WORMS!!

We were invited to join in on a great field trip this week.  We went to a local environmental center.  They offer great field trips but you must book well in advance.  The trip we were on was all about composting.  The kids learned about composting both indoors and outdoors.  But the main focus was on the possibility of having a compost bin indoors so you can compost all year round.  The bin they used was made from a plastic storage tote with small holes drilled in it.  The worms they use and suggest for composting are red wigglers.  Here is a link about red wigglers and about composting.  Red wigglers are big eaters so they are great for composting.  You can order them online or buy them at your local bait shop.  The kids learned what you can and cannot put in your compost bin.  Anything that grew out of the soil can be composted and turned back into soil.  Such as scraps from fruits and vegetables, egg shells, grass clippings, leaves, shredded paper.  Never put meat or dairy in your compost bin.  During the field trip the kids were all given microscopes so they could look at some of the compost from the bin.  They got a close up look at the worms and also found some fascinating little microscopic bugs in there helping out the worms.  Lili couldn't wait to get her hands on a worm.  She got one out of the compost and it was very squirmy on her hand.  On the way home both of my kids asked if we could get some worms for our house.  Hmmm.....maybe we can talk daddy into
that.  They will have to live in the basement though.  Luckily the worms in a compost bin can live in a room that is at a minimum of 52 degrees according to the instructor at the environmental center.  I don't think our basement ever gets that cold.  According to the website I linked above you need to find out how much you will have to feed your worms each day, so you will need to weigh your kitchen scraps for a week or so and see what your average amount is.  Then get double the amount of worms.  So, 1 lb food = 2 lbs of worms.  I suppose it would help if I had a kitchen scale for that.  Maybe we can use our scale from our school supplies, it measures in grams but it will be a good lesson for the kids and we can convert the number from grams to lbs.  At the end of the field trip after the kids finished their lunches anyone who had leftover fruits or veggies  (apple cores, orange peels, etc...) were able to feed the worms.  The kids loved it!  So far it has been the best field trip of the year.

*Tip from the instructor at the environmental center: Her worms don't like broccoli.  When she put broccoli in her bin the worms all tried to climb out.  So maybe broccoli scraps are best put in the trash.

It all put me in the mood for spring.  I've got my garden plan already started :)
Happy composting!

"The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library"  - Albert Einstein