The Easiest Classroom Pet You’ll Ever Have
I’ve always wanted a fun classroom pet like a bearded dragon or corn snake but I was intimidated by the amount of time and effort it would take to care for one. I kept asking myself questions like: What would I do over holiday breaks? Could I afford the vet bill if they got sick? For a few years I had a fish tank, but honestly I got tired of cleaning it. I needed something easier. Enter: red wiggler worms.
I attended a composting class at a local worm farm in my area and knew right away I wanted a compost bin for both my home and classroom. Not only are they are super easy to take care of, but I could use the soil for my home garden and classroom experiments. Over time students quickly learned what could and could not go in the compost bin, and would look forward to holding them if they finished their work early. I’ve put together a list of the most frequently asked questions I get regarding the bin, in the hopes you can easily set up your own.
Setting Up A Classroom Compost Bin
Q: What kind of worms should I buy?
A: You want to purchase red wigglers, which are small worms that don’t dig deep and are happy to eat all your food scraps. I purchased mine at a local worm farm, but you can almost always find them at pet stores. You also don’t need to worry about purchasing a ton, because their population will double ever 2-3 months. They will also stop reproducing when space gets tight, so you don’t have to worry about them overpopulating. (I told you they are easy!)
Q: What type of bin do I need?
A: You don’t need to purchase a fancy compost bin. Almost any plastic bin will work. If you prefer to keep a lid on your bin, you need to drill plenty of holes in the top to keep air flowing. Also keep in mind that worms don’t like light, so purchasing a darker colored bin or keeping it out of direct light is preferred.
Begin by filling your bin with wet, shredded cardboard or newspaper.
Q: Do I need to keep the soil wet?
A: You need to keep the soil moist, but not too wet. If the soil is too wet the worms can drown, but if it’s too dry they can dehydrate. If you pick up a handful of soil and give it a squeeze, it should feel moist but water should not be dripping through your fingers. Aim for a wrung-out sponge feel. Tip: If you notice worms are climbing up the side of your bin and trying to escape, you probably have a moisture issue.
Q: What do you feed the worms?
A: Worms need a healthy mix of both “browns” and “greens.” Think of browns as carbon rich material, such as shredded paper or cardboard. Greens are nitrogen rich materials- your food waste and lunch scraps. Luckily since you are in a classroom, scrap paper is not in short supply! I throw in my lunch scraps, and students were encouraged to toss in any apple cores or banana peels. If you give your bin a stir and notice that food is not getting eaten within 2 days, you are probably over-feeding.
You can DOWNLOAD THIS FREE SIGN to tape on the front of your bin so students know what is safe to toss in the bin!
Q: Does it stink?
A: This is the question I get asked most often. No, the bin does not stink IF you are feeding it properly. If you overfeed your worms and they can’t break down the food quickly enough, it can start to stink. If that happens, back off on the greens for a bit and add extra browns.
From Lunch Leftovers to Labs: Using the the soil in your upcoming lessons
So you have the compost bin set up… now what? How can you utilize the bin and incorporate it into your lessons? The soil that the worms create is GOLD for any experiments that you run in your classroom that uses soil. To remove some worm castings, add some sweet fruit (like strawberries or cantaloupe) to one side of the bin. Give worms a couple hours to work their way over to the fruit, and you should be left with mostly worm-free castings on the opposite side of the bin. Mix in the castings with potting soil and you have nutrient rich soil. Here are some ways you can use the soil:
- When introducing the characteristics of life, give each student a popcorn kernel and ask them if it is alive or not. How can they prove it? Plant the kernels in a cup of soil and see if they grow.
- If you teach genetics, try growing fast plants!
- During ecology, get out the worms when you talk about decomposers and matter cycling. Have students create a food web that includes red wiggler worms.
- Does soil quality impact photosynthesis and growth rate of plants? Test it and find out!
- Compare soil quality of different soil samples using a soil test kit such as this one from Wards.
- Measure the porosity and permeability of different sediments.
- Build eco columns! Here is a great tutorial.
- Learn about agriculture and how to lower carbon emissions from food waste.
I hope that gives you the confidence to start your own classroom compost bin! If you want to check out some additional teaching resources about decomposers, check out this blog post.
Rock on,
