WORMS! WORMS!WORMS!

Diary of a Worm  is over but your worms still need care.  Remember the following:
1.  Worms like it damp but not wet.  If your worm home gets too wet, gently turn your container upside down (with lid firmly on!) and have a parent poke a few holes in the bottom lie the ones in the lid.  Set it back- bottom side down and set the container on an old container to catch draining water.  Then add some more DRY shredded newspaper to absorb some of the extra moisture.
2.  Add some extra dirt, one tablespoon full should do it for your small container.  Make sure it does not have chemicals in it.  Ask your parents. Worms need dirt to help them eat food.
3.  Feed your worms correctly.  It doesn't take much food.  If you still see food scraps then don't add more.  When you add food, just a little does it.  For just a few worms, chop up a big spoonful of RAW, UNCOOKED  fruit and vegetable scraps...no citrus like lemons and no onions or garlic. 
NEVER give your worms meat, dairy or grease!
4.  Worms like it dark.  Wrap some dark paper around he outside of your container.

Two red worms mating

5.  Not too cold or hot! Keep your container inside and away from hot things.  In the spring you can set them free in your garden if you want.
6.  If you see two worms together, leave them alone.  They are making babies.
7.  If you see a lot of black soil, that's worm poop and it is great food for your plants. Gently remove it and put it in your flower pot.  Your plants will love it!

Any questions?  Send it in the comment box below.
I hope to see you at our next Story Lab Snowflake Bentley.  Find out more by opening the Story Lab tab above.

MARS ROVER LANDS SAFELY ON MARS!

August 6th marks a new future for our space program. Mars rover Curiousity safely landed on Mars to begin a two-year mission.  (go to Science Sharing page for more on Curiousity)

PERSEID SHOWERS PEAK AUGUST 11 -13

While you might spot a meteor any day this month, your best chance is 11 pm to dawn Saturday, the 11th and Sunday, the 12th. During this time, you might see an average of a meteor a minute. Lay down in a reclining lawn chair or on a blanket and look up at a dark part of the sky with a wide open view. I like to lay on my driveway to avoid the dew on the grass. You may see streaks that are white or green. HAPPY HUNTING!

THE METEORS ARE HERE!

August means starting school for many of us, but for everyone around the world, it is the month of the Perseid Meteor showers. Meteors, sometimes called Shooting Stars, look like bright streaks of light across the sky. We can’t see them during the day because the sun is too bright. This year should be a good year for seeing meteors because the moon is in its waning crescent phase, which means a darker sky. The source of the shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle. Both Earth and the comet orbit (move in a path) around the Sun. Although the comet is nowhere near Earth, bits of the comet's tail gets in Earth's orbit. These tiny bits of comet dust hit Earth's atmosphere traveling 132,000 mph creating bright streaks of light as they burn. Because Swift-Tuttle's meteors fly out of the constellation Perseus, they are called Perseids. For more information and pictures open the Space link: Meteors: Great Perseids-NASA Science.