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Kids Environment Kids Health - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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A valuable resource for Parents and Teachers to find fun and educational materials related to Health, Science and the Environment we live in today.

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Kids love worms and vermicomposting for kids can be a family-oriented activity that all will enjoy.

Vermicomposting is just a fancy word for raising composting worms. Composting worms are easy to care for and very forgiving even if neglected a little bit.

This makes them an ideal project for the short attention spans that kids can sometimes have. Worms can be raised indoors or out and don't require a lot of space.

There are also many benefits for Mom and Dad. This article will cover the basics and requirements to get you and your kids started in vermicomposting.

Let's take a look at a few ideas to begin.

Composting Worms

The type of worm to use is very important. We are going to want composting (epigeic) worms. These are not your typical backyard soil (endogeic) worms.

Endogeic worms do not do well in captivity while epigeic worms will thrive.

There are many types of composting (epigeic) worms. Red worms are a very good choice for beginners both young and old.

Red worms or red wigglers are the easiest and most forgiving composting worms to raise.

They can tolerate a wide variety of temperatures and bedding conditions. They are available online and very reasonably priced.

Worm Bins

We are going to need housing for our worms. Most beginners will start with a small plastic tote (bin).

These are very reasonably priced. Under 10 bucks. There is also the possibility of using something for a bin that you already have.

Check out my Cheap Worm Bins blog post for many ideas. A small plastic mortar tray (Home Depot) is a great choice and costs about 6 dollars.

Bedding

Bedding for your worms is also a requirement. This is frequently torn-up newspaper and corrugated cardboard.

There are many bedding materials that you can use. Peat moss, coconut coir, aged manure, etc. A combination of two or more is good practice. Use what you have available.

You will want to add moisture (water) to your bedding until it is about the texture of a wrung-out sponge.

Squeeze a handful and if you get a few drops of water out... that is perfect.

You can mist with a water bottle to keep it at the correct moisture level.

Food

You don't have to buy worm food. Your worms will eat your garbage. That is.. most of your vegetable scraps and coffee grounds.

That is the beauty of vermicomposting. Composting worms will eat about their weight in food every few days.

A pound of worms will eat about two to three pounds of food and bedding a week.

I like to add equal amounts of food and bedding when feeding. This helps to also control moisture levels in your bin.

My Getting Started Page has many helpful tips about food, bedding, and general care of your worms.

Benefits for Mom and Dad

Vermicomposting for kids is great but there are many benefits for Mom and Dad too.

Your kids get a "science project", learn about recycling, and are taught about caring and responsibility.

Mom and Dad get to recycle some waste that was going to the landfill.

Mom and Dad will have worm castings (poop) to use on potted plants, gardens, landscapes, and/or yards.

This is an organic non-toxic soil amendment that is expensive to buy.

Mom and Dad have a chance to teach their kids about raising plants and/or gardening that is a very valuable skill.

You will get all this for about thirty minutes a week. Pretty good deal. The smiles are a bonus!

Vermicomposting For Kids

This is a great family project. Vermicomposting for kids is.... not just for kids.

Everyone in the family benefits from sending less organic waste to the landfill that ends up as methane gas.

You will all have a source of an organic soil amendment that is referred to as "Black Gold".

The kids will have fun learning about and watching their worms do the work.

It might even spark some conversations.... now THAT is priceless.
FREE Worm Inn Stand Plan

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Vermicomposting For Kids - Iowa Worm Composting

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Kids love worms and vermicomposting for kids can be a family-oriented activity that all will enjoy. Vermicomposting is just a fancy word for raising composting worms. Composting worms are easy to care for and very forgiving even if neglected a little bit. This makes them an ideal project for the short attention spans that kids can sometimes have.

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Vermicomposting: How worms can reduce our waste - Matthew Ross

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Wasting food means we are wasting the resources used to grow, produce and distribute that food to consumers. Getting food from farm to table, and then managing or disposing of food as waste, also has a significant carbon footprint - contributing to Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

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Food waste is the world's dumbest problem

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Tom Szaky Terra Loop founder

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Profile

When Tom Szaky was a freshman at Princeton he hit upon the idea of using worm poop as an organic fertilizer. He borrowed money from family and friends and spent all his savings on a $20,000 "worm gin"-which can hold hundreds of thousands of the invertebrates-and dropped out of college. With a $2,000 angel investment from venture capitalist Suman Sinha, Szaky started packaging the fertilizer in used soda bottles and selling it out of his car to local gardening centers. In 2004 he convinced a buyer for Home Depot to take a flier on his fertilizer, which is also now available in Target and Wal-Mart. In addition to the fertilizer, Terracycle collects trash and turns it into bright, fun products, like messenger bags made out of used Capri Sun packages and trippy "urban art trash cans." The company donates 2 cents to charity for each waste item it recycles, raising $3.2 million so far.

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Profile When Tom Szaky was a freshman at Princeton he hit upon the idea of using worm poop as an organic fertilizer. He borrowed money from family and friends and spent all his savings on a $20,000 "worm gin"-which can hold hundreds of thousands of the invertebrates-and dropped out of college.

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How to start a worm farm in 4 steps: vermiculture made easy

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Building a Stackable DIY Worm Farm for $30 🐛

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DIY stackable flow through vermicompost worm bin s

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Regenerative Gardening with Farmer Rishi

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How to Build the Ultimate Plastic Free Worm Composting Bin

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How to Make a Worm Bin | Easy DIY Worm Farm

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Apartment dwellers and urbanites often lament the lack of options for composting in homes with limited yard space. I highly recommend worm composting as a method for dealing with your kitchen waste. You can buy ready-made worm bins, but if you're even a little bit handy and have access to a drill you can make a DIY worm composter yourself for under $5.
This project is featured in my book, Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living.
The Edible Front Yard Garden
Does your homeowners association prevent you from growing food in the front yard? What if they never even KNEW? My ebook, The Edible Front Yard Garden will show you how!

What is vermicomposting?

It may sound intimidating, but vermicomposting is simply the method of allowing worms to eat your kitchen waste. When worms eat, they poop. And that poop (also called worm castings) makes an excellent natural fertilizer for garden crops. And it's free!

All you need to do is provide a welcoming environment for the worms and they will happily transform food scraps into garden gold.

It's a great way to utilize some of the waste you create if you don't have room for a compost bin or compost pile.

How to make a worm bin

You'll need a couple of 5-gallon buckets to make this project. Check the local bakery for inexpensive buckets - they often sell the ones that their ingredients come in for just a couple of bucks.

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Worms like it dark. If you opt to use white or opaque buckets, you should cover the worm farm with an old towel or tarp to prevent light from permeating. Black or solid colored buckets will prevent sunlight from bothering the compost worms.

Start by drilling 10-15 holes in the bottom of one bucket (or Rubbermaid container).

Add several handfuls of kitchen waste to the worm composter.

Now it's time to move the worms in!
It takes less than half an hour, start to finish, to put this DIY wormery together. Related: Composting for Beginners: Compost Systems and Methods for a Groovy Garden
Shred newspaper and wet it. Drain excess water, then set it into the bucket on top of the kitchen scraps and the worms.

Using the Worm Composter

While your wormery is getting established, don't overdo it on adding waste. Add 2-3 cups or so every couple of weeks.

Once a brown base develops under the bedding (this is the worm castings, aka worm poop), you should be able to add a bit more. The worms will multiply based on how much food is made available to them.

What to Feed the Worms

Leftover kitchen scraps including fruit and vegetable peelings. Go light on citrus and if you add anything meaty, be sure to bury it to avoid odors.

Coffee grounds and loose tea or tea bags. The paper coffee filter, too.

Human hair or fur from animal grooming.

Cardboard and paper. Remove any plastic windows or tape before adding. Items like shredded newspaper, paper egg cartons, office paper, or takeout boxes. Soak these in water and then drain before adding to the worm bin.

Crushed eggshells.

If you have a bigger outdoor bin, bedding and manure from chickens, rabbits, and other farm animals. Do not add cat or dog poop.

This easy vermicompost bin takes up about a square foot of space and fits under most kitchen sinks. And I promise. If you're doing it right, it does not stink.

Expanding your worm bin

When the top bucket begins to get full, you can add a second perforated bucket. Just drill holes and add moist newspaper and scraps to the new bin like you did during set up, and set it onto the stack. Make sure the top bucket rests on the waste in the bucket below. The worms will slowly migrate up through the holes.

You may need to wrap the space between the buckets to prevent fruit flies. I'd use an old t-shirt or bath towel to fill any gaps.

When the contents of the first bucket are no longer recognizable, simply pull out the middle bucket and use the rich worm castings on your potted plants or in your garden. The worms will have migrated up and you can use the castings directly from the worm bin.

A worm bin of this size is best suited to a single person or couple. Larger households will generate more waste than this size bin can handle. Simply use the same method with larger Rubbermaid containers. (I've done both over the years.)

Where to get composting worms

Not all worms are created equal. For this project, seek out red wigglers. They thrive in worm bins and gobble up the kitchens scraps that you generate.

You can order composting worms online. If you'd like to stick closer to home, though, talk with your local garden club or farmers market people. If you can find someone with an established worm bin, it's easy for them to pull out a handful of worms to share.

Once you've acquired worms, you'll start with a handful or two of fresh kitchen scraps and shredded newspaper.

How to harvest worm castings

To harvest the castings without adding a second bucket, dump the contents into a large piece of cardboard. The worms will move down into the castings and unfinished kitchen waste, away from the light.

Lift away large pieces of scraps. Skim off the top layer of worm castings using a garden trowel. Wait a few minutes for the worms to move deeper, and skim some more. Continue until you have harvested most of the castings, then put the worms back in the bin with fresh scraps and top it off with damp newspaper.
★ Did you love this project? Be sure to give it a star rating below! ★
Originally posted January 2012; this post has been updated.

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Kris Bordessa, National Geographic author/certified master food preserver

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How to Make a Worm Bin for Less than $5 - Easy DIY Worm Composter

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Build a vermicompost bin for worm composting in just 30 minutes. Castings from this worm bin are a rich garden amendment that will make your garden grow!