# data[].attributes.headline
Why are Earthworms Good for Soil?  from Wonderopolis

# data[].attributes.subject
Why are Earthworms Good for Soil?  from Wonderopolis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Do you think earthworms are cool creatures that are fun to play with? Or are they icky, creepy, crawlies that you'd rather avoid?

If you like to fish, you probably like them since they can help you reel in the big fish when used as . But what if you're a gardener?

Anyone who spends time in a garden will tell you earthworms are a gardener's best friends. In fact, earthworms may be the most important factor in the success of a garden. Some people even call earthworms "nature's first gardeners"!

If you've ever been around a farm in spring, you know that farmers need to the soil. Plowing breaks up the soil, allowing air and water to get to seeds and the of plants. Earthworms act like tiny plows when they live in a garden.

As earthworms move through the soil of a garden, they make tunnels. Just like plowing, these tunnels allow air and water to get to the of plants.

Without access to air and water, plants would not grow well, which is why you might notice that plants sometimes don't survive if the soil they're in is too dry and .

Just about all soil has earthworms. The better the soil, the more earthworms you'll find. There are four common types of earthworms you're likely to run into: night crawlers, garden worms, worms, and red worms.

As earthworms live their lives in the soil, they eat matter, such as dead leaves, grass clippings, and even dirt. After they their meal, earthworms produce that helps enrich the soil further.

Their waste - called "" when found on top of soil - helps gardens grow because it's rich in phosphorus , , , and . These are all important that help garden plants grow and stay healthy.

Gardeners who want to increase the number of earthworms in their garden soil can do so by adding more matter to their garden. leaves or grass clippings will draw more earthworms to their soil, and, in turn, the earthworms will enrich the soil with their tunnels and .

Scientist Charles Darwin once had this to say about the role of the lowly earthworm:

"The is one of the most ancient and most valuable of man's inventions; but long before he existed, the land was in fact regularly plowed and still continues to be thus plowed by earthworms. It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you think earthworms are cool creatures that are fun to play with? Or are they icky, creepy, crawlies that you'd rather avoid? If you like to fish, you probably like them since they can help you reel in the big fish when used as . But what if you're a gardener?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What do you think of when you think of trash? A smelly, yucky garbage bin? A weekly ? that ruins the beauty of the world around you?

All those things can be true. But did you know that trash can also be useful? It's true! Some types of trash can be turned into something your garden will love. About 30% of all garbage in the United States is food and yard waste. are full of coffee grounds, orange peels, egg shells, and much more. Much of this waste could be turned into something very useful.

Composting is a great way to recycle these types of waste. It's a process that relies on microscopic to break down materials. They turn these materials into new soil called compost.

You can think of composting as an example of the natural life cycle of things. They grow, die, and . Then, they become new soil that helps other things grow. Tiny microorganisms and earthworms speed this process along by feeding on some of the materials.

Composting is a natural process. However, you can help it along by making compost piles in your yard. You can also build or buy compost bins to use. To create the ideal conditions for composting, you'll need waste, soil, water, and air.

The soil provides the microorganisms that will eat the waste. The air provides and the water helps to speed the process along. waste can take many forms. This includes many things, from fruits coffee grounds. You can even compost things like leaves and grass clippings. Vegetables and egg shells are two more great things to add.

To start a compost pile, you need a mixture of both and . is found in materials like leaves, straw, and woody materials. can come from fruit and vegetable waste, grass clippings and coffee grounds. Healthy compost contains about one-quarter and three-quarters .

As microorganisms break down these materials, they release dioxide and heat. A good compost pile will get quite warm. The pile's temperature may even be as high as 100-150° F!

It's important to keep the process active. To do so, turn and water the pile frequently. This allows needed to be circulated throughout the pile.

You can compost many things. However, some things do not belong in a compost pile. Meat and dairy products contain a lot of fat. This can cause your compost pile to smell bad. You should also avoid human and animal waste, since they can contain diseases and parasites.

Are you ready to start your own compost pile? Ask a friend or family member to help you find the perfect spot. Then add all the waste you can find. Before you know it, you'll have compost to help grow flowers, vegetables, and anything else you plant!

NGSS.LS1.C, NGSS.LS2.A, NGSS.LS2.B, CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.W.4, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.SL.2

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today's Wonder of the Day is all about turning trash into treasure!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Have you ever collected rocks? To some kids, collecting rocks might not seem all that interesting. But others know that it can be really cool to upon a uniquely colored or shaped rock when you're at the park, at the beach, or simply at home. Where did it come from? And how long has it been around?

When you think of things that are and last forever, rocks probably come to mind. Whether it's a mountain, a stone courthouse, or a gravestone in a local cemetery, rocks do seem to have staying power.

In fact, rocks might even seem indestructible . If you look closely at old rocks, though, you'll see signs of wear. Although rocks are indeed materials, they're still not from the physical and chemical forces of nature that inevitably wear away at everything on Earth.

Scientists call the process that rocks weathering. Weathering occurs in two main forms: mechanical and chemical. Mechanical weathering processes break rocks down into smaller pieces but do not change their chemical composition .

Chemical weathering processes, on the other hand, break down rocks chemically , changing them into different types of rocks and minerals. Some of those new materials can be dissolved by exposure to water and air, leading to erosion.

Mechanical and chemical weathering processes can simultaneously , but they're still extremely slow processes. Since it takes so long to break down and rocks, we see them as a lasting, nearly- indestructible material.

Let's take a look at a chemical weathering process that you're already somewhat with...even if you don't realize it. When rain falls from the sky, some of the water mixes with carbon dioxide in the air or pockets of air in the . This mixture forms a weak acid called carbonic acid.

As carbonic acid down through the and comes into contact with cracks in the rock underground, it can react chemically with the rock, causing it to . Carbonic acid is particularly reactive with calcite, which is the primary mineral in limestone.

Over long periods of time, carbonic acid dissolves limestone, creating pits and holes and enlarging cracks and openings in the rock. This creates a unique type of topography known as karst topography . Common features of karst topography you're probably with include caves, caverns, sinkholes, and springs.

Another common type of chemical weathering occurs as a result of acid rain. Acid rain forms when rain combines with nitrogen and sulfur to create nitric and sulfuric acids, which can calcium-based rocks such as marble and limestone. Acid rain tends to be a problem in areas with higher levels of pollution from coal-burning power plants.

Although weathering of rock might seem like a negative thing, it's actually a natural process that eventually creates valuable products. Weathered rock is the primary of . Minerals from weathered rock sustain all sorts of plant life through the . We also wouldn't be able to visit super-cool caves without the chemical weathering of rock!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Have you ever collected rocks? To some kids, collecting rocks might not seem all that interesting. But others know that it can be really cool to upon a uniquely colored or shaped rock when you're at the park, at the beach, or simply at home. Where did it come from?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Do you like to know how things are made? For example, when you order a grilled cheese sandwich, do you like to know what kind of bread and cheese are going to be used? If you don't want a Swiss cheese on rye sandwich, then you probably have an interest in how your sandwich is constructed.

But what about the bread and the cheese? Are you curious about how those products are made? Sometimes it's easy to see how things come to be the way they are. For bread, it's easy to follow a recipe that shows how ground grains are combined with other ingredients to produce the bread that comes hot and fresh out of the oven.

For other things, though, it's not nearly as easy to figure out how they're made. Take rocks, for example. Can you look at a and determine how it came to be? Unless you're a , the answer is probably "no." So how are those hard lumps of matter made?

That's a bit of a trick question, though, because there are three main types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. And, of course, each type forms differently. Let's take a look at each type of and how it comes to be.

Igneous rocks when melted cools into a . This can happen underground, where liquid is found in the of , or above the ground, where is released during a volcanic eruption. Common examples of igneous rocks include granite, basalt, pumice, and obsidian.

While igneous rocks can in a matter of minutes as erupts and cools quickly on Earth's surface, sedimentary rocks can take millions of years to . When and surface materials over time, they leave layers of sediments.

Over long periods of time, upon of sediments , putting intense on the oldest layers. Under great and , lower layers of sediments eventually turn into rocks. Common examples of sedimentary rocks include sandstone, limestone, and shale.

Metamorphic rocks are the products of rocks that have undergone changes. If you're familiar with the term as it describes the change a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly, then you'll understand that the term also applies to rocks that change in .

Metamorphic rocks may have started out as igneous, sedimentary, or even another type of metamorphic . Changes in these rocks are spurred either by collisions that occur at the boundaries of colliding tectonic plates or intense and underground. Common types of metamorphic rocks include marble, soapstone, slate, and gneiss.

Although they might seem rather , rocks actually change over the course of millions of years as part of what scientists call the . For example, a volcano erupts, spewing that turns into igneous .

Over time, weather erodes that igneous , turning it into small pieces of . In turn, those pieces of become layers of compacted that turn into sedimentary over the course of millions of years.

Over millions of more years, that sedimentary gets buried under other rocks and ends up deep underground. and deep in the Earth's crust turn the sedimentary into metamorphic , and the can start all over again! Of course, rocks don't have to follow this exact progression. There's a nearly endless variety of ways rocks can turn from one type into another in a never-ending .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you like to know how things are made? For example, when you order a grilled cheese sandwich, do you like to know what kind of bread and cheese are going to be used? If you don't want a Swiss cheese on rye sandwich, then you probably have an interest in how your sandwich is constructed.

# data[].attributes.headline
How do Rocks Get their Colors?  From Wonderopolis

# data[].attributes.subject
How do Rocks Get their Colors?  From Wonderopolis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Do you love rocks? Most children enjoy finding and playing with interesting rocks. They can be found in all sorts of shapes and sizes. More importantly, they can also be found in a wide variety of beautiful colors. But exactly how do rocks get their colors?

Here on Earth, we live on a rocky planet. The continents themselves are massive slabs of stone. Mountain ranges jut into the sky all around the world. Even the sea floor consists of rocky bottoms.

Earth is just one of four rocky planets in our solar system. The others are Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The remaining planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune - are made mostly of gas. Many of Earth's rocks are covered by grasses, forests, and bodies of water. On other planets and Earth's Moon, is all you see.

Earth's many rocks can take on a - of colors. From bright reds and oranges to browns and grays, Earth's rocks can a beautiful picture in nature.

All those colors are the result of the minerals that make up the rocks. Minerals are the building blocks of . Some rocks consist of just one type of , but most rocks contain a few different types of minerals joined together.

Scientists there are as many as 4,000 different types of minerals. Each has its own chemical composition , which helps to determine what it will be. A 's can also be affected by chemical impurities , interaction with other minerals, and environmental factors.

Like all objects, a 's depends upon which wavelengths of light it absorbs and reflects. The bonds within a generally determine which wavelengths of light will be absorbed and which will be reflected. Those wavelengths that are reflected back to our eyes determine the of the .

Some minerals have free electrons that will absorb certain wavelengths of light. Upon absorption , that extra energy may be emitted as another wavelength of light to get rid of the extra energy. If that combines with impurities or other minerals, its structure can change, thereby affecting what wavelengths of light are reflected and possibly changing its .

Minerals can take on different colors depending upon their internal structure. For example, the in your pencil and diamonds are both pure carbon. Differences in how they formed, however, gave them different structures, and thus very different colors and properties.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you love rocks? Most children enjoy finding and playing with interesting rocks. They can be found in all sorts of shapes and sizes. More importantly, they can also be found in a wide variety of beautiful colors. But exactly how do rocks get their colors?

# data[].attributes.body
That they can be fossils.Or they can be crystals.And they are all difrint colors.

# data[].attributes.body
I want to know how rocks and minerals are made

# data[].attributes.body
That diamond’s are the strongest mineral (that I know

# data[].attributes.body
I know how rocks go to magma then they cool down then it turns into concrete then during an earthquake the concrete brakes and that makes rocks people collect rocks like me well that’s all byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

# data[].attributes.body
Hezzy rocks

# data[].attributes.body
That rocks are hard and they are difrent colors.Soil helps plants grow.

# data[].attributes.body
Rock can be flat or not flat it depends.
MMMM

# data[].attributes.body
I know that rocks are different colors. I know that you need to water soil. I know that you find rocks underground. I know that rocks are easy to find.

# data[].attributes.body
Worms are good for the soil. Rocks can be different colors and sizes.

# data[].attributes.body
I know that rocks soli and  minirals. Some rocks are different colors and some rocks are not hard.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks can be big and small

# data[].attributes.body
There are all different kinds of rocks, like lava rocks, you can find them in caves. You can even find it in your backyard. Rocks can be fond in different places also rocks are in all sizes and shapes.

# data[].attributes.body
Ella

# data[].attributes.body
That rocks are different colors and shapes.
I know that soil is from worm poop and soil helps plants grow.

# data[].attributes.body
I wonder if rocks and soil can create new life in the wildlife and other habitats. And if space rocks created the earth 🌎. What if rocks were more capable of things that we don’t know about yet . What if rocks are earth what if rocks can help new wildlife being born.

# data[].attributes.body
Claire

# data[].attributes.body
There hard and they come from dirt they can be different colors and so rocks can be hard to find and there is all kinds of rocks they can be all shapes and sizes

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks are different colors.

# data[].attributes.body
I’m wondering if a rock can Chang color after a very long time like a gray rock cod turn into a green rock after one hundred years I have know idea why I’m wondering that but I am.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks are all differ they colors.you can find rocks in dirt in woods and even at parking lots

# data[].attributes.body
rock are hard .

# data[].attributes.body
Soil is something that makes flowers and plans grow.
Rock are very hard and they smash things if you smash them like a flower .

# data[].attributes.body
They are different colors

# data[].attributes.body
Claire that they are hard not soft.
They are most likely to be in dirt.
They are omost every were
They can be all colors.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks are different color and sizes and shapes.

# data[].attributes.body
You can drow with a rock.

# data[].attributes.body
I wonder what a mineral is.I wonder if a rock can be a fossil

# data[].attributes.body
That rocks are related to meters.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks and minerals are cool to learn about. Dirt, not so much.

# data[].attributes.body
They are different colors

# data[].attributes.body
I think rocks have some thing in it. I think soil help the ground.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks can be bumpy or not

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks are hard.
Soil is the same thing as dirt but it is called different words.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks are different colors, shapes and sizes.

# data[].attributes.body
How many tipes of rocks there are in the world.
How many difrent colors rocks can be.

# data[].attributes.body
I wonder if wood was made from rocks?

# data[].attributes.body
I wonder if rocks can change in time.

# data[].attributes.body
I think rocks are can be soft.
I don’t know what minerals are?
And soil is good for the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
Rock can not roll on it's own self inlets you push it.

# data[].attributes.body
If rocks don’t have something in it why is it so heavy? Why is there so many types

# data[].attributes.body
How is a rock made.

# data[].attributes.body
They can hurt someone

# data[].attributes.body
I wonder how rocks are made.

# data[].attributes.body
I wondering can rocks break

# data[].attributes.body
They live a in the desert.
That no rocks look the same.
That rocks can be over 100 years old and still be out there.
Claire

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks can be all difrint sizes and shapes and multiple difrint colors and they are very hard and stiff.

# data[].attributes.body
a lot of rocks are gray but some are crazy colors like red.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks are different shapes.

# data[].attributes.body
Some rocks are clear or look like  Diamonds

# data[].attributes.body
They are different color a rock is gray and sometimes red and brown and soil is brown or black it’s brown when it is new soil and black when it is old.

# data[].attributes.body
How are minerals made?

# data[].attributes.body
I don’t know what minerals are and i’m Wondering what they are?

# data[].attributes.body
I think that rocks Can turn into many things

# data[].attributes.body
Wrem’s like soil

# data[].attributes.body
Sand is I  actually a  mineral.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks are made of stone.

# data[].attributes.body
I am wondering if I can find a dimond looking rock.

# data[].attributes.body
How are minerals made?

# data[].attributes.body
What is the biggest rock in world.
Claire

# data[].attributes.body
I think that collecting rocks is good cause it helps you have some thing to do like research the tipe of rocks you have.

# data[].attributes.body
How are rocks and minerals made?

# data[].attributes.body
When was rocks and soil invented.

# data[].attributes.body
Are there any more rocks to be

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that sand is crushed rocks and lava is melted rock.

# data[].attributes.body
I leaned that mud and rivers can make rocks and it has been 100 years

# data[].attributes.body
Claire
I learned that when 2 rocks hit it gets older and then crack

# data[].attributes.body
Diamonds 💎 are the strongest rocks ever

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that rocks can split apart from water and how volcanoes 🌋 are made

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that rocks a very very different.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned that rocks are made by pressure and heat.

# data[].attributes.body
I learned

# data[].attributes.body
There are different kinds of rocks. Heat, pressure, and water can chang rocks.

# data[].attributes.body
Soil has different layers. Diamond is the strongest rock. Diamonds are made from volcanoes. Crystals are the rarest type of rocks and important.

# data[].attributes.body
Rocks and mini roles

every rock is different.a lava rock is red .rocks can be different colors and different types of rocks .rocks are different shapes. Soil comes from

rocks.rocks come from different

Places.some rocks are in the earth. Heat pressure and water can change

Rocks. Wind and water break down rocks.