Wiggly Worms

Wiggly Worms

The Nature Tot program is for 3-year-olds with an adult. Class size is limited to 20 participants. Programs are outside, unless weather does not permit.

Pre-program Activities

  • Cut a hole in the bottom of a paper cup. Place your hand inside the cup. Stick a finger up through the hole. Draw a face on your finger worm puppet if you like.
  • Ask the children to make worms out of dough.

Story

Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser. Discuss Story.

Song

Little Worm
Sung to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
Slowly, slowly
Turn around.
Look behind you on the ground
You will see
A little worm.
Careful, now,
He’ll make you squirm!
Slowly, slowly
Turn around
There’s a worm
Right on the ground.

Wiggle Worm (use puppet)
One day when
I was playing,
I met a
Tiny worm.
Instead of
Going straight,
He squirmed and squirmed
And squirmed.
Here now,
Let me show you
How he
Got around
He wiggled,
Wiggled, wiggled
All across
The ground.

Show & Tell: Worm Farm

What does a worm eat? (dead plants and other things in the soil) Where does it live? (in the ground)
Have you ever felt a worm? How do they feel?
What animals eat worms? Show robin, turtle, and salamander puppets or pictures.

Activity

  • Find a worm: either use a tub of soil with worms inside or go dig outside.
  • Turn into worm and crawl through worm holes (hula hoops) and into the worm tunnel (kid’s tunnel).

Craft

  • Worm Tracks
    Dip string/yarn into paints and drag across construction paper.
  • Worm Collage
    Make a Worm Collage with cooked whole wheat spaghetti. Give each child a paper plate. Ask them to arrange the noodles any way they wish. Tell them they are worms. The starch in the noodles will help the noodles stick to the plates when dry.

Snack: Dirt Dessert with Gummy Worms

Use chocolate pudding for mud. Add crushed cookies as dirt if you like.
Have worms crawling out of the cup.
-or-
Pretend that string cheese (torn apart) are worms.

Activities provided by:

Polk County Conservation Board
Ginny Malcomson
Nature Tots is funded by Polk County Conservation Board, West Des Moines Park and Recreation, and the Des Moines Chapter of the Izaak Walton League.

Age:
_ 0-1
_ 1-2
_ 2-3
✓ 3-4
_ 4-5
_ 5-6

Category: Adult-Child

Time:
1 hour

Season:
spring, summer, fall

Iowa Early Learning Standards:
8.2, 9.1, 9.4, 11.1, 11.2, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 14.3

Related Kindernature Resources: Other Resources: