Finding an earthworm during a nature walk is often the beginning of a child's curiosity. Once children start asking questions, you can continue the learning long after you've left the trail. You don't need expensive science kits or complicated lesson plans.

The best learning happens when children observe, compare, ask questions, create, and explore the natural world together. Whether you have five minutes in your backyard or an afternoon at your favorite park, these simple activities will help your child continue discovering the amazing world of earthworms. 

Outdoor Observation Activities

1. Go on an Earthworm Hunt

Visit your backyard or a local park after a gentle rain. Walk slowly and look beneath damp leaves, under logs, or along sidewalks.

Ask: "Where do you think we'll find the first worm?" 

2. Keep an Earthworm Observation Journal

Bring a notebook on every nature walk.

Record:

• Date
• Weather
• Location
• Size
• Color
• What your child noticed

Over time, your child will begin recognizing patterns. 

3. Measure an Earthworm

Place a ruler beside the worm without stretching it.

Estimate first, then measure. Watch how much longer it becomes as it stretches. 

4. Compare Wet and Dry Soil

Visit one damp area and one dry area.

Ask: "Which place do you think an earthworm would choose?"

Talk about why moist soil helps earthworms breathe. 

5. Observe Before and After Rain

Visit the same location before a rainstorm and again afterward. Did you find more worms? Why? 

6. Become a Soil Detective

Dig a small hole (with permission)

Can your child find:

• Roots
• Tiny stones
• Worm tunnels
• Insects
• Moisture

Talk about everything living underground. 

7. Create an Earthworm Scavenger Hunt

Can your child find: 

• An earthworm
• Damp soil
• A robin
• Moss
• Dead leaves
• A mushroom
• A fallen log
• A snail

Each clue tells part of the earthworm's story. 

Hands On Science Activities

8. Build an Earthworm's Menu

Colelct:

• A green leaf
• A brown leaf
• Grass
• A flower petal
• A twig

Ask: "Which ones do you think the worm will eat?"

9. Build an Easy Wormarium

Use a clear plastic container. Layer damp soil and sand. Add a few dead leaves.

Place a few earthworms inside for one or two days.

Observe:

• Can you see tunnels?
• Where do the worms spend most of their time?
• Do they move toward the leaves?

Return the earthworms exactly where you found them after observing. 

10. Build a Forest Food Web

Draw:

• Earthworm
• Robin
• Mole
• Toad
• Turtle
• Snake

Connect them with arrows showing who eats whom. 

11. Pretend to Be Scientists

Give your child a magnifying glass. Challenge them to make five observations before asking one question. Scientists observe first. 

12. Guess the Worm's Age

Find two worms. Which is older? Can you find the clitellum? 

Earthworm Craft Activities

13. W Is for Worm Craft

Cut a large W from construction paper. Glue it onto another sheet. Turn the W into a worm by adding:

• Eyes
• Body segments
• Grass
• Leaves
• Soil

Perfect for preschoolers learning the alphabet. 

14. Worms in the Dirt Craft

Cut:

• Brown paper for soil
• Green strips for grass
• Pink paper worms

Glue the brown paper to the bottom of the page. Glue the grass across the top. Slide the paper worms into the "soil."

Ask: "Where is the safest place for the worm?" 

15. Paper Plate Earthworm Habitat

Use a paper plate to build a forest floor.

Add:

• Brown paper soil
• Leaves
• Roots
• Grass
• Paper worms

Talk about habitat while creating.

16. Draw an Underground World

Ask your child to imagine what the ground looks like beneath their feet.

Can they draw:

• Worm tunnels
• Roots
• Rocks
• Soil layers
• Earthworms 

17. Earthworm Play Dough

Roll long brown snakes. Add body segments. Practice stretching and squeezing just like a real worm. 

Creative Learning

18. Tell an Earthworm Story

Ask: "Imagine you're an earthworm. Tell me about your day."

Where do you live?

What do you eat?

Who is trying to eat you?

Children often remember stories longer than facts. 

19. Read an Earthworm Book

Borrow a nonfiction book from your local library. After reading, go outside. 

Ask: "What did we notice that wasn't in the book?"

Books introduce ideas. Nature brings them to life. 

20. End Every Nature Walk With One Question

Before going home, always ask: "What did you notice today that you've never noticed before?" This single question builds observation skills that will help children notice more than just earthworms. 

Why These Activities Are Important:

Children remember experiences far longer than facts. A child may forget that earthworms have five pairs of aortic arches or breathe through their skin. They are much more likely to remember gently holding their first earthworm, watching it disappear beneath the leaves, building a wormarium, or discovering that a robin was searching the ground for worms.

Those experiences build curiosity, which leads to interesting questions and new discoveries. Children are able to connect to the worm and understand its habitat and anatomy, learning to use gentle hands.

And children who learn to slow down and notice the living things around them begin developing a lifelong connection to nature.

Continue the Adventure Outdoors

Reading about earthworms is a wonderful beginning, but children learn even more when they can observe, compare, create, and ask questions outdoors. Building a wormarium, searching for worms after a rainstorm, creating a simple craft, or keeping an observation journal helps children connect what they learn with real experiences in nature.

At Little Hikers Long Island, every class is designed to help families slow down and notice the incredible plants, insects, animals, and seasonal changes found in our local parks. Through hands on exploration, children build observation skills, confidence, curiosity, and a lasting appreciation for the natural world.

If you would like to continue exploring the nature of Long Island together, we would love to have you join us on the trail. 

About Little Hikers Long Island

Little Hikers Long Island is a fully outdoor parent and child nature program at West Hills County Park in Huntington, New York.

Through hands on exploration, families learn about the local plants, insects, animals, and seasonal changes found right here on Long Island. Children learn to observe closely, ask thoughtful questions, compare what they see, and build a meaningful relationship with the natural world around them.

Our goal is to help children become careful observers, confident explorers, and future stewards of the places they call home, because children protect what they understand.

At Little Hikers Long Island, our goal is not only to teach children the names of plants, insects, and animals, but to help families slow down, notice the incredible life in their own local parks, and build strong observation skills while solving nature mysteries!

Continue Learning:

• Earthworms: What to Notice, Explore, and Learn Together With Your Child
• How Long Do Earthworms Live?
• How Earthworms Help Forests Grow
• Where Do Baby Worms Come From?
• 10 Common Earthworm Myths Explained
• Amazing Earthworm Senses: How Do Earthworms Experience the World?
• Who Eats Earthworms?
• Where Do Earthworms Live? A Guide to Finding Earthworms on Long Island
• What Do Earthworms Eat?
• Inside an Earthworm: Amazing Facts Every Curious Child Will Want to Know
• 15 Fascinating Earthworm Facts for Curious Kids
• If an Earthworm Breaks in Half, Does It Become Two Worms?
• Questions to Ask Your Child While Observing an Earthworm
• Helping a Child Who Is Afraid of Worms
• How Do Earthworms Move Without Legs?
• Why Do Earthworms Come Out After Rain?
• What Do Earthworms Feel Like?
• Are Earthworms Safe for Children to Touch?