healthykids
Fiona Knows WORMS
KIDS DIG WORM COMPOSTING
Red Wigglers Turn Kitchen Scraps into Gardening Gold by Jessica Iclisoy
our family loves to shop at area farmers’ markets, investigat- ing greens and other veggies to make meals bursting with vitamins and minerals. Yet, it’s not always easy raising children who love to eat the fruits, veggies and salad makings you tote home. So consider mixing in a strategic science lesson—all you need are a few thousand wiggly worm friends to gobble up kitchen scraps; waste that would normally go into the trash and municipal landfill. For kids, worm composting gives food prepa- ration a special mission: The worms must be fed! Worm composting, also known
Y
as vermiculture, produces nutrient- rich worm castings. In kid parlance, that’s “worm poop.” This organic mat-
ter provides the perfect soil condition- er and organic food for plants, indoors and out. It’s also easy to harvest the liquid (worm tea) from the compost and dilute it with water to sprinkle any garden with an extra dose of natural fertilizer. Both will promote strong, healthy plants that are resistant to disease.
Our family has maintained a four-
level worm bin just outside our kitch- en door for five years, and for me, the hardest part of getting started was opening the box of wigglers. Now, we have more worm castings and worm tea than I can use, so I routinely pack up the castings into resealable plastic bags, pour the tea into bottles, and use both as much-welcomed gifts.
36 Greater Oklahoma/OKC Edition |
www.NaturalAwakeningsOKC.com
Worm composting can be both fun and educational for kids. Just ask Oklahoma City 6-year-old, Fiona Kanaly. She began a worm compost bin at her father’s home several months ago and loved it so much, she decided to start one at her mother’s house as well. Kanaly says she particularly
enjoys shredding the newspaper that she puts in the bin. “Some of my friends were here to help me shred paper and we made a huge tower,” she laughs. “We just have to make sure we only give the worms small amounts at one time.” Her friends enjoyed it too, and
it’s something Kanaly hopes will inspire them to create their own worm compost. “The worms are fat and happy, and they make healthy stuff that is good for the planet, and helps make pretty flowers and good vegetables.”
The family got their worms from Worm Solutions, a division of Sly Worm Farm in Guthrie. For more information about worm compost- ing, visit
WormSolutions.com.
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