So, I am a teacher as some of you know.  I teach Grade 5 (LOVE it!).  One of my favorite parts of my job is giving the students something different and real for them to do.  This sometimes comes in the form of work or sometimes just an experience.

This year, I started a worm factory in my class.  Now, I know what some of you might think, “Ewww!!”.  Some of my students feel the same as you!  The students thought it would smell.  We came up with a solution for that (a lid on the worm factory as well as a blanket on top to keep the flies and smell down).  Honestly, you can’t smell it unless you take the blanket and the lid off.

Now, how effective is it?

These pictures are two weeks apart.  It works!  The students love to see how much they eat and feeding them fruits and veggies.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am sure they would prefer a fluffy pet.  But we talked about how no other class has this many pets in their class!  (We have over 100 worms now)

Not only is it teaching them conservation and a different way to get rid of waste, but it also is something a lot of them don’t see often. Only 3 of my 21 students knew how composting worked.  Now they all do and they see the benefits from it.

Ok.  But what does this have to do with plants?

Because this little guy showed up.

We found him growing in our compost.  Students were stunned that something so small and fragile could be growing under the lid.  We took it out, planted it in a pot, and waited.  It took us awhile to figure out what it was.

Any guesses?

An apple tree.  We have an apple tree growing from our worm factory/compost!

The students are so very excited to have something like this growing in our room.  (I am just hoping we can keep it alive!) We had to have a talk about the fact that we will not have apples in their time in my homeroom but that they will have to come visit me in a few years to get anything from it.

I have students asking to water it.  I have students wanting to watch it.  I have students genuinely concerned over this little plants well being.

It is theirs.  They found it.  They are growing it.  They are so excited.

Today, we found these:

Any guesses?