Kids Lead the Way to Worms at Oakland Zoo
OAKLAND (California)— Dozens of youngsters pressed up against the tables for a closer look during a day designed to celebrate Global Worming at the Oakland (California) zoo. Students from Michelle Stern’s Castro Valley high school Environmental Science class developed a diverse program to capture the attention and inform several busloads of elementary students about vermicomposting (composting with worms). The younger students got to work on banners, their own worm journals, watch a video on worms, paw through vermicompost from a worm bin—even make their own mini-worm bin to take home with them.

Binet Payne, author of The Worm Cafe: Mid-Scale Vermicomposting of Lunchroom Wastes, was in town for the book launch that night. She said, “This is the way kids learn. They learn by getting involved in real life projects. By teaching each other.” Payne could tell by the spiels given by the high school students, repeated with minor changes for each group of a dozen or so youngsters, that these students knew their material. The students were enthusiastic, they got kids engaged in their own quest for information, and they enjoyed what they were doing. What more could you ask for in an educational setting?

Payne and her own students developed a program for vermicomposting the cafeteria wastes from Laytonville Middle School in northern California which saved the school $6000 a year in hauling and disposal fees. The entire school now feeds veggie and fruit food waste to redworms in the vermicomposting bins, keeps meat and dairy separated out for a pig farmer, recycles milk cartons, and shreds paper from the elementary classrooms. Payne wrote The Worm Cafe (Flower Press, 1999) to share with others what she and her students learned about the need for getting everyone involved—food services staff, custodians, administrators, the school board, other faculty, the entire student body. The 200-page book describes their bins, maintenance procedures, the other creatures to be found in this ecosystem. Teachers all over the country can use this as a model, not just for setting up vermicomposting systems, but for getting their students involved in project-based learning.

Worm Woman also made it to the Global Worming event. Mary Appelhof, author of Worms Eat My Garbage is publisher of The Worm Cafe and comes from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Decked out in her green Worm Woman hardhat and fluorescent orange parka, Appelhof popped out from behind the screen after the children watched her video, Wormania!. Mimicing what she had just done on the screen after the credits rolled, Worm Woman said with a snap of her finger, “Ooh! I like it!” The kids loved the antics, but they certainly didn’t seem to be intimidated. When Worm Woman asked if anyone knew where she lived, one replied, “In a worm bin.” This was obviously in reference to some techno-magic on screen where Worm Woman in parka and yellow boots stood in a worm bin saying, “This is the first time I’ve ever been in a Worm Bin.” As the discussion ended and as she was ready to leave, one of the kids called out, “Could you jump back into the screen?”

Alameda County Solid Waste Management Authority, along with the PeopleSoft Center for Science and Environmental Education and Flower Press co-sponsored the afternoon and evening events. Claudia Taurean, who works as a recycling and source reduction educator for the Authority, organized these events to help generate more knowledge and interest in vermicomposting as a means to reduce the amount of food waste which must be handled by centalized systems and transported to landfills. Claudia regularly gives programs to school classrooms teaching them about recycling and how worms contribute to a comprehensive recycling program.

A popular visitor to the Global Worming events was the giant redworm puppet, a relative of Wiggle E Worm whom Appelhof met years ago at another Bay Area worm lovers’ event. So far no one has managed to raise a worm in their worm bin that can stand eye-to-eye with the redworm. Even Appelhof has a hard time in that department!

As part of their work with worms, the high school students also produced worm journals. They discussed what elements would go into a book—things such as a colorful cover, large writing, activities such as puzzles, creative writing, art, pictures, in addition to information how composting differs from vermicomposting, what kinds of worms to use, how to start a worm bin, why one should not use worms from your yard to set up a bin.Once the students had their criteria developed, they created their own grading scheme. If anyone complained about how hard the assignment was, they could only blame themselves on making it too hard! This student’s worm journal was colorful, had large type, and was full of worm information.

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