Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer

What a heartworming story! 

Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer, written by Carol Brendler and illustrated by Ard Hoyt, is a fun story about a girl named Winnie Finn with unique love of worms! It sends a nice message about the value of hard work and helping others. This book is a nice addition to any classroom collection, as it can easily be integrated into a variety of units.

The gist:

Winnie Finn uses her passion for worms to make her own worm farm and help her neighbors win prizes at the county fair. For her help, her neighbors share their prize money with her and she is able to purchase a new wagon for her worm friends! This book includes accurate information on worms and highlights the value of setting goals and following through.

This book could easily tie into several different units. Though some classrooms may have a full unit on worms, this book could also be used in more general units about soil, plants, or simply environmentalism and composting.

My favorite part:

At the end of the book there are directions on how to start your very own worm farm! Starting a worm farms sounds like a blast and a great way to get students truly interested in how worms work and how they relate to other topics. I did a bit of research, and quite honestly, it seems a bit expensive (the average price of a pound of live worms looks to be about $45 nowadays). But, if several classes were to do a worm farm together, the cost becomes far more reasonable!

What you can do:

Like I said earlier, this book can tie into various science units! However, if you just want to stick with worms, that's fine too! This website has several suggestions for a larger unit on worms, including related books! You can also find very informative videos on YouTube, like this one, and lots of fun, worm-related songs that you can sing with your students!

You can also start a worm farm or a community garden with your class! The book includes directions for starting your own classroom worm farm, but starting a community garden seems equally engaging and likely more cost efficient! After reading Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer, talk to your class about how worms create nutrient rich soil and why that is important for plants. Plants are a common topic in many classrooms, and creating your own garden would surely make the material more engaging and real for students!

Happy Reading!