JoAnn and Her Worms

By JoAnn Yates, Horticultural Therapist @ The Children's CenterWonder. Awe. Curiosity. Qualities such as these are challenging to measure yet are undeniably obvious when witnessing them. Each of these qualities are portals for learning, connection and engagement and are the tools of Horticultural Therapy (HT) at The Centers for Exceptional Children.In winter, when the garden appears to be slumbering, the HT program looks for other ways to bring Nature to the students to instill wonder as a means to support growth physically, cognitively and socially. This month the students were introduced to red wiggler worms that live in a vermi-composting unit under my desk. Starting out with rubber worms, we practiced gentle touches and impulse control. Once that skill was mastered our students were given the opportunity to observe and touch live worms. Now that I had their attention, we read a story explaining that worms do not have any eyes, ears or teeth. Yet they play a vital role in the environment by taking waste in the form of kitchen scraps and producing nutrients that plants need to grow. The lesson culminated with time to explore homemade slime.What does this have to do with therapy? If a student is hesitant to engage in his/her environment, has difficulty staying on task and finds impulse control a vague concept, learning and reaching goals will be difficult. What if we create a safe, engaging environment as a vehicle to increase tolerance of tactile experiences? Think worms, slime and rotting kitchen scraps. What if we develop and refine fine motor control and awareness of pressure by touching rubber worms? What if we discover that covering our friend with slime without permission is not warmly received? Might we learn something about impulse control and respecting boundaries?Each month a horticultural therapy activity is thoughtfully designed to provide opportunities for our students to master new skills and refine established ones by interacting with the garden, its creatures and Nature. It is hard to imagine a finer teacher. Or one that is more engaging.Questions about vermiculture? Check out this LINK.  Want to make slime? Check out the recipe HERE.