I'm going to go eat worms

Big fat juicy ones

Eensy Weensy squeensy ones

See how they wiggle and squirm

Actually, we are not going to eat them.  

And neither are the frogs!

They are our guests.  (Fits in well with all our other oviparous visitors.)

Our worms come to visit in a nice pail filled with composting soil - until the soil is spread over our tables and the worms are (gently) picked up and examined by the kidlets.

We are extremely fortunate to have free recycling education from the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange.  They bring worms and teach us about the important work that worms do to recycle our food waste into compost.

Now the kidlets really get what happens to their banana peels and apple cores that they put in the "worm bucket" and I take home and put in my compost. (I do promise to bring back the soil so that we can use it for planting seeds!)

Lee Valley
anti fruit fly filter on lid
holds about 4 days worth of compost

One of the books that we enjoy is The Diary of a Worm.  

The worm's mom tells him 3 things:

1. The Earth gives him everything he needs.

2. When they dig tunnels they help the earth.

3. The Earth will never forget they are there.  

The book is funny, engaging, has attractive illustrations and introduces what worms do for the earth.

That leads us to the important work worms do - composting.

I love reading this book to the kidlets.  The prose is gently rhythmical, a circular journey story that reinforces the great circle of life, and the pictures approachable, gentle and friendly.

It's the time of the year that we get to explore life cycles and living things, plant seeds, get dirt under our fingernails and revel in the wonder of new and renewed life.

there is so much wonder in a little, red, wiggly worm

ps  Check out lots of fabulous Earth day books and activities - and link up your own!