Sustainability for Kids:  A Wiggly Lesson in Green Living

I am embarrassed to say that my kids probably know more about green living than I do. After all, news of global warming, dwindling ocean life and over-flowing landfills has been in the forefront since the day they were born. Trying to comprehend all of the changes needed to sustain our environment can leave even the most ardent environmentalist feeling a bit defeated, but in the face of dire statistics it’s important to remember that our actions do make a difference, and every little bit counts.

Small steps initiate big change and providing children with the necessary tools to safeguard both their personal health and the health of the planet may be the most important education they will ever receive. Building green habits at a young age makes sustainability second nature, giving kids an edge on the older generation, like mine, who has had to wean ourselves from plastic water bottles and gas-guzzling cars.

Teaching sustainability at this age is not only easy, it can be a lot of fun. Most children have a fascination with wiggly creatures, and worms are an excellent way to explore the benefits of healthy soil and the ways we can protect this valuable resource. Vermicomposting, or composting with worms, provides kids with an opportunity to watch worms at work, transforming ordinary kitchen scraps into nutrient rich worm castings, which work as an excellent source of natural fertilizer for your plants.

You don’t have to have a large space in order to compost with worms, and most of the materials can be easy and inexpensive to find. So get the sustainability bug, or worm, and try this fun and educational project with your kids.

Step #1 Box or Bin, Build It the Right Size

There are many ready-made bins available for beginning Vermicomposters, but of all the fancy, high priced equipment on the market, we have found that a simple plywood box or plastic bin works just as well. Avoid heavily aromatic woods such as cedar or redwood as some worms are not a fan of them. Also, if you are buying commercial wood, make sure that it isn’t treated. We made a quick trip to Long Bros. Building Supply in Woodburn and they helped us get all the supplies we needed to put it together.

The most important dimension is the depth of the box; approximately 8-12 inches is ideal. The average amount of food waste a family of four produces per week is about 6 pounds. Therefore, the average box should be about 1 foot deep by 3 feet long and 2 feet wide. Drill ten to twenty air holes in the bottom of the container. Find a spot outside to put your container where the temperature will remain between 60-77º F. Then place the container on bricks or something to keep it off the ground. If you are concerned about worms escaping through the ventilation holes, place a mesh screen or black and white newspaper over the holes.

Step #2 Preparing the Worms New Home

Now that you have a container, it is time to prepare the bedding. Most organic materials are suitable for the worm bin. Mix shredded black and white newspaper, shredded office paper, and torn up cardboard with potting soil for an ideal home for your worms. Avoid adding papers with large amounts of colored ink. They contain heavy metals which your worms don’t need and neither does your garden when it comes time to use the worm castings.

I like to use a mixture of 50% soil and 50% shredded paper for a light and airy bedding. Combine the mixture in a large bucket, sprinkling liberally with water until the mixture feels like a wrung out sponge. The moisture level tends to self maintain once the worms take residence, so it is rare that you will need to add additional water after this initial step. Now, spread the bedding in the worm bin without tamping it down, and you are all ready for your new guests.

Step #3 Bring on the Worms!

The best worms for vermicomposting are redworms (or "red wigglers"). You can find redworms at Al’s*, or search online for a local source if you require a larger quantity. If you are feeling adventurous, you can even search for worms in your backyard, but educate yourself first on the difference between the species above and earthworms. To compost the waste of up to 4 people, one pound of worms should be plenty. If your family is the size of ours, invest in 2 pounds. You can never have too many worms.

Once you have the worms, plop them in the bin. They will immediately begin to burrow down into the bedding to get away from the light. Any dead worms can be left to decompose. Cover the bin with a lid or a piece of plastic sheeting to retain moisture and get ready to prepare your worms’ first meal.

Step #4 Feeding Time!

Most kitchen scraps are fair game for the worm bin, but in general it is best to avoid meats, fish, bones, cheeses or very oily foods. So, what can you feed your worms? Vegetable and fruit scraps, pasta, coffee grounds and tea bags, nuts, bread, and ground up egg shells. With time, you will learn how much food to add at each feeding, but as a general rule, start with a cup or two at a time. If your bin starts to smell, say, "off", stop adding food for a day or two until the worms have finished digesting the material. You can begin again once the odor returns to normal.

Step #5 Gardener’s Gold: Harvest the Worm Castings

Depending on the rate of munching, you should notice a drop in the level of bedding in anywhere from two to three months. What you will find in place of the old bedding are the prized worm castings, which resemble small, dark brown nuggets. My kids affectionately call this "worm poop". To harvest this fertilizer treasure, I have found the "pile and sort" technique to be the easiest. Simply prepare new bedding (Step#2) and set it aside. Next, dump the contents of your worm bin onto a sheet or tray and begin sorting it into 4 or 5 smaller piles. The worms will naturally dig down to the bottom of the piles, so wait a few minutes. Once the worms are at the bottom, scoop up the tops off of the piles and place it into a separate container. This is your "Gardener’s Gold", your worm castings. Continue this process until you are left mainly with wiggling, unhappy worms who want nothing more than to be placed back into their comfortable, dark bin. Dump the freshly prepared new bedding into the bin and return the worms to their home. Add new food and the composting cycle begins again!

Vermicomposting is a simple and rewarding way to reduce our food waste while also providing excellent food for our houseplants and vegetable gardens. All you have to do is adopt a few earth-loving wigglers to make some sustainability fun in your home.