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 Insectucational > Insect ActivitiesEarthworm Observations |
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Earthworm Activity: Keep a Nursery Journal As your earthworms change from cocoons to adults, you will see many changes. Keep track of your earthworms' life cycle by making daily notes in a scientific observation journal. Some ideas to get started: Day 1. What do your cocoons look like? How many are there? What changes take place when you rinse them? Hatching Day: How long are your baby worms? What did they do when first hatched? Where did they go? Transfer Day: When first placed in the Earthworm Nursery™, what did they do first? Do they prefer certain areas of the Earthworm Nursery™ to other areas? How do they spend their time? Make entries on other aspects of their lives that you notice! Earthworm Activity: Earthworm Observation Some ideas as you look closely at your earthworms: 1. Look at one of your earthworms and write in your journal what you can see using just your eyes. 2. Now look again using the magnifying lens from the hatching chamber. Write down the additional details you can now see. Can you see any worms ready-to-hatch while still in their cocoons? 3. Draw pictures of your earthworms – be sure to try to draw views of the side and underside as well as the top view! 4. Use a mixture of crayons or markers to try to match the color of your newly-hatched earthworms when they first emerge as adults, and as they mature and darken. Their coloration will change! Earthworm Activity: Earthworm Buffet Earthworms eat organic material. Try a couple of tests to predict and see what they prefer to munch! 1. Place a few different types of leaves atop the soil in your Earthworm Nursery greenhouse: tree leaf, lettuce leaf, blades of grass, and plant leaf. Make sure that each type covers the same amount of soil area. Predict which they will they prefer. 2. Worms will even eat paper products! Place some different types of paper atop the soil in your Earthworm Nursery greenhouse: newsprint, construction paper, notebook paper, and cardboard. Again, make sure that they cover the same amount of soil area. Predict which they will they prefer. 3. Since earthworms are photosensitive (they dislike bright light!) does the color of the paper or leaf make any difference to them? Earthworm Activity: Photosensitivity Earthworms don't like light! Maybe it's because they don't have eyes and can't wear cool looking sunglasses. Test for your earthworms' photosensitivity by: 1. Use some red and blue cellophane. Cover one side of the Earthworm Nursery™ habitat with the red, and the other with the blue. Wait a bit and see which side the worms move to - if they don't shy away from the light on one side, leave that cellophane in place and observe them as they work and grow! |
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