Good ideas, but some inaccuracies

I think the use of trade books is fabulous, and worms make fantastic live subjects. This article contains a couple activities appropriate throughout elementary school. I liked the observatio... See More

I think the use of trade books is fabulous, and worms make fantastic live subjects. This article contains a couple activities appropriate throughout elementary school. I liked the observations for the younger grades, and the inquiry for the older grades, and think that both could be included for either age group. The author also used red worms, probably the most appropriate for classroom use. That said, I have a couple issues with the use of glass jars in a classroom of small children for the the sake of student safety. But I also take issue with putting the worms in a non-drained home. Red worms are composting worms, and require air circulation to survive. Also, because they are composting worms, they do not need deep soil, but rather a good layer of organic materials. A better solution might be to build some small "worm farms" out of acrylic and cedar (my approach) or find some clear plastic boxes in your local big box store and drill a few holes in the bottom and sides to allow air to circulate.