat (Earthworms) to see some
worm-filled recipes. Write a story about a
situation where you might eat a worm or
wouldn't eat a worm.
- Worms of a Different Type
- Mealworms are actually insects - - beetles in
their larval stage; however, we have included some of
the best mealworm sites on this 'Worms' project
the Life Cycle of a Mealworm at Trackstar
- This is a science exploration activity in which
students can interactively learn the life cycle of
Sheet: Mealworms from the North American
- Mealworms are not really worms at all but are
the larval form of the darkling beetle (Tenebrio
molitor). They are clean, easy to raise, do not
carry human diseases and most importantly are a
nutritious food supplement readily accepted by
- Related Websites:
- 2) How to Raise Mealworms at About.com
- 3) Mealworms http://plaza.powersurfr.com/bw/bestoffinchlovers/fl-nu-mealworm.htm
- 4) Mealworm Care Sheet http://www.fortunecity.com/greenfield/porton/350/mealworm.html
- 5) Mealworm Culture http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/research/fish/livefood/mealwm.html
- Welcome to the creepy crawlies project page by
a student at Rulang primary school, Singapore.
and Wax Worms from Purdue University
- This links-page connects to resources on
mealworms and wax worms.
in First Grade
- This site has lots of pictures of mealworms in
the 'timeline' section.
- Similar Websites:
- 2) Mealworm http://www.corona.bell.k12.ca.us/student/eddy/mealworm.html
- 3) Mealworm Projects http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/GreatFallsES/6mealworms.htm
- Here is an experiments webpage from 'The Wild
Times Teacher Connection', Spring 1997.
- Related Experiment Websites:
- 2) Can You Predict Which Way Mealworms Will
- 3) Mealworms (Science Center Questions)
- 4) Mealworms as a Classroom Project http://science.clayton.edu/pratte/sci3120/worm/default.htm
- 5) Sweet Home for the Mealworms (Lab Sheet)
- 6) What Can You Learn From A Mealworm?
- Lots More Worm-filled Sites
Burrow from Worm World Inc.
- Here you find a few articles about the business
of raising earthworms and vermicomposting plus lots
of links to other worm resources.
- Similar Website:
- 2) Connecticut Valley Worm Farm http://www.ctvalley.com/
- Related Website:
- 3) Wormfarm Forum (threaded-discussion on
- Learn with soil scientist Dennis Linden, who
knows a thing or two about earthworms.
- This site describes the habits and life
activities of the common earthworm.
- Related Webpages:
- 2) Internal Structures of the Earthworm
- 3) Digestion in the Worm http://www.tvdsb.on.ca/westmin/science/snc2g1/wormdig.htm
FAQ at the Compost Resource Page
- This 'Frequently Asked Questions' site answers
everything from how earthworms are beneficial to
how fast can they multiply.
- Related Websites:
- 2) Composting With Red Wiggler Worms by GiIIian
- 3) Home Worm Production
- 4) Vermicomposting (Links-page) http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/vermi.html
- 5) Worm Composting Basics by Jen Fong and Paula
- 6) Worms: The New 'Bug' For The New Millenium
by Spring Gillard http://cityfarmer.org/y2kworms.html#y2kworms
- 7) Worm Workz http://www.angelfire.com/mb/bjl/
Lumbricus Terrestris by Leslie Dayn at NY
- This article tells about the benefits, life
cycle, and history of earthworms.
- Other Earthworm Articles:
- 2) City Naturalist - Earthworms by Leslie Day
- 3) Earthworms by John Mertus http://www.mertus.org/gardening/worms.html
- 4) Earthworms: Friend or Foe? http://www.ag.usask.ca/cofa/departments/hort/hortinfo/yards/earthwor.html
- 5) Earthworms: Under-valued, Under-rated and
to the Annelida, Everybody's Favorite, Worms. .
. (Museum of Paleontology)
- Here you can find details about segmented
worms, including information on their fossils,
history, and bodies.
- Related Website:
- 2) Phylum Annelida (Segmented Worms) http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/annelida.html
Leeches by Heidi H. Haugen
- This article explains how you collect and raise
(Kids Page from the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences)
- Learn why vermicomposting is fun, but also good
for our planet!
Woman's Web Site
- Meet the 'Worm Woman' and learn all about worm
- Websites for Teachers
Resources for Teachers
- This webpage was designed for teachers
considering a vermicomposting project with their
- Starting an earthworm farm in your classroom is
an excellent way to motivate and educate your
to an Invertebrate by Lee Ann Regan (Grades
- This lesson introduces a common invertebrate
named the worm. It allows students to draw
conclusions about worm body systems and worm
Mealworms (Grade 1)
- Here is a two-week unit plan for a study of
mealworms (larva stage of the darkling
Cross-Curricular Applications of a Worm Bin For the
Elementary School Classroom by Jen Fong and
Paula Hewitt (Cornell Composting)
- This site has curriculum ideas for language
arts, math, science, geography and social studies.
of Earthworms in Healthy Soils by Jo-Ellen
Peterman (Grade 5)
- Learners will identify the importance of the
earthworm to healthy soil.
- This lesson integrates science and math by
involving students in estimating and measuring and
Lesson by Kim Cherry (Grade 6)
- In this lesson students collect and examine
earthworms, identify their body parts, and then use
them in a compost experiment.
Bin Project Unit (Grades 3-4)
- This is a project in which students learned
about decomposition of waste and the life cycle by
creating and maintaining "worm bins."
- This lesson plan was developed to help students
learn worm vocabulary words and to identify one
likeness and one difference between real and
common field worm
'can of worms'
- Created by