School Name:Seacrest Country Day School - Lower School
Grant Request Grade:K-5
Grant Request Subject:Science
Additional Details
Cartoonist Gary Larson once said this about worms:
"The message is not so much that worms will inherit the Earth, but that all things play a role in nature, even the lowly worm."
The Seacrest Lower School has an empty worm bin that needs soil and worms so students can become resident "worm farmers" and learn firsthand how the lowly worm plays an essential role in the ecosystem. This grant proposal requests the supplies and book resources needed, along with 200 worms, to launch a Worm Farming 101 initiative for the Seacrest Lower School.
The Seacrest Country Day School Worm Farming 101 program is a hands-on learning activity in which Lower School students care for a worm bin as “worm farmers.”
Using non-fiction book resources, along with fun fictional worm tales, students will gain background knowledge about how the lowly worm plays a key environmental role. Worm farming teaches students about composting, waste reduction, biology, responsibility, and the natural cycle of decomposition, making it an excellent STEM and environmental education tool.
This project involves setting up the worm bin housed in the Early Childhood Garden with bedding, feeding the worms organic food scraps like fruit and vegetable peels, and regularly harvesting the resulting worm castings to fertilize plants. Students will use countertop compost bins to collect food scraps. Students will share responsibility for transferring food scraps to the worm bins each day and keeping the worms moist and cool. Additionally, students will collect “worm tea” when watering the worm bin. They will use this “worm tea” to water the plants growing in the garden, providing additional fertilizer and deepening their understanding of the many ways worms help the environment.
Worm Farming 101 will be an ongoing, integrated, collaborative project available to all Seacrest Lower School students. As worm farmers, students learn more about worms and develop the essential Seacrest Core Values of responsibility, cooperation, curiosity, and respect for each other and all living things.
Through participation in this Worm Farming 101 project, Seacrest students will build environmental awareness, STEM knowledge, and practical life skills, including personal responsibility and socio-emotional development. Students will learn about waste reduction, soil health, ecosystems, and the responsibilities of caring for living creatures, supplementing their understanding of scientific concepts and processes. Additionally, students develop collaboration, problem-solving, and scientific observation skills through hands-on activities like designing habitats, collecting data, and using the worm-produced compost.
Using Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm (www.unclejimswormfarm.com) as a support resource, the school will purchase the initial worm kit through this site using the school’s tax-exempt credit card. Shipping is complimentary. The school will purchase the remaining supplemental items via Amazon using the school's account. The purchases will be tax-exempt, and shipping fees will be waived.
