How to make a wormery

Watch wonderful worms up close with this muddy activity…

Get close to nature with this homemade wormery activity that allows you to study worm behaviour!

How to make a wormery

What you’ll need:

Newspaper

Large plastic bottle

Garden soil

Compost

Sand

Water

Leaves

Veggie peelings

Black card

Scissors

A few worms!

Sticky tape

Step 1

Cover a surface with newspaper. Then ask an adult to help you cut the top off the plastic bottle, 5cm below the lid, and pierce a few holes in the bottom.

Step 2

Fill the bottle with alternate layers of soil, compost and sand, then pour in a bit of water to dampen it all. Carefully put the worms into the bottle, then scatter old leaves and veggie peelings on top.

Step 3

Cut a circle of black card bigger than the bottle, then tape the card to the top. Keep it in a cool, dark cupboard and after a week take a look! What’s happened to the peelings? What patterns have the worms made?!

TOP TIP

The easiest way to collect worms is to shove a garden fork in the soil and then wiggle it until the vibrations make them emerge. Put the worms back where you found them after a week or so in your wormery.