The wild worm play occurred about 20 years ago while I was visiting a preschool program with a collection of loose parts that included a dozen earthworms. One child had never met a worm and initially claimed she wanted nothing to do with them. But she had a kitten’s curiosity and hovered nearby, watching other kids interact with the worms for nearly half an hour.

Then she approached the table and asked, “do they bite?”

“No, they won’t bite you.”

“Can I touch one?”

“Sure.”

A wary index finger crept toward a wiggling worm’s midsection, lingered, and then stroked it.

“Can I hold her?”

“Sure.”

She picked up the worm, and I snapped the above photo.

“Am I holding a wild animal all by myself?”

“Sure.”

She grinned. A moment later, it was wiggling in the palm of her hand. A few minutes after that, she grasped the worm by one end and started spinning it. The worm stretched as she spun it round and round. Her eyes grew large as they tracked the worm’s rotation.

“It’s growing!”

“Maybe you should stop that.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure the worm likes that, and it might be getting dizzy.”

“Oh, OK.”

The spinning stopped.

Worm Play Wrap Up

But her worm play continued. She selected a few more worms, anointed them a family, and started in on some worm-centered small world play. She made them a house, then spoke for them as she moved them around as characters in her play narrative. It was delightful.

I’m unsure whether her STEM play exploring centrifugal and centripetal force bothered the worm. Although humorous, it made me a bit uncomfortable. I should have admitted to then as the reason I wanted her to stop.

The rest of her worm play experience was a joy to observe. The safe haven of a playful environment is an ideal place for children to brush up against new ideas, materials, and creatures.

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