Some Bugs

Worms
Preschool

Lesson Plans

© PreschoolTeacher101

Table of Contents

Copyright and Credits 3

How to Use 4

Book List 5

Weekly Lesson Plans 6

Skills Checklist 7

Daily Lesson Plans 8

Editable Lesson Plan Grids 15

Science Journal 19

10 Little Worms 29

Worm Pattern Cards 53

Worm Color Cards 58

Worm Photos & Diagrams 61

Worm Letter Puzzles 68

Find the Worm 78

Beginning Letter Match 81

Life Cycle 102

Worm Measurement 105

Number Cards 114

Worm Shapes 121

Counting Worms 128

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101

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How to use these
lesson plans

This lesson plan packet contains the following:
 Book list
 1-page weekly lesson plan grid
o Alternate weekly grids for 4 day, 3 day, and 2 day programs
 5 daily lesson plan sheets

 2-page centers explanation
 Printables

Use the Book List to stock your classroom reading center and choose which books

you’ll read aloud during the apple theme.

The 1-page weekly lesson plan has ideas for center activities, read alouds, whole

group lessons, small group math lessons, small group science lessons, and small group
literacy lessons.

The alternate lesson plan sheets are perfect for creating your own plans if you

teach a 4-day, 3-day, or 2-day preschool program. Simply grab the items you’d like and
arrange them to the calendar that’s best suited for you. These sheets are editable – so you
can type in the dates, days of the week, and activities. You can also just print the templates
and handwrite your plans.

The daily lesson plans delve into the specifics of each lesson idea. Materials are

included along the top of each daily plan. The days of the week and dates on these sheets
are editable.

The centers explanation has more information about each center activity. There

are 2 to 3 ideas for each center. Some teachers keep the same activities in each center
for an entire week, while others like to change the activities a couple times a week.

You can pick and choose the activities that suit you and your classroom best. For example,
maybe some of the small group ideas would be better done during your whole group time.
You may decide to use some of the small group ideas during center time. Even though the
plans are listed as one week, there are really enough activities to encompass an additional
week or two if you incorporate non-themed activities.

Text highlighted in blue indicates a hyperlink. Click on the hyperlinked text to be taken to
activities and ideas online.

 indicates a coordinating printable in the packet.

© Preschool Teacher 101 TPT: ECEducation101

Worms & Mud Book List

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in Your Backyard by Nancy
Loewen
Jonathan and Martha by Petr Horacek
Yucky Worms by Vivian French
Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
An Earthworm’s Life by John Himmelman
Wonderful Worms by Linda Glaser
Earthworms by Claire Llewellyn
Superworm by Julia Donaldson
It’s a Good Thing There are Earthworms by Jodie Shepherd
Wiggle and Waggle by Caroline Arnold
Bob and Otto by Robert O. Bruel
Ned’s New Home by Kevin Tseng
Mud by Mary Lyn Ray
Mud Puddle by Robert Munsch
Jump Into Science: Dirt by Steve Tomecek
Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie M. Rosinsky

© Preschool Teacher 101 TPT: ECEducation101

Worm Lesson P

Read Aloud Monday Tuesday

Diary of a Worm Wiggling Worms at
Work

Whole Group Wiggle like a worm Digging for worms “I

Literacy Find the worm  Worm letters

Math Counting worms  Worm patterns

Science or Worm habitat  Learning about
worms 
Social Studies

Arts & Crafts Science

Pipe cleaner worms Worm habitat 
Worm weaving Life cycle

Math Sensory

Number cards  Worm play dough
Making numbers Mud and worms

NOTES:

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101

Plans Dates: ______________

Wednesday Thursday Friday

Superworm Wonderful Worms Jonathan and
Martha

I like worms” chart Plan a mud day Worm cup snack

Beginning letter Descriptive words Button worm
match  literacy

Worm Worm shapes  Worm color cards
measurement  

Wiggly worm Gummy worm Worm and dirt
sensory bin science  exploration 

Pretend Play CENTERS

I’m a worm Literacy
Digging for worms
Letter puzzles 
Building Sensory writing tray

The longest worm
Worm garden

 = Coordinating printable included

Preschool Skills Checklist

Worm and dirt exploration
Gummy worm science
Wiggly worm sensory bin
Learning about worms
Worm habitat
Worm color cards
Worm shapes
Worm measurement
Worm patterns
Counting worms
Button worm literacy
Descriptive words
Beginning letter match
Worm letters
Find the worm

Print conveys meaning

Math Literacy Concept of a word

Letter knowledge XXX X
Left-to-right progression

Sight words X
Oral language skills XX
One-to-one correspondence X
Patterns and sorting X
Shapes and colors XX
Numeral knowledge and counting XX
Graphing and measuring X
Addition/Subtraction

Scientific observation and investigation XXXXX
Force and motion
Other Science
Describe physical properties of objects XX XX
Chemical reactions X
Engineering

© PreschoolTeacher1 TPT: ECEducation101

Monday

Date Read Aloud

Materials Diary of a Worm

Sand; dirt; plastic worms or
gummy worms; sensory filler

Whole Group Activity Small Group Literacy

Wiggle like a worm Find the worm 

Say different words. Children wiggle if Write every child’s name on a sentence
the word starts with /w/. strip or piece of construction paper.

Place in a pocket chart. Use one of the
printable worm cards included with

these plans. Have kids close their eyes
and hide the worm behind a name. Give
clues and let children ask questions to

help determine where the worm is
hiding.

Small Group Science Small Group Math

Worm habitat  Counting worms 

Make a simple worm tower using a Fill a sensory bin with either real dirt or
cylindrical glass jar or vase. Place a a dirt-like material (like coffee grounds
plastic wrapped cardboard tube in the
middle. Alternate layers of sand and or black beans). Add plastic fishing
dirt. Add the worms once they’ve been worms or gummy worms. Place a
collected. Add food for the worms (bits number cube near the bin. Children use
of vegetables). Be sure to mist the tongs or tweezers to pull out the
tower every few days to keep the soil correct number of worms to match the
number cube. This activity can also be
damp. Wrap a black piece of paired with the printable worm number
construction paper around the outside
to keep it dark (but so you can remove cards.
it when you want to view the worms).
 = Coordinating printable included
Have the kids write/draw about the
process in their science journals.

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101

Tuesday

Date Read Aloud

Materials Wiggling Worms at Work

Bucket; shovels; plastic worms or
cooked noodles

Whole Group Activity Small Group Literacy

Digging for worms Worm letters

Grab a bucket and some shovels. Go Cut letters out of brown construction
digging for real worms. Beforehand, paper. Consider using the first letter of
discuss with the children how to treat each child’s name. Use cooked linguine

the worms humanely. or spaghetti noodles as “worms”.
Ground coffee can be the “dirt”. Have
the kids dip the pasta into a bowl of
slightly watered down glue. Then they
can dip the noodles into the “dirt” and
place the “worms” on the letter. Let dry

and then display.

Small Group Science Small Group Math

Learning about worms  Worm patterns 

Brainstorm a list of things you know Use small construction paper
about worms and questions you have rectangles to build a worm creating
about worms. Read a nonfiction book patterns of the worm’s segments.
about worms and watch Worms Are Alternatively, use the printable worms
Wonderful. Discuss things you learned.
to create patterns.
The children can record interesting
tidbits on their science journals.

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101  = Coordinating printable included

Wednesday

Date Read Aloud

Materials Superworm

Cornstarch; plastic fishing worms;
yarn or gummy worms

Whole Group Activity Small Group Literacy

“I like worms” chart Beginning letter match 

Create a simple sign in graph about Match the letter cards to the pictures
worms. Write “I like worms” at the top that start with those letters. Emphasize
of a large piece of chart paper. Make a
column for yes and a column for no. the sounds each letter makes.
Kids can write their names under their

answers.

Small Group Science Small Group Math

Wiggly worm sensory bin Worm Measurement 

Make “mud” goop and add plastic fishing Use gummy worms, yarn, cooked pasta,
worms for a wormy sensory or printable worms along with one of
the worm measurement printables.
experience. The goop is made by mixing
3 parts corn starch and 1 part Measure how long the worms are using
Unifix cubes or other math
unsweetened cocoa powder. Then
slowly add water in increments of three manipulatives. Alternatively, measure
household items using the worms. Have
tablespoons until you reach your
desired consistency. Stir well the children record their findings.
throughout the process.

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101  = Coordinating printable included

Thursday

Date Read Aloud

Materials Wonderful Worms

Gummy worms; various liquids;
plastic worms

Whole Group Activity Small Group Literacy

Plan a mud day Descriptive words

Even if you’re not able to plan for an Create a list of words that describe
actual mud day with your students, you worms. Ask prompting questions as
needed. Keep the list up throughout
can still work with the kids to write
about what they’d do at a school mud your entire worm theme.
day. Some examples include making a

mud pit outside and adding pretend
worms to it. Children could also paint
with mud and pretend worms. The kids
might also want to make mud castles or

set up a mud kitchen.

Small Group Science Small Group Math

Gummy worm science  Worm shapes 

Experiment with what happens when Use worm manipulatives (gummy
gummy worms are put in different worms, yarn, tackle worms, or cooked
liquids. Make predictions, set up the pasta) to make different shapes. The

experiment, and record results. Use this printable worm shape cards can be
experiment as inspiration. Have the used as prompts for this activity.

children draw/write their observations
in their worm science journals, if
desired.

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101  = Coordinating printable included

Friday

Date Read Aloud

Materials Jonathan and Martha

Chocolate pudding; Oreos; gummy
worms; ribbon; felt; dirt; worms

Whole Group Activity Small Group Literacy

Worm cup snack Button worm literacy

Add chocolate pudding to a cup. Have a ribbon “worm” make its way
Crushed Oreo cookies get layered on through the letters in a child’s name, or
next. Place a few gummy worms on top.
the letters in the alphabet. Make the
worm out of brown ribbon, and glue or

string a button to the end. Make the
letters into apples using red felt, if
desired. Otherwise use whatever felt

you might have on-hand.

Small Group Science Small Group Math

Worm and dirt exploration  Color worm cards 

Place real dirt/mud on a tray, along with Match colorful worms to color word
some real worms. Very gently, look and cards. The children can also sort items
touch. Make observations in a science
from around the classroom to the
journal. correct color cards.

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101  = Coordinating printable included

Centers

Arts & Crafts Science

Pipe cleaner worms – Thread pony beads Worm habitat observation – Take a peek
onto pipe cleaners to make worms. at the worms in the worm tower. Record
Challenge the children to make patterns observations about what the worms are
with their pony beads, too. doing and how the habitat changes. Add
bits of food and mist the soil each day.
Worm weaving – Take a piece of brown
construction paper. Cut slits into it at Life cycle  – Put the earthworm life cycle
about 2-inch intervals. Use thick ribbons or in order. Write or talk about the life cycle.
construction paper worms to weave in and
out of the brown paper “dirt”.

Pretend Play Literacy

I’m a worm – Act out the earthworm life Worm letter puzzles  – Put the puzzles
cycle. Include a sleeping bag or a blanket together, matching uppercase and
for children to use as a “cocoon”. Leave lowercase letters. Add the letter puzzles to
space for wiggling worms! your favorite brown sensory items to make
a literacy sensory bin, if desired.
Digging for worms – Pretend to be going on
a worm digging trip. Add hats, shovels, Worm sensory writing tray – Place sand or
buckets, and fake worms to the center. dirt in a shallow tray. Add some plastic
fishing worms and some pebbles. Create
letters, words, and designs in the sand/dirt
using finger writing, rocks, or by dragging
“worms” through the dirt.

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101  = Coordinating printable included

Centers

Math Sensory

Number cards  – Put the cards in Worm play dough – Create habitats for
numerical order, use pretend worms to worms using play dough. Add in some
explore one-to-one correspondence, etc. pretend worms for more play.

Making numbers with worms - Use cooked Mud and worms – Add dirt or mud to a
pasta, gummy, worms, or plastic fishing sensory bin, along with pretend worms.
worms to form numbers. Include shovels, pails, scoops, and cups.

Building

The longest worm – See how long you can
make a “worm” built of blocks. Count how
many blocks long it is, or measure it.

Worm gardens – Use blocks to create a
garden for worms to live in. Add pretend
worms.

© PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101  = Coordinating printable included

Weekly Lesson P

Read Aloud
Whole Group

Literacy
Math

Science or
Social Studies

© Preschool Teacher 101

Plans

CENTERS

TPT: ECEducation101

Weekly Lesson P

Read Aloud
Whole Group

Literacy
Math

Science or
Social Studies

© Preschool Teacher 101

Plans

CENTERS

TPT: ECEducation101

Weekly Lesson P

Read Aloud
Whole Group

Literacy
Math
Science or
Social Studies

© Preschool Teacher 101

Plans

CENTERS

TPT: ECEducation101

Weekly Lesson P

Read Aloud
Whole Group

Literacy
Math

Science or
Social Studies

© Preschool Teacher 101

Plans

CENTERS

TPT: ECEducation101

Science Journal

Print out the science journal cover and the
pages you’d like to use with your students.

Staple the pages together to make a small
worm-themed science journal. Use the journal
alongside the small group science activities
entitled “worm habitat”, “learning about worms”,
and “gummy worm science”. The journal can
also be used with the center activity “worm
habitat observation”.

Have the kids write their names on the front
cover. The first page is for recording the steps
for making a worm habitat/tower. The next is
for observations of the worm tower throughout
the theme. The third page is for recording
interesting facts the kids have learned about
worms. The final page is for recording
observations from the gummy science
experiment.

PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101

My
Worm
Journal

by ___________

© PreschoolTeacher101

How to make a worm
tower:

© PreschoolTeacher101

My worm tower
observations:

© PreschoolTeacher101

What I learned about
worms:

© PreschoolTeacher101

Gummy worm science
observations:

© PreschoolTeacher101

My
Worm
Journal

by ___________

© PreschoolTeacher101

How to make a worm
tower:

© PreschoolTeacher101

My worm tower
observations:

© PreschoolTeacher101

What I learned about
worms:

© PreschoolTeacher101

Gummy worm science
observations:

© PreschoolTeacher101

10 Little Worms

Print out the “10 Little Worms” chant that
you would like to use with your class. If
desired, adjust the settings when printing.
If you change the dimensions to 150% or
200%, you can make your own chart
version of the chants. Laminate the chant
for durability.

Introduce the chant to the children, reading
it to the tune of “10 Little Indians” and
pointing to each word as you say it.
Encourage the children to say the chant
with you a second time.

Make it into a math activity by having some
children hold the individual number cards.
The kids can hold up the cards during the
appropriate part of the chant.

PreschoolTeacher101 TPT: ECEducation101

10 Little Worms

Sung to the tune of “10 Little Indians”

1 little, 2 little,
3 little worms,
4 little, 5 little,
6 little worms,
7 little, 8 little,
9 little worms,
10 little worms
wiggling in the dirt!

10 Little Worms

Sung to the tune of “10 Little Indians”

1 little, 2 little,
3 little worms,
4 little, 5 little,
6 little worms,
7 little, 8 little,
9 little worms,
10 little worms
wiggling in the dirt!