As scientists and environmentalists the children worked across our Learning community to create worm farms, for example Learning Studio 9 worked with Learning Studio 2, so we had Preps, Ones, Twos, Threes and Fours working as a team. The purpose is to make a more effective way of managing our fruit scraps and to compost them through the worm farms. In a couple of days the worms will be ready for the fruit and to start the composting process. As a result we reduce the need for rubbish bins, which assists us in the process of being a rubbish free environment; as well as being a source of castings and worm tea, which is great for the garden. Across our community the children will be responsible for maintaining the worm farms and managing the resources we are developing. The following are comments made by the children when reflecting on the experience: Naman- I did the worm farm with my sister Raine and her learning studio. We needed the instructions to build it. Bianca- when we made it I found out that we had to break down the coconut, but it took a long time. Matilda- we had to make the layers we put the cardboard, then the coconut and then the worms, then the blanket. Dione- I learnt that worms have a bed.
After the worm farms were constructed some of the children developed a procedural text for cutting up the organic scraps for the worms. Here is an example that Caeli In Yr 2 created and published.
How to cut up organic scraps for a worm farm (Caeli)
Materials / Equipment:
- Gloves
- Art smock or apron
- Organic scraps
- Knives
- Plastic placemats
- Trestle Table
- Plate
- Worm farm
1. Set up your trestle table, knives and plastic placemats.
2. Get your gloves and put them on.
3. Put on an art smock or apron to keep your clothes clean.
4. Get your organic scraps bucket – the fruit and vegetables scraps from your brain food.
5. Place some of the organic scraps on the plate.
6. Put one piece of fruit on the placemat for it to get cut up.
7. Cut the piece of fruit into little pieces.
8. Get some more fruit (organic scraps). Keep cutting these into little pieces.
9. Open the first tray of the worm farm to put the cut up food in.
10. Put all the pieces of fruit in the first tray for the worms to eat.
