If you want to see what worms get up to beneath the soil then why not make your own worm observatory? We have put together a guide to help you make your own and observe the worms at work.

You will need…

• A clear plastic or glass container.

• Compost soil.

• Sand (optional).

• A water spray bottle (if the soil is dry).

• A trowel.

• Leaves, compost or organic matter (for worms to eat).

• Old black stockings or thick paper.

• WORMS.

What to do…

1) Prepare your observatory

Make sure your container is clean. It doesn’t matter what you use as long as you can see into it clearly.

We taped two picture frames together using saws to cut off the top, you could get an adult to help with this or just use a readymade container like a jar or a vase.

If your container is very large then some of the worms may hide in the middle of the soil where you can’t see them. To prevent this you can place another smaller thinner jar in the centre with a lid on.

2) Fill your observatory

We used compost soil, soil from our garden and sand that we collected from the beach to fill our observatory.

Alternate your layers by putting in soil, compost soil, and then sand.  As you fill your jar or container layer by layer, make sure each layer is damp by spraying it with your spray bottle.

Fact: If worms get too dry they will die so this is very important.

Some people put sand into worm observatories so that they can see the sand get dispersed through the soil, as the worms move around and get to work mixing up the soil.

3) Find some worms

Like we did, you may have already found worms as you dig up soil for the observatory. If you do, just put them in the observatory as you go along.

To find more worms get a trowel and dig down into your garden. Remember to ask your parents where it’s okay to dig too!

TIP: We found lots of big worms when we were pulling out weeds and planting new plants, so asking to help with the gardening is a great way to find more worms!

4) Keep the worms safe

When you have enough worms, put a few semi rotting leaves on the top of your observatory for the worms to eat. After about three days our worms had pulled these below the surface!

Worms are very sensitive to light and need the dark. To protect them from the light, get a pair of old black tights and cut off one of the legs so that you can cover your observatory, when you’re not watching your worms. You could also use cardboard, or thick paper instead.

Whenever you want to view your worms you can peek inside and see their burrows and all the work they have done.

5) Release the worms

We kept our worms for about a week, which gave us plenty of time to learn a lot about them.

After this we released them.

It is important not to keep worms for too long as they will be happier back in the garden.

What can you find out about your worms? 

Try keeping a record of what types of worms you find and what they like to eat.

Did you give it a go?

Send us a photo of your Worm Observatory and some words on what you learnt when observing your wriggly friends and you might find your contribution featured on the Upstart website... AND win a prize!