Worms and Writing at O’Connell’s Primary School!

Superheroes of the Soil at O'Connell's Primary School! 

Fighting Words and Pocket Forests came together to spend a morning with students in second class to talk about worms, soil, and planting which led to the beginning of an excellent story.

On Friday, 9 June, children of O’Connell’s Primary School installed four wormeries – also called worm hotels – in their school yard to regenerate the soil. Together with Pocket Forests, they got to work to prepare the ground for it to be planted with native trees and shrubs later on this year.

Pocket Forests plants native trees, shrubs and wildflowers in small places found in urban areas. They hold workshops to reconnect communities with nature – and so they did at O’Connell’s Primary School.

Hard Work & Creative Minds

Not only did the students learn how to regenerate the soil but they help the team of Pocket Forests to install the worm hotels and even came up with brilliant names for them including “The Yum Yum Compost Hotel” and “The Seven Star Worm Hotel”. The children also had very creative questions such as “What would happen if a bee stung a worm?” and “Can a snail eat a worm?”

Writing about Worms 

After the worms all found their places in the hotels and the children were inspired by what they had just learnt, we held a writing workshop with them. These young creative people came up with the first chapter of a brilliant story about James, the footballer, who is being followed by a tarantula and seeks the help of the worms in their hotels.

Continuing the Project

We will return to the school with Pocket Forests in November to plant the native trees and to write chapter two of the story!

Find the first chapter of "James the Footballer" below!