Painting with Earthworms is a Great Art Project for Your Preschooler

The idea of painting with Earthworms may sound gross, but it's actually very cool. Obviously, this project is not for the squeamish, but your children will absolutely love it. I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no, the worms won't get hurt.

The idea came to me one evening when I was digging in my back yard trying to plant a Rose bush. I stumbled upon a host of Earthworms just wiggling around. "Hum," I thought to myself, I wonder if my preschool class would enjoy painting with them?

Since I am not one of those people who gets freaked out by the sight of worms, I got a clean jar, punched a few small holes in the top and scooped up the worms, dirt included and took them to class the next day.

I was a little concerned at first. I was sure that bringing the worms into the classroom would send the children into a frenzy. To my surprise, They were actually intrigued and very receptive to the idea of painting with the wiggly little creatures.

This is a great project for parents to do with their kids at home. It's a fun and creative way to spend quality time with your little ones.

Before you begin this project, make sure that you talk to the kids about gentle handling of the worms. You might feel awful if you look at their paper and they have smashed worms mixed in with their paint.

Materials needed:

Earthworms (maybe two per child. More if you like.)
White art paper
Non-toxic washable paint of any color. (Make sure that you choose paint that is designed with children in mind.)

Steps:

1. Rinse the dirt off of the worms with cool water. (Not too cold.)

2. Let the children blob the paint color(s) of their choice on the paper. (Not too much.)

3. Place the Earthworms in the center of the paint.

4. Let the worms wiggle and crawl around the paper. As the worms move across the paper, the paint will drag and create wonderful works of art. Steps two and three can be repeated as often as you would like to create the desired effect.

After this project is complete, you can rinse the Earthworms off with cool water and release them outside in a nice cool, dirty spot.

Your children will get a sense of pride when they see their painting displayed on the refrigerator, or framed and hanging on the wall of their room.