Composting with worms

The kids took a class on composting with worms through the Centennial Campus for Wildlife Education. What a wonderful class. The instructers were energetic and engaging. The class moved quickly and kept the attention span of all the kids. Best of all, it was free! We all learned a lot.


The kids dissected a worm in pairs. After doing the shark, my kids are "pros" at dissection and they did not get grossed out by the smell or the cutting. Each one did the actual dissecting in their pairing.

After opening up the worm and pinning, they learned about the different parts of the worm and their functions.

After dissecting worms, they went out and dug for worms in the woods. They found lots and lots of worms and a few other creepy crawlies too.

They also made their own mini compost bins. First you make a bin by drilling holes in a container. Then you tear some paper and wet it and fill the bin with it. Then you add some worms.

You then feed the worms with veggie and fruit cuttings and egg shells. Harrison insisted on carrots at dinner so he could feed his worms the shavings. They made a small bin at the class but we plan to make a bigger one for our family. Here are directions for anyone interested: http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=445#plastic

Shark Dissection

Today, we had our first dissection opportunity! Melissa loves ocean animals and currently aspires to be a marine biologist. So of course, we jumped at the chance to dissect a dog shark.


The kid worked in pairs. They teamed oldest kids with youngest. Melissa was middle of the pack so she got paired with same age boy.

The boy's father commented that Melissa definitely didn't approach this like a "girly" girl but jumped in with full enthusiasm.

She didn't get grossed out by the glorious guts.

or the lovely smell of formaldehyde.

Harrison didn't want to do the dissection initially and chose to observe casually. However, by the end of the session, he was excited about it and can't wait to do it again.

Which will be soon. We brought the shark home to show daddy and plan to boil the head to remove the jaw this evening. Anyone want some shark head soup?

Science Fun!

Harrison has been eyeing this kit by the Wild Goose Company in the homeschool store for quite some time. I finally relented and got it for the kids to do this week. We've made silly putty before without buying a kit but I think there is something about having ingredients labeled in a manner that looks like "real" chemicals that makes it seem more serious.

Here is a recipe for making your own silly putty without a kit:

1 parts Elmer's White Glue (not school glue)

1 parts of liquid starch.

** If you use school glue, it won't bounce or pick up images but it's still fun to play with.

I think we will try the homemade one later this week and compare it to the kit's results. We might as well buy the real deal too and see which one bounces highest and which one picks up the best.

Science on a Rainy Afternoon

Melissa and her friend enjoyed a rainy afternoon by putting on their pajamas, spreading out blankets on the porch, and mixing different concoctions with her spa science kit.