Dis is work, people
Queen Elsa’s Kindy has a worm farm. (Previously silk worms, but the kids have since released the emerging moths..) Naturally, parents were called upon to contribute any earthworms we might come across. Parents who go fishing might have more luck, (bait shop will probably pack some nicely for you in tupperware) but since I don’t know any bait shop nearby, we went to look under a few rocks on one of JD’s regular 3km walks at the Peak, over the recent Dragon Boat holiday.
We lucked out – Dis issa worm, people
After the rain, turning over a few paving stones yielded 3-4 small earthworms, but it took us much longer to actually catch one unharmed. (Speaking of which – did you know how fast these things disappear back in the soil when you unearth them? Still quite impressed…) Because we have no idea what the elasticity of earthworms is (how hard can you pull before they snap <cringe>) we kept digging too far under them – and they kept sliding away and escaping.
Finally…… Success!
This is Princess Sophia Queen E (as in, she gave the worm a middle name after her own):
Dis Issa Very Unhappy Worm
Queen E carries her worm the rest of the 1.5km walk back.
Excerpt of conversation with mum friend:
MF: You have to keep it alive till school?
Me: Omg is it hard to keep the thing alive??
MF: Google it….
Me: …. 🙁 …gross eyeful…
MF: Ah yes!!! ….(Once had to) google tonsillitis….
So anyway:
WHO are all these people who tried to teach earthworms to count???
Come morning however, Princess Sophia is barely alive. Really didn’t expect that, I thought people on survival camp trips do things like keep live earthworms (won’t go bad!) in their waist pouches for “protein” – how hard can it be to keep a worm in an open bag in an old sea monkey tank alive? On the way to school I email:
“…dug up a small earthworm yesterday in a park… found it dying this morning ..(Queen E) will be very disappointed….. we have a big favour to ask… transport the “sick” worm into the worm farm anyway…”
Immediately we get this reply, “No worries, will do our best to ensure “Princess Sophia” makes a full recovery in the worm farm… 😉 “
They’re lifesavers.
ps: We should probably stick to bait shops next time because I think we secretly killed a worm that could otherwise have lived a long happy life on the Peak. Bait shop worms have their days numbered anyway, they’re getting an upgrade in Kindy worm farms.
What a sad tale for the earth worm. Yes, I guess getting them from the bait shop works better for them from having to be bait to living happily in an earth worm farm but looking for them underneath rocks and catching them is an experience for Queen E.
🙁 yeah hope she learns a lot about worms go make up for it 😛