No Piles of Dead Stuff
Some of the smallest living things on earth have some of the biggest jobs. They are recyclers-without them this process of breaking dead stuff apart wouldn't happen! And we'd be stuck with huge piles of dead stuff lying around all over our earth! Find all 12 of these recyclers in the word search below. The words can go up, down, side-to-side, diagonal and backward.

Top Secret Recyclers
Rotting plants & creatures all around us get recycled under cover of dirt & darkness.

WHAT AM I?

1. I eat, but I don't have a mouth or a stomach.
I make a chemical that's powerful enough to
turn a dead tree into crumbly soil.
Draw a line to one of the recyclers at right.
I am a _______________.

2. I eat a lot of dead leaves and dirt.
I breathe through my damp skin.
I have no legs, but I do have feet.
Draw a line to one of the recyclers at right.
I am a _______________.

3. My tiny hooked teeth (thousands of them!) are all on my tongue.
I like my food best when it's dead and rotting.
My eyes are perched on the tips of stalks that stick up from my head.
Draw a line to one of the recyclers at right.
I am a _______________.

(Answers at bottom of page)

Spying on Worms

• Earthworms (look under damp, decaying leaves and rotting logs)
• Magnifying glass
• Clear glass dish (such as a glass pie plate)
• Spray bottle or drops of water
• Damp paper towel

IMPORTANT! Spray the worm or sprinkle it with a few drops of water as you worm-watch. If it dries out it will suffocate!

Put the worm on the glass plate. Hold the plate above you in good light, so you can look at the worm from under the bottom of the glass. You can see the blood vessels and the gut. You may even be able to see the worm’s heart beating. Put the worm on the damp paper towel and look at it with your magnifying glass. Can you see the worm’s bristle feet?

Put the worm on a sheet of paper and listen very carefully. You may be able to hear the scratching noise of the worm’s bristle-feet as it moves.

Answers
WHAT AM I?

1. I am a mushroom.
My powerful chemicals make dead things break down into their elements which I then soak up for lunch. What I don’t eat goes into the soil, so the lucky plants living nearby feast on the leftovers.The part of me that makes the powerful strong chemicals is hidden. It looks like lacey, white threads. You can spot them if you pry up a piece of bark on an old log.

2. I am an earthworm.
When I burrow through soil, I eat dirt and dead leaves which pass through my body, mix with chemicals, and come out my other end as tiny pellets called “castings.” These castings are rich in the elements plants need most—nitrogen and potassium. I change dead leaves and dirt into super-rich plant food!

I absorb oxygen through my damp skin, so if I dry out, I cannot take in the oxygen, and I will suffocate.

My feet are very tiny bristles on the bottom and sides of my body. When a bird is trying to pull me out of the ground I hang onto the walls of my burrow with my bristle-feet!

3. I am a snail.
My teeth can cut, grind, and shred even the toughest vegetation like tree bark. I chew on rocks to get minerals. If you are very quiet, you may be able to hear a crunching sound when I eat.

I leave a trail of sticky mucus that protects me from sharp things. It also helps me climb up and down and cling upside down.