School: Cranfield Academy – Providence

Student: Cooper Nardozzi

Teacher: Miss Meg and Miss Cindy

Age: 4

Subject: Gardening

Description: Save The Earthworms! Cooper and I take a walk every morning to exercise our dog. Cooper started noticing the worms that were often wiggling around in the road and on the sidewalk in the early morning. He also noticed the worms that no longer wiggled. He became very interested in learning about earthworms. We watched videos to learn what they ate, how they lived, and what made them come out of the dirt. Cooper learned that worms were very helpful to keeping plants healthy and helping plants grow. He wanted to
help the worms that became “stranded” and “in danger” by putting them back in soil where they live best. He started by placing worms that we would encounter into the nearest patch of dirt or grass. However, after learning how helpful they were, he has since started taking a cup of soil with him whenever he walks so that he can bring the worms back to our gardens. After relocating the worms in the garden, he goes back to check on them to ensure they have “inched back in the dirt” and are happy again. Cooper has created a “worm friend” habitat in three locations in our yard. We keep the habitat worm friendly by placing apple cores in the soil, keeping the soil moist, and layering on fresh soil frequently. Cooper wanted to spread the word that “earthworms are our friends” and they are not just something that is “slimy and gross”. He wants all of his friends to help earthworms when they see them out on the sidewalk by putting them back on or near soil so they don’t dry out or get stepped on. As he says, “you put them in a cup, then you put them in the plants, because they’re good for plants!”