Wiggly Worm Science!
- Amy Wung Tsao
- 14 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Worm science books, videos, and experiments are perfect for spring and Earth Day!
TLDR
Worm Science Videos:
Worms are Wonderful from SciShow Kids
Mystery of the Squirmy Wormy from Wild Kratts
Worm Science Books:
Worm Makes a Sandwich by Brianne Farley
Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman
The Worm by Elise Gravel
Darwin’s Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular by Polly Owen, illustrated by Gwen Millward
Worm Science Experiments and Activities:
Try this easy earthworm experiment by Inspiration Laboratories
Experiment more with worms along with This Is a Book to Read with a Worm
Build a worm farm with Brave Wilderness
Keep reading to learn more about how to use these worm videos, books, and activities to maximize the science and fun!
Worm Science Outdoor science for preschool and elementary age kids!
“My heart & soul care for worms
& nothing else in this world just at present,”
~ Charles Darwin
Worms are life! We depend on worm poop as fertilizer for new plants to grow. We need worm tunnels to loosen soil for new plants to grow roots. No worms, no new plants, no life on this planet we call home.
That makes worms a perfect hands-on science topic for spring and Earth Day. Keep reading for easy ways to sprinkle worm science into a nature walk, and much more if you’re teaching a whole science unit on worms.
(Just a reminder - I am never paid to mention any of these resources; there are no affiliate links.)
Worm Science Videos
Quick tip - before watching these videos, ask your kids “I wonder what would happen if worms disappeared?” Let them think up their most creative and wild answers! Then ask them again after the video, and see how much they’ve figured out.
300 Worms vs Banana from Nature Trip
Of course I want to know what 300 worms will do to a single banana over 20 days. Will I do this in my house? Absolutely not. Will I watch this video with my kids? You bet your bottom dollar I will!
This video is a great science conversation starter for kids of all ages! You could ask “Where did the banana go?” “Why did some parts of the banana last longer than other parts?” “What if there were 3,000 worms instead of just 300?” Your kids might come up with even better questions than me!
Worms are Wonderful from SciShow Kids
This great 4 minute video packs in answer to a lot of kids’ common questions, like why do worms always come out when it rains? And do worms have bones?
from Wild Kratts Season 1, Episode 5
In this PBS kids show, the Kratt Brothers shrink down to hang out with an earthworm named Pinky. Over the full 26 minute episode, they break some worm misconceptions (worms can’t drown in water), experience how a worm’s slime helps them get around, and even save Pinky from drying out and getting eaten!
Worm Science Picture Books
by Brianne Farley
This little worm has promised to make you a sandwich. But first you need to bring him some garbage. No, the garbage isn’t for your sandwich! First this worm needs to turn your garbage into poop, see….
This book is absolutely charming! Who knew a worm book could be so delightfully charming?
by Deborah Freedman
Carl the earthworm is on a quest to find out why he does what he does. This is the perfect Earth Day read aloud to make you appreciate the beautiful interconnectedness of nature!
The science in this story is a little more subtle, but it’s there. Ask kids to notice how the land, the plants, and the animal life is changing when Carl is not tunneling in the soil, and when he is. (Teachers, these conversations can align with K-LS1-1.)
by Elise Gravel
A funny graphic novel that has real facts about worms? Yes please! This book is full of funny, talkative earthworms that want to tell you all about themselves. A couple tapeworms even make an appearance.
If you like this one, check out the whole graphic novel series called Disgusting Critters! There’s one on bats, mosquitos, even head lice.
Darwin’s Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular by Polly Owen, illustrated by Gwen Millward
We all know Darwin from his theory of evolution, but I had no idea he was so interested in worms. People actually thought worms were bad for gardens before his 40 years of worm experiments proved otherwise!
I also love how this book models persistence, because not all of Darwin’s experiments worked at first. He had to try different ways to discover how worms “see”, “hear”, “smell.” Some of the experiments were pretty wild, like chewing up food and then breathing on worms to see if they could smell the food on his breath!
Worm Science Activities
Go outside and summon some worms!
Since worms prefer dark, moist places, try looking under rocks or digging in the dirt.
But if you’d rather not dig, the UK Natural History Museum has a pretty magical way to “summon” worms out of the ground by pouring a mustard water solution (1 large tablespoon of ground mustard seed with 1.5 litres of water) into the ground.
If you want to go a step further, get your kids nature journaling about their worm encounters. Kids can draw what they see, hear, and feel. They can write down any questions they have or funny things they observe. (Teachers, have your students look for patterns in their observations like “there are more worms in dark places than sunny places” to align with K-LS1-1.)
By Inspiration Laboratories
Want to get even more hands on? This simple experiment gets kids making a hypothesis about whether worms prefer a wet or dry environment. Then let them come up with their own ideas for how to test their hypothesis! If they need some ideas, here’s a simple experiment setup using just wet and dry paper towels. (Teachers, this experiment aligns with K-LS1-1.)
And if your kids aren’t satisfied with just one worm experiment, then this next book is for them.
By Jodi Wheeler-Toppen
Calling all kids who want to play with worms all day! This book is an instruction manual specially for kids to find a worm and gently interact and experiment with it.
There are instructions to shine a flashlight through a worm’s body, observe how it reacts to the smell of rubbing alcohol, and listen to the sound of a worm’s bristles scratching on paper. This one book is an entire classroom or homeschool science lesson on its own! (Teachers, the activities in this book aligns with K-LS1-1.)
from Brave Wilderness
Keep your worms around for a couple weeks in this worm hotel! In the first 5 minutes, the host Coyote gives us some up-close video of worm poop and where they store worm eggs. You can even kind of see through their skin to where they’re digesting! If you’ve got a kid who is fascinated by up-close nature videos, this is for them. The last 5 minutes walks you through making a simple worm farm in a clear plastic container. I love his enthusiasm, even if I admittedly am too squeamish to do this activity with my own kids.
Note that this isn’t the same as building a worm composter, which is a bit more involved. If you’re up for that challenge, check out these instructions to set up a small worm composting science experiment in a plastic container. This would make a great homeschool science project!
I hope you found something to spark curiosity about the humble worm this Earth Day!
For more Earth Day science, check out this post!
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Keep lighting sparks of curiosity,
Amy Wung Tsao
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