Worms Love Leftovers is tailored to make the following science curriculum connections:

Grade 1 – Needs of Animals and Plants
Grade 2 – Small Crawling and Flying Animals
Grade 3 – Animal Life Cycles
Grade 4 – Waste and our World
Grade 5, 6 and up – Skills (Science Inquiry)
Grade 7 - Interactions and Ecosystems
Grade 9 - Biological Diversity 

For Grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, the program emphasizes what worms need to survive, requirements for their care, worm’s anatomy and characteristics that help improve survival, life stages and parental care, and also how worms help to recycle organic waste. 

For Grades 5, 6 and up, the program develops skills in science inquiry as students determine a question and hypothesis related to worm's preferences and conduct an inquiry-based investigation. The students identify the variables, materials and procedures needed to test their question and then conduct their investigations using red wiggler worms. The class then applies their observations to determine how to best take care of a vermicompost bin.

     Program Benefits:

  • Provides an introduction for starting a vermicompost program, tips on how to keep a worm bin in tip-top-shape and raises student's awareness of the benefits to using a worm compost. 

  • Activities in the ‘Worms Love Leftover’ program are designed to fully engage participants in an experiential, hands-on manner. 

  • In order to offer the program to different grade levels, the program activities have been altered to fit curriculum connections and address several learner expectations.