Kids Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm – 1 Year Later

If you want to check out past posts related to this experiment, you can check them out here:

• Introduction: Kids Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm
• Week 1: Kids Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm – Week 1 Observation
• Weeks 2 and 3: Kids Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm – Weeks 2 & 3 Observation

It has been nearly 1 year later since the last time I have given an update on this Ecosystem. It is amazing how fast time goes and how easy it is for it to pass by.

I originally wanted to give more updates to this system and change things up, but that did not necessarily happen as planned.

For those of you who were waiting for an update, I apologize for not giving one sooner. This really has got past me for whatever reason.

This is the last update on the Kids Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm

This Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm has been through a lot this past year.

It has gone through some neglect.

It has been moved from one part of the kitchen to another and then into the kitchen nook and back various times.

The grass has died.

The soil has gone dry a few times.

There were times where we thought that the worms have all died, but later found that a few were still in there so we dribbled some more water in there and gave them more food. They looked pretty scrawny.

There were other times where the worms attempted to escape, probably wanting food or better living conditions.

I do not know for sure why we started to neglect this worm farm, but I do know that during the winter months, I moved my real worm farms from the garage to the laundry room where it is warmer and they don’t freeze to death. They too were neglected, so maybe it was just that time of the year for us.

My real worm farms are now back out in the garage now that it has been a bit warmer and I have been having to work on getting their environment back to satisfactory conditions.

I think that if the worm farms I have were not solid plastic totes, conditions might have been a bit more satisfactory for the worms. I found that conditions were getting pretty soggy at the bottom of the totes and that is not good.

Anyways, back to the Kids Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm…

Below are the questions I have asked our son today, along with his direct answers:

• Question: Do you remember the last time you looked at this Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm?
• Answer: Not really. It has been too long since I have last looked at this worm farm.

• Question: Do you know why you haven’t spent more time working with this worm farm?
• Answer: I have been wanting to leave it for I to look at it with my dad.

• Question: So you have been waiting on me? Why is that?
• Answer: Because it is an activity for me and my dad.

• Question: Did you enjoy working with this worm farm when you paid attention to it?
• Answer: I had a ball doing it.

• Question: Do you want to do this project again?
• Answer: Yes

• Question: During this past year, what have you noticed changed with this worm farm from the last time we wrote about it?
• Answer: The soil is almost the same now from the top and the bottom. The green sand is almost gone. The grass is gone. From the outside, it looks like the worms are gone.

• Question: Why do you think the grass died? Do you think the grass died because of lack of water?
• Answer: Yeah, I think it was a lack of water. I noticed we weren’t watering it too often.

• Question: Before we disassemble this worm farm, what do you think we will find in this worm farm? Will the worms still be alive? The other day I added small piece of melon.
• Answer: I think the worms are dead. I think the melon is still there.

• Question: Why do you think that?
• Answer: Because the worms can die from hunger and thirst.

• Question: Now that we have dumped out the worm farm onto the table, what have you found?
• Answer: There is still rabbit poop and the piece of melon you put in. I see worm poop. There is a worm!! And another worm! The worms are about half way down, where the sand was at. The bottom layer is hard to remove.

• Question: What are we going to do with the worm castings from this farm?
• Answer: We are going to give them to the garden.

• Question: Are you glad to see that there were a couple worms still?
• Answer: Yes. I was so surprised that they were alive still.

• Question: What did you like and dislike about this Kids Observation Ecosystem Worm Farm?
• Answer: I liked everything. I like the worms because of what they did, like digging tunnels and moving the sand. I liked seeing the grass grow. There was nothing that I did not like.

• Question: Do you wish we would have spent more time with this worm farm? Why?
• Answer: Yes, I want to spend more time with this worm farm because it is fun.

• Question: What are your feelings knowing that this worm farm has come to an end?
• Answer: I am sad because I loved exploring it.

• Question: Do you want to start another worm farm of our own in this same setup and try to maintain it better?
• Answer: Yes, because I had so much fun exploring it.

• Question: Do you think that maybe I got too involved with feeding and maintaining this worm farm and should have left it to you more?
• Answer: No, I want to keep doing it together.

• Question: Is there anything you want to add regarding this experiment?
• Answer: I want to add more worms and more sand. If we added water to the soil, would the worms go to it?

Below is a paid link to the Kids Worm Farm Observation Kit:

Conclusion

I would have to say, after asking these questions with my son, I feel bad that I did not spend more time with this worm farm and my son. Knowing that he is interested in trying this again, we will set up another for him to experiment with.

It might be nice for him to try a larger variety of foods and see what they truly like and dislike.

We might use some coconut coir and sand/dirt from our yard. There should be enough contrasting color between the two materials.

All in all, I am surprised we still have this worm farm and there are still a couple worms in it. I really did not think that they made it, especially after a few dry spells it went through.

Is this system something that I would recommend for parents to get them kids? Absolutely! I definitely recommend asking them questions like I did here because it really gave me a better idea on what they observed and how much they really enjoyed doing this.

Every kid is different, but it definitely would be worth you giving it a try.

It seems that our kids have showed interest in this have have learned what the worms do.

Knowing that our son wants to try this again, we will and we will try different things. Maybe instead of growing grass, we will try growing herbs or vegetables of some kind, like a carrot or a radish. Something small.