Summer Camp Recap: Wonderful Worms

By Emma Fraser, Phipps Science Education Intern

Summer Camp Recap is our weekly seasonal segment featuring our summer camp programs. This is the place for camp parents to find pictures of their campers in action and see the fun things we did all week. It’s also a great place for educators to pick up craft, story and lesson ideas for their own early childhood programs.

Last week we hosted our Little Sprouts: Wonderful Worms camp. Every day our 2 – 4-year-old campers explored the importance of having worms in our garden through singing, dancing and creating. Throughout the week, campers learned about where worms live, what they eat, the neighbors and even the different sizes they can be!

Day one we learned about where our worms like to live. We explored dirt and even sorted out leaves, sticks, rocks, and other parts that make up soil. Then the campers took a walk up to the Discovery Garden to dig for worms and collect dirt for a craft. We used some the dirt we collected, added water to make mud, and painted worms onto recycled cardboard to make a worm home.

Day two was an especially exciting day. The campers learned about worm bodies and how they move and eat. We all stretched and contracted our muscles like worms and wiggled around. Then, we finally got to see our Red Wiggler Worms in our classroom vermicomposting bin. The campers held and observed the color, feel and movement of the worms. It was a beautiful day, so we went on a yarn worm hunt on the CSL Rooftop Garden and added cheerio worms to our mud paintings.

Day three focused on compost and how worms help break down food in our compost bins. We learned that we can compost old foods like fruits and vegetables. Then we went on an adventure outside to the Edible Garden to see what kinds of fruits and veggies Phipps is growing. We even got to taste some! Back in the classroom, we decorated our camp T-shirts by painting on worms and nature themed stamps.

On our final day of camp, we learned about worm neighbors. We saw pictures of chipmunks, spiders, moles, ants and more inside of our Mystery Boxes. We took a tour through the Serpentine Room, Fern Room and then to the Stove Room to search for some of our worm neighbors. We found some ants and butterflies! Then our campers created their very own animal puppets to take home. 

If you would like to read and learn with your own little sprout, here are some book suggestions from the week:

• Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser and Loretta Krupinski
• Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
• Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals
• Underground by Denise Fleming 
• The Busy Tree by Jennifer War