Second-graders dig into worm composting to see how their garden grows

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Students in David Murray’s grade 2 class at the SeDoMoCha Elementary School have some new class pets for the next few months. The students will not be looking after a hamster, guinea pig or fish, but instead the youngsters will be sharing classroom space with worms.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

   YOUNG SCIENTISTS — Students in David Murray’s grade 2 class at SeDoMoCha Elementary in Dover-Foxcroft conducted research on worms during a Jan. 17 presentation by FoodCorps Service Member Sonja Birthisel. Birthisel brought in a bin of vermicompost (worm compost) the class will care for over the next few months to develop the soil for use on the school garden. From left is Riley Inch, Akira Bryutte, Alice Myers and Chace Philbrook.

    On the afternoon of Jan. 17 FoodCorps — a nationwide initiative connecting children to real food to help them grow up healthy — Service Member Sonja Birthisel visited Murray’s class with a bin of vermicompost or worm compost for them to keep. The students have been growing crops in the school garden and they were able to learn how worms and vermicompost play a part in bringing food to the table.
    “I think worms are really fun and I think it’s great to get kids engaged with our native creatures,” Birthisel said after the program. She added that the students are young enough for most to get excited, rather than disgusted, by worms.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    GETTING THEIR HANDS DIRTY — SeDoMoCha second-graders Akira Bryutte, left, and Alice Myers take a close look at a worm to make a series of scientific observations.

    “Worms are really important for the environment,” Birthisel said, mentioning Murray’s students have grown kale in the garden which is then used to make kale chips. “I think it’s really great to give them a hands-on lesson in the scientific method,” she said, as students conducted research on their new worms to test the various hypothesis they came up with.
    “I am not a scientist, I love science but I also need outside resources to come in and help me,” Murray said about Birthisel’s visit to his classroom. “She’s coming in and helping us plan our school garden,” he said, as Birthisel is hosted by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Piscataquis and Penobscot county branches with 10 FoodCorps service member positions across the state made possible by the Maine Commission for Community Service.
    Murray said with the kale chips, “We are showing science through gardening and science in cooking as well.” He said how the students will be learning about composting to grow foods and now “the worms are our class pets, which gives it a kind of excitement.”
    With the students gathered in a circle on the class rug, Birthisel said, “We are digging up worms.” She asked how many of the pupils have ever dug up worms before, and most raised their hands into the air. 

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    NEW CLASS PETS — FoodCorps Service Member Sonja Birthisel shows students in David Murray’s second-grade class a bin of soil with worms and material to be composted during a visit on Jan. 17. Birthisel is one of 10 FoodCorps service members across Maine, connecting children to real food to help them grow up healthy and hosted by University of Maine Cooperative Extension with funding provided by the Maine Commission for Community Service. For more information, please go to www.foodcorps.org.

    “What is composting?,” Birthisel asked. “It’s like what worms do,” “you get a pile of dirt and put in banana peels and apple cores,” and “it turns into dirt” were responses.
    “Composting is the decomposition, a fancy word for breaking down, of organic materials,” Birthisel explained. “It’s a great way for us to use some of the waste products and it makes an awesome soil called compost.”
    The students then looked at diagrams of the various parts of the worm anatomy, including setae or hairs Birthisel said “helps the worms move.” The students knew worms have no eyes, as the invertebrates tunnel through the soil beneath the surface.
    “I want you to meet your new class pets,” Birthisel said, opening the lid to a bin of vermicompost. “Here is your worms’ habitat,” she said, as the students could see orange peels and shredded pieces of paper mixed in with the soil.
    “Who wants to be a scientist?,” Birthisel asked. “I want you to help me take some observations of your new class pets.” Murray’s pupils were familiar with the scientific method, such as asking a question, conducting background research to form a hypothesis and then testing the hypothesis to reach a conclusion, as Birthisel had them answer some questions after examining a worm.
    Each student dug through the bin, or had a friend carry out the task for them, to pick out a worm they then brought back to their desk. The students answered questions such as the color of the worm, the shape, the length and how the skin feels, using a magnifying glass and ruler to conduct their research. A few of the pupils noticed some smaller or baby worms emerging from their specimens.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    INCH WORM — SeDoMoCha Elementary second-grader Riley Inch examines a worm on his desk during the Jan. 17 presentation. Students answered questions on a worm’s length, color and texture as they learned about the role of the invertebrate in the food-growing process.

    Birthisel said food scraps such as apple cores and orange peels will then be put into the bin, which needs to be kept moist as the students learned worms breath through their skin, for the worms instead of being thrown into the trash. She told the students the worms will transform the scraps into vermicompost rich in nutrients, which will then fertilize the garden and grow food for the students to eat during the spring.
    “We had a science experiment about worms,” second-grader Wyatt Rayfield said after the session. He said he learned worms “grow hairs because it helps them move” and “they help the soil and they help plants.”
    “I learned they give birth pretty quickly” and “their skin is pretty dry and at the same time it’s soft and wet,” Alice Myers said. “We’re going to keep them in our classroom and we are going to feed them. It’s going to turn into compost and we are going to use it in our garden.”