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Earth Day Worm in Workshop a Success! |
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 11 September 2005 |

“I think the worm bin building was the best event at Earth Day.” That,
naturally, was the shared sense everyone in the Worm Digest booth had.
We were featured on the nightly news with our extensive hands-on
project. Two to three hundred hands on, that is.
Not long after noon, parents and children began steadily streaming into
our booth, eager to put together a worm bin. Members of our Board,
along with volunteers from Churchill High School’s Rachel Carson Center
for Natural Resources were continuously busy that afternoon keeping
paint containers filled, helping young people attach handles onto bin
lids, leading children in shredding paper and providing vermicompost
and worms. The workshop was geared for people ages 4-12 (though some
suspiciously older-looking children were admitted, after promising that
they were very young at heart.) Plywood for the one foot square bins
was purchased by the City of Eugene. The OSU Lane County Master
Gardener Compost Specialists and the Good Earth Company of Yakima,
Washington provided redworms. Churchill Alternative High School
students donated many, many hours of labor to build one hundred worm
bins. Thanks to everyone!
There were so many people that gave their time and energy to make this
event a winner. DeeJay and Anna patiently stood by the “critter bin” to
encourage children to explore and try to find mites, springtails, sow
bugs, and more. Barbara answered questions, offered literature, and
told people about the Worm Digest project. Sally answered questions and
filled finished bins with worms.
We learned a lot running an event like this! We have plenty of ideas
for next time: we’ll have several plastic trays with worm bin material
right at kids’ eye level, with magnifiers on strings. Our young
painters will dip into plastic ice cube trays (much better than the
soggy egg cartons). We’ll increase the booth staff, so someone can take
pictures of the bins as they are finished. We’ll have enough people
that all the questions – why compost with worms, how to get worms into
their yards, where to buy worms, and how to build a bigger worm bin –
will get answered, too.
All in all, it was a great workshop. And, after we’ve rested up for ten months, we’ll start preparing next year’s event.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 October 2005 )
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