![A healthy earthworm resting on rich dark soil in an Irish garden](https://wiggleworms.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Why-Do-Earthworms-Wiggle-Soil-Science-for-Kids-WiggleWorms-Ireland.jpg")
Welcome to our WiggleWorms Daily Missions! Today we are celebrating our absolute favourite underground creature: the earthworm!
Have you ever watched an earthworm move across a path or wiggle through the soil and wondered how it gets around without any legs, arms, or bones? Today, we are putting on our soil scientist hats to find out!
🕵️♀️ The Detective's Breathing Rule
Earthworms don't have noses or lungs! They breathe right through their moist skin. That is why they need the damp Irish soil to stay healthy.
What Makes Earthworms So Special?
- The Muscle Power: Worms move by stretching and squeezing circular and longitudinal muscles in rings along their bodies, gripping the ground with tiny hair-like bristles called setae.
- Nature's Ploughs: As they tunnel through the earth, they eat decaying leaves and soil, turning them into nutrient-rich plant food called castings.
- Rain Detectives: When heavy rain fills underground tunnels with water, worms come up to the surface so they don't drown!
Wiggle Challenge: The Earthworm Observation Mission
- Head out into your garden, school flower bed, or park after a spell of Irish rain.
- Find an earthworm resting safely on soil or a path. Kneel down close without touching it.
- Watch how it moves across the ground. Does it stretch long, then scrunch up short?
- Open your nature journal and draw an earthworm underground, showing its secret tunnels!
🧠 Fun Fact
Earthworms don't have eyes or ears, but they can feel bright light and feel heavy vibrations when someone walks near them on the grass!
