This week’s theme is worms. Our “Growing Minds Day by Day” educational resource lists are designed for families and educators to use during the COVID-19 quarantine and beyond.
Worms
Carl and the Meaning of Life
Carl is an earthworm. He spends his days happily tunneling in the soil until a field mouse asks him a simple question that stops him short: “Why?” Carl’s quest takes him on an adventure to meet all the animals of the forest, each of whom seems to know exactly what they were put on this
Counting in the Garden
In this book, a young boy decides to observe and take note of everything growing in his garden. This is a great read for young children who are just learning how to count, and adults will appreciate that it encourages them to eat healthy and local food!
Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth
This delightful read will inform young “environmental chefs” about the do’s and don’ts of composting. Mary McKenna Siddals draws you in by mentioning familiar household items that can be composted, but also introduces some not-so-familiar composting substances that will leave students wanting to dig deeper (both figuratively and literally)!
Classroom Composting
Each quarter, ASAP’s Growing Minds co-hosts a school garden meeting with an area school. The winter meeting was held at Hall Fletcher Elementary, a school with an active garden program. Despite it being the middle of December there was still a lot to see and learn.
Underground
What happens undergound? Creatures dig, plants put down roots, worms tunnel… This book introduces students to the vast array of life that occurs under the ground.
Yucky Worms
Told from the perspective of a young boy gardening with his grandmother, this book shares lots of interesting worm facts in the format of a fictional story.
Worm Exploration lesson plan
Teach students about life cycles by learning about worms and the ways they benefit the garden and farms. Through reading literature and completing hands-on activities, the class will conduct a worm investigation and observe that the organisms (and other animals) need food, air and space to grow.
Downloads
- Message from farmer (quick view as .pdf)
- Worm anatomy chart (quick view as .pdf)
- Worm Exploration lesson plan (quick view as .pdf)