By Nandini Bhattacharjya, Head Teacher, and Betsy Koning, Teacher
With all the rainy afternoons this winter, many earthworms came out of their subterranean homes to visit the Twos room’s yard. It was no surprise to see the children so interested in discovering, collecting and observing these little visitors. Many of the children in the Monday/Wednesday PM Twos class embarked on worm hunts: Near the sand area, they lifted up the sliced segments of logs we call tree cookies to search for their quarry, who were often hiding underneath. For the children who were interested in capturing and observing the worms, the teachers provided bug jars that included a lid with a magnifying lens. Teachers noticed the various approaches children used to study and interact with the worms. Some were comfortable holding dozens of worms in their fists, and others preferred to observe them from afar. Children also used clay to represent worms in many shapes and sizes. Some were inspired to write stories, and some illustrated the stories with drawings. Here are some of the children’s words from their worm explorations:
Chip: “I caught some worms.”
Mason: “I saw some worms. I saw a big worm. He was crawling on my finger. This one is doing a flip.”
Ellie: “I saw a little worm. He was on my finger. He tickled me. He is so small and I am so big.”
Zelynn (who was holding a worm): “My worm gave me a kiss on the cheek. He is slimy. He was crawling on the table. That’s a mommy worm and a baby worm. I like watching them.”
Langley: “Is it a worm? It is a worm. Why is it moving? It’s going to the paper. There are two worms. Is there more? The paper blew the worm away. Then the big worm came closer to the smaller one. He was lifting his head. His tail moves up too. The small went over the big worm. It’s too curvy. I see its eyes. He’s climbing. It’s lifting his head up.”
Lisa: “Oh, oh it’s a snake.”
Isaac: “He’s doing secret things.”
Thatcher: “Where is the worm going?”
Nolan: “I only watch and not touch the worm.”