Anneliese, 2 inches

Giselle, 2.5 inches

Jackson M., 3 inches

Kieran, 4 inches

Elio, 3 inches
Claire, 2.5 inches

Investigating the length of worms:

Is size related to speed?

Devon, 3 inches

Asher Fritz, 4 inches

After one of our first rain storms of the season the children and I took a stroll through
our outdoor area. We recorded our observations about what changes the rain had made
to the environment and space around us. Many of the children pointed out the wet
ground and soil in our garden. Wyatt suggested that we look closer at the soil stating
that worms would be there because it had rained. Luckily, no teacher was needed for
this particular provocation as the worms were abundant in the soil and provided a space
for discussion.
The children each collected a worm, brought it back to the table and watched
closely. We discussed what it means to observe something. Each of the children
offered ideas as to what this word meant and we concluded together that it
means to watch, listen, and think closely about something. We did just that
with our worms. After observing, we asked each other the questions:
How do worms move?
How do they breathe?
Are they like humans inside?
Do longer ones move faster than shorter ones?
The children offered ideas to each question, however, couldnt stray from the
last one. They argued for some time as to if the length of the worm was related
to the speed of it. Ultimately, they concluded that we should first measure the
worms to see how long each was and then watch how quickly and far they
moved within a two minute time frame.

Wyatt, 1.5 inches

Step one: worm measuring

Each child placed the worm they had found straight out on a piece of
paper and used a twelve inch ruler to measure their worm. The longest
worm measured at four inches while the smallest worm measured at a
half of an inch. Because we released the worms after this stage of the
exploration the children decided to create concept drawings of each of
the worms they had found and then document how long each one was
for future reference.
Step two: worm speed
Before releasing the worms, the children each watched how fast they
moved. Some of the worms were difficult to watch because they moved
around too much, while others did not move at all.
Jasmin: Look, these are the same size and one squirms and one
doesnt.

Liam, 3.5 inches

We also observed and compared the two longest worms. After patiently
watching for two minutes they both did not move. Through this
observation the children concluded that the worm length was not
related to its speed.
Aiden: They are the same size but they move different fasts.
Asher Fritz: Small ones and big ones move the same.
After presenting their work at our reflection meeting that day many of
the other children were eager to participate too. We will continue to
invite more children to explore this work and see where it may take us.

Aiden, .5 inches

Austin, 1.5 inches

Kady, 3 inches